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Description
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In this course we
will investigate the rapidly emerging literary form
known as hypertext fiction or, more broadly,
electronic literature. Hypertext, as it applies to
our inquiry, can be defined as any work that
requires an interactive, artificial interface
between the reader and the writer to complete a
given narrative arc. Each work of hypertext demands
that the reader have some say in the progression
(regression, revolution, etc.) of a text in order
for the story to be "complete."
We will look at the
hypermedia authoring tool Storyspace and several
alternatives to it, including the world wide web.
Additionally, we will examine how our rapidly
increasing dependence on technology hampers or
augments our aesthetic sensibilities, and the ways
in which this dependence affects physical and
political space.
Because the
practice of Hypertext fiction is still in its
infancy, there are relatively few works to look at
and learn from. Indeed, it will be our challenge
merely to define the formal tenets of this strange
and often frustrating field. How, for example, do
we evaluate a particular work's strength or
weakness without anything against which to judge
it? For although we may want to pit a given
electronic text such as Shelley Jackson's
"Patchwork Girl" against, say, "The Trial," we must
learn to avoid or at least readapt our critical
tendencies in this regard, for the two texts and
the formal characteristics which define them are as
different as those governing film and
dance.
Many of the texts
we will examine may feel aesthetically
unsatisfactory--we may feel, after reading, that we
haven't "gotten it." We will undoubtedly look for
endings where there may be none. The logic behind
the linking may seem alien to us, when it is
apparent at all. Participating in a Hypertext can
be a frustrating, exhausting affair, yet this may
be one of the most thrilling aspects of electronic
literature--though it makes our job more daunting,
it is exhilarating to think that we are all taking
part in the definition of the form, that we can
begin to establish a set of critical tools with
which to examine these complex, challenging
narratives.
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Assignments
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In addition to the
assigned readings, You are required to complete two
major projects during the course of the semester
(one in Storyspace one in other
formats).
Additionally, you
will contribute, at least once a week, to a
classwide hypertext called "The
Berlin Project".
Though you may contribute as often as you wish, you
must post a minimum of 250 words per week for the
ten weeks that the project is assigned.
Keep in mind that
this is a workshop. Our primary concern is the
creation of engaging, vivid works of electronic
literature. You will be evaluated on your
willingness to explore this medium, to take logical
and emotional risks, and to be responsive and
attentive to the work of your peers.
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Sources
(Selection)
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Course Texts
-Puppet Motel, by Laurie Anderson
-Lust, by Mary-Kim Arnold (Eastgate
Systems)
-Flying Leap, by Judy Budnitz
-Dictee, by Theresa Hak Kyung Cha
-White Noise, by Don Delillo
-I Have Said Nothing, by J. Yellowlees Douglas
-Patchwork Girl, by Shelley Jackson (Eastgate
Systems)
-Ava, by Carole Maso
Dispepsi, by Negativland
(www.negativland.com)
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