Although Shelley Jackson is verbose and unapologetic for her lack of a simplistic definition of hypertext, Stitch Bitch captivated me for a series of reasons. Jackson is a writer, she touches on gender theory, and she utilizes a method of interactive media I plan to explore in my Theory and Audience Analysis course.
Jackson’s voice is well defined. It’s difficult to translate the humor of an individual into written word. I admire Jackson’s ability to remain consistent in tone throughout her metaphorical explanation of hypertext. She describes it as “schizophrenic”, among various other parallels to the human body and her hypertext work throughout the article. Jackson is serious about her assertions, but the delivery has punch. Not only is Jackson’s perspective fresh, but she also delivers it in an innovative manner.
I was inclined to reexamine Jackson’s parallel between hypertext and the feminine. To me, she equates the oppression of women in a supposed patriarchal society to the oppression of unorthodox literature in a literary world of conformity. Although thought provoking, I find it bold to make this argument, because it’s a slippery slope. Negative associations that have led society to reject other forms of media or demographics could also be equated to hypertext. What makes the feminine the chosen comparison?
Lastly, I was excited when I realized who Shelley Jackson is. I’m drawn to fiction storytelling. With goals of someday writing fiction, I am going to research the transformation from traditional novels to interactive methods of sharing fiction for my Theory and Audience Analysis research paper. Hypertext will be a category of focus. Jackson provided me with good introductory insight by providing perspective on the advantage of non-linear storytelling.