“…but I emerge feeling damp, winded and slightly disgusted.”
Welp…What are we doing here?
In my opinion, Shelly Jackson’s mission is, to rip her reader’s violently out of their comfort zones so that they experience something completely unconventional and original. I think we can all agree…that she did just that.
Jackson uses her writing style, as a form of artistic expression, that relates to the underlying themes she introduces throughout the text.
Traditional writing conventions help the reader. They make a point clear and easy to understand. On the other hand, hypertext is a complex confusing system that seems to actively trick and emotionally drain the reader…But surprisingly enough, Jackson figured out how to effectively use hypertext as a powerful tool to explore her work, as a piece of art.
Jackson used the characteristics of hypertext to paint the limitations of traditional liner writing. She actively protested the “realist” form of writing we are all used to and by creating a fractured text the reader is able to visualize the socially fractured themes she introduced throughout the text.
While I tried to find my way through the “multi-linear” maze Jackson created, I was forced to interpret the experience I was intended to have. Although, at times I was confused by what Jackson was getting at—my experience was my own.
Jackson challenged me to make my own links to the text. I found myself provoked to flexible thoughts, and I was catapulted back and forth so quickly that there was no way I could comprehend what as happening until it was over.
After reading some of my peer’s responses to the text I realized that, we all drew our own conclusions based on personal influences, connections and associations we made while reading the piece. Our individual experiences ultimately contributed to how we perceived the text.
“Hypertext doesn’t know where it’s going.” It is the reader’s job to fill in the gaps.
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