Hyperfiction
When hypertext fiction , short Hyperfiction , refers to a fictional narrative, which with and for the hypertext structure is written. These are non-linear, electronic texts that only take on a concrete form through the reception of a reader. Such poetic texts are called hyperpoetry .
Hypertext as a literary form of expression - offline hyperfictions
One speaks of offline hyperfiction when it appears on diskette or CD-ROM . The first hyperfiction to be published as such was "Afternoon, a story" by Michael Joyce , published in 1987. This marked the beginning of the development of the literary-oriented hypertext theory, which sees hypertext as a literary type of text that has developed from avant-garde tendencies in the structure of texts . In hypertextual literature in print form, she examines emerging tendencies in terms of content and structure ( James Joyce : linearity of the narrative narrative strands undermining writing; Jorge Luis Borges : problem of deciding between modes of action, each with its own consequences, addressed by a narrative in the narrative; Raymond Queneau : “Cent mille billiardes des poèmes ”, sonnet lines cut into strips with any possible combination; Julio Cortázar :“ Rayuela ”, text segments), which, according to hypertext theorists , are seen in connection with post-structuralist theses and can easily be exercised in the medium of hypertext. Her theses are divided into four literary theoretical aspects: text structure, author role, recipient function and intertextuality . Another literary pioneer of hypertext is the Austrian writer Andreas Okopenko , who published the first literary hypertext in book form in 1970 with his lexicon novel . The lexicon novel was published in 1998 in collaboration between the author, the collective Libraries of the Mind and the composer Karlheinz Essl as ELEX - Electronic Lexicon-Novel on CD-ROM.
Structural change and supposed empowerment of the reader
New features of the text structure are multilinearity, segmentation and linking as well as openness (since usually no narrative conclusion is achieved). The reader is stylized as a wreader ("writer" & "reader") and seems to gain new power (he could create his own constructions of meaning that contradict the author's intention and construct his "own" text). However, this empowerment of the reader in offline hyperfiction is an illusion, since there is hardly any real interactivity; the reader can "click through" at will, but cannot write in his own texts or edit or delete existing ones. In addition, the reader must comply with certain instructions from the author, so v. a. In the English-speaking world, hyperfictions were written with their own programs such as Storyspace , in which the author provides his texts with so-called "guard fields" that determine the sequence of the sequences; this is called "procedural authorship".
The recipient is therefore not necessarily a (co-) producer; rather, his or her reading activity defines the text; through his (random) selection, a new whole is filtered out of the confusing set of parts of the text.
Despite its hypertextuality, literature on CD-ROM remains a self-contained work that is subject to an author's name and copyright, and is also “tangible” on a data carrier, and is therefore similar to “classic” print literature in terms of its character. For this reason, when analyzing hyperfictions, in the beginning more and more models were used that were developed on the basis of printed literature. A detachment from book culture is only taking place gradually; the apparent affiliation of the hypertext to post-structuralism is based on the description of the hypertext as a pure further development of the print text, whereby the production and reception aesthetic peculiarities of the same were disregarded.
Hypertext with interaction as the main feature - webfictions
With the move to the Internet, hypertext is gaining opportunities. Hyperfiction that is published on the Internet is referred to as web fiction , occasionally also as online hyperfiction . In contrast to offline hyperfiction, web fiction does not depend on a data carrier and is therefore no longer physically accessible.
Most web fictions are of a cooperative nature, and users can actively participate. Model are v. a. so-called multi-user dungeons (abbreviation “MUD”) and “ Adventure Stories ”, cooperative co-writing projects in interactive computer role-playing games from the English-speaking world.
Shift from a work to a process aesthetic
The potential of literary transformation techniques, which reach their limits in the offline version, can be better exploited on the Internet. Tools such as tagging can be used to integrate external links, which enables an almost infinite network. The newer hypertext theories break away from the fruitless comparison with the book and recognize an aesthetic shift from work to process: the user can join the process at any time, there is actually no longer a finished “final version” of the work. With the participation of many, the distinction between author and reader is no longer necessary; the much-praised transformation into a “wreader” takes place as a by-product. A counter-argument to the “liberation of the reader” from passive reception would perhaps be that he still perishes as an individual in a crowd of people involved, but the new generation of users does not see this as a burden, but as an expression of direct, really “free” participation . Another sticking point is the volatility of such Internet publications, the content is constantly changing, sometimes an entire web fiction universe is completely erased; in some online communities, restrictions are therefore imposed on the deletion and editing of posts. In general, complete freedom of participation appears to be detrimental to quality.
See also
literature
- Dreher, Thomas: "History of Computer Art", chap. VI.2.2 Hyperfiction for CD-ROM and Web ( online publication 2012 )
- Gunder, Anna: "Hyperworks. On Digital Literature and Computer Games.", Diss. Uppsala University 2004
- Haider, Jutta: "Programmed literature: German-language hyperfiction and Internet literature on the web." Dipl. Arb. University of Vienna 1999
- Heibach, Christiane: "Literature on the Internet: Theory and Practice of a Cooperative Aesthetic." Dissertation University of Heidelberg 2000
- Suter, Beat: “Line of flight. On the history of German-language hyperfictions. "( Online publication 1999 )
Individual evidence
- ^ Christian Zolles: Hypertext pioneer now in hypertext. In: ORF Science. December 17, 2018, accessed March 2, 2019 .
- ↑ http://www.essl.at/bibliogr/elex.html