Some people think that hypertext is the structure of human thought.  It is natural for us to make our own idiosyncratic associations among pieces of information.  And it may not be particularly natural for us to think logically. That's why we go to school to learn to think logically, while we don't need to be taught to daydream or free associate.  It seems easier to think in a nonlinear way than to think in a strictly linear way (which computers do very well).

You already are quite familiar with hypertext and how texts of various types can be linked to other texts in a nonlinear fashion. But most likely all that you have seen so far is nonfiction on the Web. I would like you to be somewhat familiar with how creative writers are using computers and hypertext to produce literature that is nontraditional.  

The computer has made new directions possible for literature. Of course, we can now read literature on computer screens. We can also read literary texts that contain links to extra material about the author, the setting, and so forth. 

But the real revolution in the connection between literature and computer technology has been in the realm of hypertext literature--that is, literature that can only be read on a computer . This type of literature does away with some of our assumptions about what literature is supposed to be like.
The main difference between traditional literary fiction and hyptertext fiction, or hyperfiction, is that hyperfiction is not linear. The reader does not start with the first page and read until the last page of the work. Rather, the reader reads one page or screen and then follows a link that takes him or her to another page/screen which is only one of several possibilities. There is, then, no one, "right" sequence of screens to read and no real "ending" to the story.
Most hyperfiction is distributed on disks by Eastgate Systems, Some of these hyperfictions incorporate images and sounds in addition to the words of the text.  However, there are also some works of hyperfiction available on the Web. 

Visit the Eastgate Hypertext Reading Room and read some sample pieces of  hypertext fiction.  I recommend looking at    Charmin' Cleary
and  l0ve 0ne.  Twelve Blue is also interesting (and more experimental).

Exercise:  Read for an hour or so in one or more of the hypertext fictions. I  assume this will be the first piece of fiction of its kind that you have read. So just try to get used to the way you read this type of work, how it is different from a piece of fiction printed on paper. Try to spend an hour or so the first time. Then go back to "reread" for a short period of time, realizing  that you're getting a somewhat different experience since you are clicking on different links and seeing different screens from the first time you were at the site.

Answer these questions and email your answers to me:

What are your impressions of this way of reading fiction? How
is it the same and how is it different from what you're used to? Does this reading experience give you any ideas concerning how Web sites can be designed?

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