Articles by cbouche1

As I went through afternoon, a story, I tried to see if I could maybe piece together what I though might be different stories, or at least parts of the story. Going through this piece of hypertext, I was very much confused, as I have been with many of the other hypertexts we have looked at. With afternoon, I felt like each piece of information in each page I reviewed only added to my confusion. I never understood if one page would help me understand the next, or if it was a different story. I can presume that all of the pages of the story somehow connected and related to a larger story, however with the way hypertext works, receiving such small bits of jumbled information in different sections, it was very easy for me to get lost quick. Every time I would feel as if I understood that one small bit of information on the page and I would click to the next page, something completely different would present itself and I would once again get confused.

Somehow, I think the author intentionally created afternoon, a story as a hypertext, in this ambiguous form as to purposely confuse the reader. I have not quite figured out why because I am still trying to figure out the story, but I believe the actual confusion in trying to figure out the story in some way relates to the story being confusing itself. Perhaps with the story line or the characters themselves, I am not quite sure yet.

When first exploring Lialina’s My Boyfriend Came Back from the War, I found it very similar and yet very different from Hegirascope. It found the two similar in the sense that they both contained a sort of jumbled structure. There was never a point in the hypertext where the entire paged contained one single meaning. With My Boyfriend Came Back from the War, I found it much easier to follow and a much more pleasant experience in general when compared with Hegirascope. I felt that although it was Lialina’s story I was the one who controlled the path it took. As we read, we all make our own interpretations and take our own meanings from the stories we read, but with hypertexts such as My Boyfriend Came Back from the War and Hegirascope it almost seems as if their story is shaped by your own experiences. I think when most of us read we approach the work with certain expectations that may sometimes limit us. With these hypertexts, I think it is very difficult if not nearly impossible to approach them with any sort of expectations becuase they are so structurally different. With Hegirascope, I found myself very confused throughout the whole experience. Like I was going through a maze or solving an unsolvable puzzle. However, with My Boyfriend Came Back from the War, I found the structure of the piece much more appealing. With the author’s use of frames and the different links in each frame, while still keeping the old frames, I was able to follow each sub-story until it finished and then move on to the next. That made it much easier to understand what message the author was trying to convey and how each of the smaller messages pertained the bigger picture.

Constance

I was very transfixed with the Orson Whales piece by Alex Itin. Unlike the other two pieces, it used both visual and auditory representations to engage its audience. Right away, I found myself drawn in by the combination of visual stimulation and the constant transition between the deep voiced narration and the sharp sounds of Led Zeppelin.

Right away we know the Orson Whales piece represents the author’s unique interpretation and perhaps contrast between Moby Dick and the life of Orson Welles. The piece directly depicts the struggles of life, as in the scene with the drunk; i.e. alcoholism. We’re taken thorough a life’s journey, the ups and downs and ins and outs of this individual Itin represents.

Evocatively, the deeper meaning(s) I interpreted from the Whales piece showcased three main themes. First, there is a theme of life and death; what we see, live, and experience throughout our lives. As well as those things we might not see ahead of us. Which leads to the second theme of betrayal. Which I believe traces back to Itin’s interpretation on Welles’ own life. Finally, there is the theme of tragedy which ties in with life,death, and betrayal. All of these themes, I believe, represent what Itin is trying to portray with his Moby Dick/Orson Welles mash up.

~Constance