A seemingly new aspect of
digital literature is its interactivity – the possibility for the reader to be
a deciding factor on the course of a story. However, there is a long tradition
of interactivity in narration, namely in face-to-face storytelling, in live
performances as well as in books that offer different options in continuing a
story. Nevertheless, digital literature and the possibilities the Internet
offers widen the scope of interactivity of the reader.
Jorge
Luis Borges picked up on the phenomenon that is interactivity in literature in
his short story The Garden of Forking Paths. The narration deals with the
concept of unlimited choices in a story line. The ‘labyrinth of words’ the novel
of unlimited possibility poses appears as a riddle to the ones who try to make
sense of it in the story. Borges’s idea of the unlimited novel, his ‘labyrinth’,
is closely related to the Internet.
The
‘labyrinth’ has become an established aspect of online reading. Search engines
do not only provide the reader with texts but also with countless follow-up
options or parallel reading opportunities. Knowledge is as accessible as never
before; however, it has to be found in the maze of the internet. Borges
unlimited novel is a printed version of an internet search.
In
an article the Yale University of Art picks up on this relation of the short
story and the Internet. To read the full article follow this link.
S. Plum
S. Plum
No comments:
Post a Comment