Hypertext Fiction

Hypertext fiction is a form of e-literature that can really hold the attention of the reader. If you've ever thought about what it would be like if you combined The Sims with your favorite novel, then hypertext fiction is definitely for you. This type of e-lit gives readers different options to choose from throughout the story, meaning they are ultimately responsible for how the story ends. The reader of a hypertext fiction piece would be the equivalent to the controller of a video game, which means the narrative is twisting and turning as they form the destinies of the characters.

The pioneers of hypertext fiction are said to have been Judy Malloy and Michael Joyce. Surprisingly, the first pieces of hypertext fiction were developed and published before the World Wide Web. The first work of hypertext fiction on the World Wide Web was Douglas Cooper's Delirium in 1994, which allowed readers to navigate between four parallel story strands. One example of hypertext fiction from 1996 is Phillipa J Burne's, 24 hours with someone you know. This interactive piece follows the story of a boy entering new territory. He shows up at a house to visit his cousin, only to realize that his cousin no longer lives there. He ends up being welcomed by his cousin's old roommates, going through multiple experiences with the characters that the reader gets to dictate. In this story, the reader "becomes" the main character. At the beginning of the story, the reader has to choose to either go inside with the his cousin's former housemates or to go elsewhere. If the reader does decide to go elsewhere, they will ultimately end up back with the housemates no matter which path they choose. This provides the notion that it is impossible for the story to move on without the other characters. The title of the piece gives away that the protagonist of the story (the reader), spends 24 hours with these strangers, learning and gaining new experiences. This illustrates how much can really occur in only one day, especially without time being wasted by the characters by spending it with technology and social media.