Hypertext Workshop

Tonight we kicked off our Review Series with two excellent presentations by Luis and Peter.

"Savoir-Faire" seems derivative of the mystery or detective fiction genre.  With its prolific use of "clues" to move the reader through the narrative, is requires a process of complex deduction.  Luis shared with the class that this text challenged his memory, and he quickly learned to take notes (old-fashioned style) in order to navigate the environment more effectively.  I have often thought of reading as detective work, so in the most explicit sense "Savoir-Faire"-as-interactive-detective-fiction seems to emphasize the notion of reading as deliberation, inference, and discovery.  Luis felt that this text was a true "immersion" into a new imaginary world.  In this sense, he was confident that it qualified as "literature".

Peter reviewed "The Cape" - a melding of visual art with a truly literary sensibility.  Themes explored in the text include geology, memory, sound waves, water flow, erosion of time & space, etc.  The text is an intriguing combination of official records (geological, cartographic, weather forecasting) with the remaining traces of personal memory (blurred or obscured photographs, reminders of moments in time with people now left behind).  Peter pointed out that one of the final links in the text includes a link to the author's personal narrative of her artistic process in producing/writing "The Cape".  He felt that this "back story" really opened up his engagement and understanding of this beautiful yet somewhat elusive text.  We reflected on the implications of including a reference to authorial intent in the artistic text itself. 

Thanks to both Luis and Peter for their thorough and informative presentations tonight.

I want to remind you all that you are all each other's "best resource" for figuring out the tech elements that support your creative work for our class.  Share what you have figured out, ask for support from classmates who seem to have familiarity or confidence with certain software, and try to build collegial connections/friendships with your classmates when working on your projects.  The workshop sessions are meant to foster this kind of class culture.  When Heather and Maria shared their anecdote of reading The Jew's Daughter together, I thought their account provided everyone with a great model for proceeding with class work.  I encourage you all to share your knowledge and support each other.

I have enjoyed speaking with you all about your process with the Hypertext project thus far. You now have the week of Spring Break to finish up your project.  When we meet on March 19th, be prepared to have your project open and ready for others to explore/read/discover.

For your March 19th blog (Blog #5) please post the following:

• a short introductory statement or “abstract” to characterize what your text “does”
• any instructions or suggestions for readers to have a successful experience
• a link to the readable/playable version of your hypertext

Please remember that you should each have four completed blog posts by now.  On March 19th you will submit your 5th blog post which should include the above listed content and the link to your hypertext.  Based on your recent blog posts and our discussion tonight, I am really looking forward to March 19th when we will all read through your finished projects. We will start off class with review presentations from Debbie & Heather.  Then we will proceed through a showcase of each of your Hypertext Projects.

Have a great Spring Break and see you in two weeks.