An Appraisal of Hypertext Fiction

Author:

Assetto, Abigayle Rose

Area of Honors:

Information Sciences and Technology

Degree:

Bachelor of Science

Document Type:

Thesis

Thesis Supervisors:

Gerald Santoro, Thesis Supervisor
Gerald Santoro, Thesis Supervisor
Dr. Brian Harold Cameron, Thesis Honors Advisor

Keywords:

hypertext fiction
hypertext literature
metadata
interactive storytelling
webcomic

Abstract:

As technology grows and changes, so too do new art forms rise in its wake. With the advent of paint, mankind created pictures. Upon the discovery of language, the world found stories. In print, the two were merged as one, begetting illustration, comic strips, and everything in between. The internet moved comics into a new frontier, and as we explore this frontier, new possibilities arise that print on paper could not accommodate. Of particular note is a form called hypertext fiction. This paper will act as a complement to the webcomic I produced as my thesis project, which incorporates aspects of the hypertext fiction media. The following provides an explanation of the project, as well as the nature of the relationship between technology, society, and popular culture, which all build upon each other to bring new art forms into our culture. Hypertext fiction is defined and explained, as well as the rise of works and traditions that came before it that provide the basis for this new medium. After an in-depth look at the process that went into the accompanying project, I go on to discuss the apparent uses hypertext fiction provides society and provide speculation on where the medium could and will be taken in the near future.