Mercury by Michael Benedetti and others
| This piece of 'classic' hypertext is written by several people and links plain text lexias according to the issue raised by each line of text. Every word is part of a link to another page. A number of links point to related sites outside the hypertext. The length of each lexia is usually rather small. The tone of each lexia varies from first-person 'inside-my-head' to newspaperish articles. The story tries to focus on the character Jason Reilly from many viewpoints, including Jason's own. The style of writing emphasizes the multiple characteristics of Jason, but it is not always clear who the 'writer' is supposed to be. Many links lead to lexia that seem only remotely connected, but after ploughing through a number of links a reasonably interesting personality of Jason is developed. The author tries to bring you to different pages every time you read Mercury by making each letter in the first hyper-word point to a different location. Though this story is interesting, there is little incentive to invest the time required to understand it well. It is extremely difficult to visualize your position in the story if you follow the author's advice to 'adjust your browser so that you cannot tell if you have read a certain link before.' |
| Two points of view are represented in this story. Following a couple along a stormy date, the screen divides into two. The colored text on the right reflect the dialogue, while the plain, uncapitalized text on the left indicate the private reflections of either Manfred or Fatima. The lexias require some scrolling, but the dialogue is short and punchy. Each lexia also reflects a different stage of the date or the day. Each string of thought bounces off the lines of dialogue well, compelling us to follow one character's reflections through the next lexia. However, the navigation graphic also makes it easy to let the dialogue continue while observing from the other's point of view. This may be surprising if you accidentally hit the wrong button, but the alternative viewpoint simply makes the story more engaging. Halfway through the story a third character is introduced, Jasmin. This is reflected by an obvious change in color scheme and adds a new dimension to the story. Jasmin appears as an innocent third party also attracted to Manfred. The quick conflict that arises between Manfred and Fatima leads in the story's conclusion. This story is essentially linear, with each lexia following a standard chronological order. However, the intimate writing style and dual viewpoints keep the story interesting. |
| (This site uses frames, so inline links won't be very useful.) Touched opens with the story's blurb in a very dark gray. As you follow the linear story, the blurb changes into a jigsaw pattern that hints at the your position within the text. The narrow column of text is readable and requires just a little scrolling. Once a jigsaw piece appears, clicking on it will return you to its associated lexia. Each lexia studies a specific moment in the author's life as she grew up. The paragraphs and sentences are short, with individual words highlighted in italics. Dialogue is highlighted in bold, almost as if every word is a scream over an extremely intimate issue. The story in itself is nicely presented, though not traditionally interactive. Only when you click on the line 'Have you been touched?' does the full impact of the story hit you. The dozens of responses from sympathetic readers offer different stories that left emotional scars of varying depth. These stories, although poorly segmented and long, are deep and personal and the sheer size of the final lexia only reinforces the impact of the stories. Readers draw their own lessons from Touched, every one unique and important. I believe this narrative is extremely successful. |