Electronic
Fiction

What electronic fiction have you read over the course? What do you like? What pleasures and problems have you had in reading different sorts of fiction?

For this week's work I would like everyone to post on Yahoo the address of at least one piece of web fiction they find interesting, with a specific question that will help open up class discussion. Please post your work by Friday 28th February.

I will add the urls and the questions to this worksheet, and we will all then spend some time reading and evaluating the sites as a prelude to class discussion.

You might find it useful to look back at the worksheets for writing web pages, and to consider, especially, the ideas about electronic writing raised at the start of lessons two, three and four. Please also continue with your 'theory' reading so that you can refer to different sorts of perspectives - feminist and otherwise - on web fiction.

Andrea's site:

Christy Sheffield Sanford The Roots of Nonlinearity: Toward a Theory of Web-Specific Art-Writing
(opens in new browser)

A few questions that she touches upon:
• What does `nonlinear' mean? I've had a definition in my head this whole time, but it didn't occur to me until today that there could be so many different meanings/connotations. I thought it might be constructive if everyone could come up with a definition or jot down five (or more) words that you think are related to `nonlinearity.'

Some other questions to think about:
• Is this type of writing satisfying? Why or why not?
• Is it useful (For the writer? For the reader?)

Melanie's site:

Jacqueline Gross Modern Keller (opens in new browser)

questions:
• Did you actually follow the story??!!?? (see also the site we used for the history seminar with Helen and Emma...which I've lost the reference for in the junk-shop that is my bedroom...sorry!)
• Do the fonts used on the opening page, and the layout of the fonts make it easier/harder for you to read online. Imagine this was your first encounter with reading on the web, would this site encourage you to do more? Is this fiction easy to read online?
• What are the benefits/downfalls of this site using pictures. Do they help the narrative?
• The site uses many interesting and fascinating noises, sounds and tunes. How effective are these in adding something to the narrative that wouldn't be gained just by using text? Imagine (or maybe its true) that you don't have sound on your computer, can the fiction still be read without the sounds?
• What are the Content vs Aesthetic ethics of web sites? Are both as important as each other? Can a page's content be overshadowed by the aesthetics? Is a site's content nothing without visuals?
• what things would you do differently if you were desgning the layout and content of the site, if anything.