Continuing my exploration of hypertext narrative, I returned to My Body by Shelley Jackson. I'd previously seen this piece last semester, and I was curious if broadened perspective/understanding on the medium would enhance the experience over my first watch. I'm happy to say- it did!
My initial exploration was all about the adventure provided by clicking through the visual story. Each part of her body had another fragment of overall narrative, and while I recall at the time being somewhat lost, it was a great way to experience a story. Now I find the medium much more compelling for breaking down her message into smaller pieces. I will say that as someone who always aspires to 'complete' or see all of whatever I'm doing, I was going a little crazy trying to find every single offshoot path.
I believe that personal stories, like Jackson's, are among the more successful in this format. The old 'Choose your own Adventure' style is fun, but often falls short of being compelling. When the story is central to one person, one experience, and every step is deepening the understanding between the author and reader I feel this medium excels.
Great post! I appreciate your thoughts on the idea that the story centering around one person can often be more effective when discussing hypertext, rather than an action plot line. I'd have to agree with you on that, though I think it is definitely specific to the person
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