Books beware : hypertext fiction is taking over. Or is it? : an honors thesis (HONRS 499)

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to determine the validity of the arguments set forth by the proponents of hypertext fiction that indicate that we are in the late age of print and that the new form of writing, hyper textual fiction, will soon replace the printed text. The beginning of the thesis deals with the ideas behind hypertext fiction by determining, through the use of Lloyd Bitzer's notion of the Rhetorical Situation, the situation, audience, and constraints. This process aids in determining the likelihood that the hypertext fiction will prosper. The final section focuses on a particular piece of hypertext fiction, Michael Joyce's Afternoon, a story, and, through the application of narrative criticism, determines what the author" worldviews are and whether or not the story form will be accepted within our culture.