Ambiguity |
Of J. Yellowlees Douglas's set of inherent characteristics in The End of Books, only her last item is a definitive, inherent characteristic of hypertext: The Language in Interactive Narratives Appears Less Determinate Than the Language Present in Print Pages. This item assesses the transformational nature of hypertext writing that Douglas laments is missing from criticism. More importantly, though (and unlike the other items on her list), she defines an aesthetic quality of hypertext that will not change over time.
"Ideally print paragraphs and transitions close off alternative directions
and work to eliminate any suggestion of other potential sequences…Instead
of closing off any suggestion of alternative orders or perspectives, the text
contained in each segment must appear sufficiently open-ended to provide links
to other segments in the narrative. This, de facto, fosters an additional level
of indeterminacy generally rare in print narratives…"
--Douglas, The End of Books, 54-55.
To paraphrase, a good hypertext is ambiguous and open in its language. I also include the necessary conciseness of hypertextual writing as part of its ambiguity. In order to create more choices for the reader, a writer has to write in short lexias that are sometimes not even specific to one context or location. This requires more than breaking a long sequence of text into bite-sized pieces. In works that are primarily textual, like Stuart Moulthrop's Victory Garden and Richard Holeton's Figurski at Findhorn on Acid, lexias are self-contained. In order for the cuts between lexias to be significant, each lexia has to have reasons to exist on its own.
In works that incorporate visual elements into text, the rule of ambiguity holds true but for different reasons. Comparing these graphic texts to their cousins in other media demonstrates what Scott McCloud has already said about comics -- language becomes less descriptive when juxtaposed with images.
These traits set hypertextual writing apart from print writing. Print texts can be successful works of literature without the author worrying about the number of paths available to the reader or the versatility of a significant lexia. Hypertext authors do have to worry about these things in virtually everything they write. Consequently, the indeterminacy of hypertextual language is more than a mere trend in canonical writing. It's a consistent characteristic of the whole field right now, and it will remain so even as it develops beyond and away from its past trends.