One
of the concepts that I’ve been struggling with in my understanding of Hypertext
is the idea that the function of a hypertext can survive anywhere and isn’t
strictly limited to an online platform. For me, the internet has always seemed
to be the only way to create a practical reading experience in which the reader
is able to choose a pathway- selecting links and concepts that are interesting
to them. For my blog post, I’m going to try to challenge my own understanding
of the concept of a hypertext and how it relates to the claims by George Landow
and Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari. Is it possible to apply the concept of
hypertext to a printed text? If so, I believe that I might just very well know
a book that functions as a hypertext.
In his analysis, Landow discusses
the nature of a hypertext. He characterizes hypertext as complex network of
pathways and texts in which there is not necessarily a guiding definition, but
rather a set of common characteristics (Landow, 43). While hypertexts
differentiate in exact style and function, there are some similar
characteristics. For my translation of hypertext into written form, I will be
discussing the novel, “House of Leaves,” by Mark Danielewski. If you are
interested in viewing the text, I’ve actually found a free online version that
you can download. It’s a large file but it includes the whole novel for those
of you who are more visual learners. Click here to view: https://docs.google.com/uc?id=0B4me4PbBMBmOWlpiTXZUcHY0eFk&export=download
If you don’t
want to download, then just keep reading on! I’ll include brief summaries in my
argument.
One
of the guiding characteristics of hypertext is multivocality. The novel is a
multi-narrative piece. The main part of the story focuses on a man’s review of
a fictional documentary. In this narrative, he fluctuates between the story of
the stars of the documentary and his own critique of the film. In the footnotes
of the novel, another narrative takes place. In this part, a man who “found”
the main narrative adds his own commentary and shares moments from his own life
that relate to his reading experience of the review of the “Navidson Record”.
Landow suggests that one of the common characteristics of a hypertext is
multivocality, the idea that multiple narrators and speakers can participate in
the discussion of the main topic of a text (Landow, 36). The guiding discussion
for the novel, “House of Leaves” is the fictional documentary, “The Navidson
Record.”
As
Deleuze and Guattari explain, hypertext, compared to Rhizomes, is a continual
pathway that loops concepts and ideas that are interchangeable (Deleuze and
Guattari, 17). The subject matter in the “Navidson Record” and the larger work
of “House of Leaves” intertwines and is interchangeable in narrative as the
narrator introduces the concept of a monster who haunts the house mentioned in
the “Navidson Record” (Danielewsk, 109). Later on,
the narrator in the footnotes, Johnny Truant, begins to mention the monster’s
appearance in his own life. Subject matter beguns to collide in a way that
Deleuze and Guattari would argue in interchangeable in the narrative and point
to a lack of centralization. Landow’s concept of decentralization in hypertext
suggests that a hypertext doesn’t need to return to the main subject, but can
rather become a decentralized process that moves deeper into related links and
networks (Landow, 37). With this in mind, there’s a convergence of many of the
concepts that would lead Landow to argue that this might very well be an
example of a hypertext.
While characteristics that Landow, Deleuze, and Guattari would
suggests point towards, “House of Leaves,” being a hypertext are present, I still struggle to understand how a
printed thing concept, which in format suggests a finality of work, can meet a
hypertext’s idea of a continual conversation. Here, Deleuze and Guattari would
suggest that the multiple plateaus and rhizomes of “House of Leaves” points to
the work as a hypertext. Plateaus are a concept that suggests a steady stream
of intensity in a work (Deleuze and Guattari, 22). “House of Leaves,” is
characterized by it’s many plateaus as the novel teeters on the edge of a
possible attack by an unknown force manifested as a monster. Rhizomes and
Plateaus don’t have a starting or ending point. They instead, start a new
experience and pathway of journey for each experience (Deleuze
and Guattari, 22). Landow includes rhizomes and plateaus in his comprehension
of hypertext. He believes that these add to pathways down which a reader can
travel, creating new reading experiences each time (Landow, 39).
According
to Deleuze and Guattari, a book has no object (Deleuze and Guattari, 4).
Considering the claims if explored and linked to characteristics of hypertexts,
it makes sense that “House of Leaves,” is a printed version of a hypertext. Landow’s
explanation of multiple pathways and experiences categorize how a novel such as
this can exist in printed format yet still act as a evolving and growing piece
(Landow, 39). The experience of the reader shapes in a new way how information
is digested and even prioritized, creating a different experience for each
participant.
Danielewski,
Mark Z. Mark Z. Danielewski's House of Leaves. 2nd ed. New York:
Pantheon, 2000. Print.
Landow, George P. “Hypertext and Critical Theory.” In Hypertext 2.0: The Convergence of Contemporary Critical Theory and Technology. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins, 1997. 33-48.
Like Prof. Graban mentioned in class, Landow published this essay right before the inception of the Internet, which is absolutely baffling. I completely agree with you that the concept seems to be referring almost directly to a digital world of text. Where else could you effortlessly begin at a starting idea (represented by a word, a sentence, or a work) and follow an infinitely long path of thought to reach a unique conclusion? As Landow describes the term, I think immediately of my experience on the Internet, beginning in one place and clicking link after link until I am able to reach some kind of original conclusion. For us, the digital generation, to imagine this happening in a more concrete text is very difficult. There are no hyperlinks, no tags!
ReplyDeleteI think that the Internet, with it’s operator friendly capabilities, simply made plain a process of thought that we were already engaging in while reading and exploring texts. One sentence may lead us to form an idea, from which other ideas sprout, leading to a thought chain that ultimately ends in some sort of conclusive knowledge. Another person may begin with the same sentence and sprout a different idea, which leads to a different chain, which leads to a different conclusion. This is what creates the original, hypertextual experience. Honestly, I think I would have a more difficult time understanding this if I didn’t have a concrete understanding of how the Internet works, which is why I am in awe of Landow for theorizing the concept in a pre-Internet world.
What I wonder is whether or not all texts could be looked at as hypertextual. Can they not all be interpreted in an infinite number of ways? You selected a book and argued for it as a hypertext. Can I not select any other number of books and argue the same? I am still grappling with this idea. Perhaps, the hypertext has a more effortless interpretive power than other, non-hypertextual works. Perhaps the hypertext begs to be interpreted and understood. Which results in all sorts of different knowledge within all who take on the task.
-Morgan
Great observation and analysis of how a particular book can be considered a hypertext. I think one of the greatest errors we make in interpreting what constitutes a hypertext is that we think the links between texts must be wholly explicit. The internet allows us to easily observe these links. Often, what are called "hyperlinks" are embedded in the actual text. But, this an obvious way of linking texts to one another.
ReplyDeleteBut hypertexts don't need to show how they are related to other texts - they just are. I believe this gives us an easier lens into observing printed materials as hypertexts. Essentially, all books and texts are interconnected with other books and texts. We could say that many printed materials are hypertexts, in a sense.
Great blog post!