253
Lately, I’ve been trying to expand my reading intake. Being British, my education was indoctrinated with all British novelists, rather than any other international writers. Sure, I stumbled upon some American authors: Poe, Updike, Hemmingway and Fitzgerald, but I still felt like I was missing a huge chuck of American literature, a gap in my education which I am now attempting to eradicate.
During my search for free on-line versions of classic American novels, (I’m a student, I can’t afford to buy the paper version) I discovered a link which lead me to an interactive novel for Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury. Not only was I excited to get a free copy of Faulkner’s book, I was simply amazed by the freedom of interaction I had with the on-line version of the text, from graphics, to guidelines and time-lines. So impressed was I, that I went in search of other interactive novels. The ones I found are not created by well known authors, but they are in fact, just as marvelous.
Usually I am an atrociously impatient reader – I normally don’t have patience for anything that has a non-linear form. Michael Ondaatje’s Billy the Kid just about demolished what little patience I did have for circular writing. Why is it then, that I am so taken with the interactive novel? They too, offer a circular pattern, leaving the choice of direction up to the reader. My favorite interactive novel that I have been exploring for a couple of days is Geoff Ryman’s 253 – an incentive the novel has, is that the reader is invited and even encouraged to be a part of the creation of this story.
The site is simple, has few graphics, but the structure of the piece centers on a train ride in the London Underground, each carriage filled with passengers. The reader can select which carriage or passenger they want to get to know. What I am most impressed with is the link that offers readers to write and contribute to the story. In some essence, this interactive novel has become a social forum for literature and creating in a way that breaks the boundaries between author and audience – they become one and the same, transcending set roles by redefining and adopting new ones. Writing and reading, in a sense, can become fluid, exchangeable and ultimately deliver a richer experience than that of a traditional book. Interactive novels are about choice. Choice gives liberty in a way paper backed books simply can’t. Really, please, take some time and have a look at Geoff Ryman’s work, it’s amazing.
