Interactive Novels
Posted by blandable on February 29, 2008
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.
