The aspect of time in Sonya Rapoport's Brutal Myths

Introduction

"Brutal Myths" is a hypertext written by Sonya Rapoport and Marie-José Sat, in 1996.
This hypertext seems to be divided in two main blocks.
The first block, which we could call Brutal Myths explores how XVth century beliefs based on plants' properties evolved to radically transform women's lives and still have strong repercussions nowadays. After an introduction, where the question to which this hypertext answers ("Are women the guilty daughters of Eve?") is raised, seven plants (or myths) are presented : Tormentil, Hemlock, Cleavers, Henbane, Viper's Bugloss, Birthwort and Deadly Nightshade.
The second block is called Destroying Myths. In it the authors will answer their question ("Women are NOT the guilty daughters of Eve"), by destroying the previous myths, using other plants' properties.
What is particularly interesting in "Brutal Myths" is that the authors destroy particularly well implemented myths, using exactly the same tools used by Innocent VIII in 1487 to support the witch-hunting (and by that the despise of all women for centuries).

The aspect I chose to work on, in this hypertext is the one of Time. Since "Brutal Myths" is about the development of myths, Time is a particularly important facet of this work.
So, what we'll see in this analysis is the exploitation of Time, not solely as an illustration tool but as the thread that "Brutal Myths" follows.

First we will see how Time is exploited in the first part of "Brutal Myths" and in the second part, Destroying Myths. Then we'll see the Time exploitation in the introductions to the two different parts of "Brutal Myths".


Time exploitation in Brutal Myths' first part (1)
Time exploitation in Brutal Myths' first part (2)
Time exploitation in Destroying Myths
Time exploitation in Brutal Myths' Introductions
Conclusion

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Academic year 2008/2009
© a.r.e.a./Dr.Vicente Forés López
© Charlotte Fernandez
charfer@alumni.uv.es
Universitat de Valčncia Press