After reading some of the articles or hypertext, it was a pleasant surprise to discover Kendallfs text, for it is by far the author with the most optimistic and positive view on the topic. The main stream of argument for the other experts of the hypertext topic was mainly focused on the confrontation between the printed book and the text on the web, which are, almost all of them, expressing in one way or another, his or her concern of the future of literature or the role of printed text.
When we read Kendallfs definition of the computer as gthat remarkable melting pot of all communications (c) another medium for expressing the incomparable beauty and power of the wordh, there is no doubt that he is not against the new electronic device. Furthermore, he sees the gcyberpageh as a flexible form that can offer possibilities that the paper cannot. His definition of the hypertext, as a breaking of the linearity of text, and as a way for the author to give a shaping role to the readers is still the same, but it adds the fact that the reader cannot only alter the order throughout the various links but also affect the contents. He even considers it a genre and calls it ginteractive literatureh or gelectronic literatureh.
Kendall talks about the possibilities of publishing on disks or on the web, as a way to add more to the original text, through music, images, videos, and even animation of the text. It can become a sensual experience, and it can make genres like poetry more accessible to the reader by making it more understandable, and closer to the human sensorial world. Electronic literature should not be a threat to the books, since it is aiming for a new type of public, and in fact, it could attract people who were originally not attracted by poetry or literature in general. As others writers on hypertext also pointed out, making use of the era we are now, and thus making the use of the visual impact that images produce, a virtual space can be produced, creating a bond between the reader and the text. However, Kendall is realistic, and admits that the screen cannot offer the feeling and comfort of the book page, and that it is still painful to face a computer screen for hours.
Technology will need to improve a lot to change this reality. Nevertheless, what is clear is that the two types of electronic literature (the hypertext and the electronic version of originally printed works) can be considered as a flourishing new genre that is inexpensive, reachable, and easy to be spread. A proof of this is that more and more authors are interested in publishing directly on the web and experiencing with its now possibilities. Furthermore, the publishers are also encouraging this movement. An interesting point is the one in which, in a way with these electronic devices, we are going back to oral poetry, where the storyteller could improvise and change his repertory based on the audience reactions. This is unthinkable for a printed anthology of poems, but for instance, the poetry on the web, that can be read and listened at the same time, and that offers at the same time a change to the reader to interact, play and create a path, gets very close to the oral world previews to the printed literature.
Finally, Kendall claims that the hypertext author should always have a sense of responsibility and make sure that his/her work does not lose its coherence, no matter what path the reader should take. This is an interesting approach regarding the possible loss of authorial claim that other writers on hypertext theorist were mentioning. In conclusion, I really enjoyed the bright and positive approach of this text, and the way it sheds new light to the future of the literature, and gives a real shape to this new genre that will keep it alive within the future of the technology were almost everything will be taking place: the cyberspace.