EXTERNAL SPACES: Here, I am focusing on the structure the author has used to organize the text and links through the screen.

To begin with, I must say that there are no photographies, no images, no draws on the whole hypertext. The author has not used any of the visual features hypertext open against printed works. She has only made use of textual aspects, as neither is there any music nor narration of the text (audial resources).

On the first screen, we can see the title of the hypertext in big purple letters. If you click here, you find the text immediately. Each screen of the text is organized in the same way: On the top of the page, you can see the title of the chapter, of the node, you have chosen in purple letters too, but smaller than those of the first screen. Then, you have the whole text written plainly, without any link attached to any word or any ornament that could deflect your attention. If you scroll to the bottom of the page, you would see you have three links.

E.g. When we finish reading the node “Grounded” which is the first text we find and which we cannot choose, because it is compulsory to read the beginning of the story, we have these options given at the bottom:

Outing ---- The Edward-Albee type ---- Home.

If you choose the link ‘Outing’ it will lead you to a node called like this and with other possibilities:

Reassurance I – Reassurance II – Home.

And so on.

The same happens if you click the option ‘The Edward—Albee Type’. But it will drive you to another node, now called ‘The Edward-Albee Type, which is a different text but which has the same options :

Reassurance I ---- Reassurance II ---- Home.

So that you can say that both paths overlap in certain nodes.

On the other hand, you can see that the linking word ‘Home’ is included in each page, and if you go on reading you will realize it is true even in the last page. If you click this word it will always drive you to the first screen, that one with the “Winter Break” title in big purple letters.

This is the case of this hypertext, although I have started reading the hypertexts of some of my partners and each one has a different structure and offers different options.

There is one case in ‘Winter Break’ where the numbers of links given are four: you are offered a third option to follow. But then this option drives you to the second path again. For the rest of them, there are only two possibilities.

OUTLINE OF THE POSSIBLE PATHS:

Path 1

Grounded-
Outing-
Reassurance I-
Without a Mirror-
If the Suir Fits-
A blast-
Full Bloom-
Setup-
Ooohhh-
Tied up-
Games-
Close-
Tasteless-
Finally-
Disassociation-
Tool-
Back to School-

Path 2

Grounded-
The Edward-Albee type-
Reassurance II-
What money can buy-
I Used Play Professional Beach Volleyball-
Dry-
Sandwich-
It's What's Inside-
Exposed-
Tied up-
Gestures-
Escape Stories-
The Universe-
Finally-
The End Of The Bed-
Silence-
Back to School-

Path 3

Grounded-
Outing-
Reassurance I-
Without a Mirror-
If the Suit Fits-
A blast-
Full Bloom-
Setup-
Ooohhh-
Tied up-
Games-
Togetherness-
Tasteless-
Finally-
Disassociation-
Tool-
Back to School-

Path 4

Grounded-
The Edward-Albee type-
Reassurance II-
What money can buy-
I Used Play Professional Beach Volleyball-
Dry-
Sandwich-
It's What's Inside-
Exposed-
Tied up-
Gestures-
Togetherness-
The Universe-
Finally-
The End Of The Bed-
Silence-
Back to School-

Words in BLACK = The reader can choose only between two nodes, only two links are offered.

Words in RED = The reader can only choose one node, only one link is offered.

Words in BLUE = The reader can choose between three possible nodes, three links are offered.

Academic year 2008/2009
© a.r.e.a. / Dr.Vicente Forés López
© Laura Pons Fernández
laupons2 @alumni.uv.es
Universitat de València Press