INTRODUCTION

 

Before starting with the analysis, as the hypertext is not a well-known kind of literature, I think it is necessary to understand the meaning of what hypertext is:

A hypertext is <a text on a computer that will lead the reader to other related information he or she demands for, making possible a dynamic organization of information through links and connections>1

 

The author classifies his work “Same Day Test” as a hypertext fiction, that is, <a genre of electronic literature, characterized by the use of hypertext links which provides a new context for non-linearity in "literature" and reader interaction. The reader typically chooses links to move from one node of text to the next, and in this fashion arranges a story from a deeper pool of potential stories.>2

Analyzing a hypertext is like analyzing any other text, so that there are several ways you can approach a text. In this case, the main part of my paper will consist on a formalist analysis of “Same Day Test”, that is, an analysis focusing on the form of the text.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…

Gavin originates from "somewhere near Paisley" but has lived in Edinburgh's South Side since 1989, apart from a short venture to London. He has been writing fiction for twelve years. Gavin is an ex-busker, ex-handyman, ex-public relations executive, ex-system administrator, and an excellent judge of character.3

If you want to know about him, you can visit different websites:

·       Visit his personal web page: at Gavin Inglis dot com.

·       Bareword: his hypertext fiction site.

·       Listen to Gavin read Bookcase Madness at MP3AM issue one.

 

ABOUT HYPERTEXT FICTION…

 Same Day Test” is the second hypertext published by Gavin Inglis, and it talks about an important disease nowadays, such as the AIDS. When he arrived to Edinburgh it was named the “AIDS Capital of Europe” and the authority had just made available a same-day HIV test in which the patient gave a blood sample in the morning and returns for the result in the evening. He found it an interesting topic for a hypertext because there is a limited space of time where the patient has to face the possibility of the death.

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1.       Definition taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypertext (26/11/08)

2.       Definition taken from http://www.bareword.com/faq/ which sends us to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypertext_fiction (26/11/08)

3.       http://www.writers-bloc.org.uk/comrades/gav/ (28/11/08)

 

 

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