Date: Thu, 23 Jan 1997 15:23
From: Karen
As for Storyspace, I have a very difficult time adjusting to the notion of a lack of closure. Of course, I'll need to experiment with it and really use/read it to form an exact opinion on it, but for the time being, that makes me a bit uncomfortable. Perhaps it is fear of the unknown (since I haven't used it yet)? Howver, I do think much of human existence is linear. After all, at the most basic level, we experience a beginning (birth) and an end (death). Thus, it is a natural outgrowth of our very existence to apply our life cycle to everything we do, including literature.
When I think of Storyspace, I envision rounding the corner at some art gallery or museum and seeing a computer running Storyspace as some sort of art installation. I don't really envision Storyspace as becoming any kind of dominant means of storytelling. It seems more esoteric than the masses would probably stand for. My guess is that it's nice to look at, maybe fun to read, but rather short-lived as a means of producing fiction writing. Only time will tell.
Date: Sun, 26 Jan 1997 13:38
From: John D.
What concerns me, however, is what will happen when electronic text becomes the dominant vehicle for transmitting and disseminating ideas. If it's already difficult to "read between the lines" in terms of print--What ideological position is being defended? What's at stake here?--it will become even more difficult to do so with the advent of electronic media. Images and text, when placed together, have a "suture effect," linking ideas, serving to authenticate a particular version/account of events. This will make it more difficult to contest a version supporting the dominant ideology, whatever that might be.