Hypertext Fiction as a Genre of Electronic Literature

This paper proposes an analysis of the theoretical and practical aspects of one of the most specific genres of electronic literature, the hypertext fiction, since this genre remains extremely poorly studied today. The aim of the study was to identify the features of a hypertext fiction as a genre and its differences from electronic literature not based on hypertext through the solution of the following tasks: determine what is electronic literature; determine what hypertextual fiction is and what types of works we can designate by this term; determine the meaning and identify the genre signs of hypertext fiction; prove why only hypertext fiction can be considered electronic literature; analyze the evolution and development of hypertext fiction; determine the popularity of hypertext fiction; develop a theoretical and methodological apparatus for the study of hypertextual fiction, based on existing research; analyze different hypertextual novels based on the results obtained in the previous paragraphs; A definition of a hypertext novel is proposed and its main features are highlighted, based on the obtained results. First of all, it was determined that hypertextuality in a hypertext novel should consist of multimedia elements that connect different pieces of text with each other; then it was determined that there are three types of hypertextuality: hypertextuality according to the degree of actualization; hypertextuality by the nature of the elements characterizing the structure of the text; hypertextuality according to the degree of manifestation (zero to maximum). Although these three types of hypertextuality are not mutually exclusive, it turned out that the third type of hypertextuality (in degree of manifestation) appears in all hypertextual novels, that is, the level of hypertextuality reaches its maximum. This implies that this characteristic is a fundamental feature of hypertext fiction. Maximum hypertextuality leads to another phenomenon that creates another characteristic feature of this type of novel: non-linear reading. Since this type of novel is full of hyperlinks between different lexias, the classical linearity of reading disappears, giving way to a more fragmented linearity, sometimes combined with a randomness’ factor. This phenomenon is called "Unnatural Narrative". The aforementioned features of the hypertextual fiction undoubtedly led to changes in the role of the reader and the role of the writer. The reader acquires a special active role in reading a hypertextual novel in comparison with the passivity of the reader of paper literature; the writer will no longer be just a person who can write text, but he must also have certain computer skills that allow him to develop a novel. All these theoretical provisions were applied to the analysis of three hypertext novels taken at different time slices. The results confirmed the actual existence of features distinguished in the theoretical part, as well as their influence on the reading process. In addition, an analysis of the novels helped to understand how hypertext fiction developed over the past twenty years. As a result, thanks to technological development, this type of novel has become more intuitive for the reader and easier to interact with. The analysis of the popularity of hypertext fiction showed that it is actually a niche literary genre and, due to the complexity of its organization, is not popular within a wide range of readers. This paper can serve as a good starting point for further studies about hypertext fiction and for a deeper study of the causes of difficulties encountered by its readers and creators, and, as a result, the development of recommendations to eliminate these difficulties and increase the popularity of this genre in the Internet space.