Canonizing Hypertext

Astrid Ensslin is Professor of Dynamics of Virtual Communication Spaces at University of Regensburg, Germany.

'...in the absence of any hypertext in the canon of English Literature, [Ensslin] is forced to propose her own. These turn out to be the fairly well-known Michael Joyce (afternoon), Stuart Moulthorpe (Victory Garden) and Jayne Yellowlees Douglas (I Have Said Nothing). These are the 'first generation' of hypertext writers. There are 'plot summaries' so far as this is possible with non-sequential writing, yet even whilst making great claims for their work, she is curiously reluctant to quote from them to prove that these qualities exist...Nevertheless, for anyone interested in the subject of electronic writing, hypertext, or experimental narratives, I think it's worth grappling with the difficulties to get an up-to-date view on the issues.' Roy Johnson, 2007, Mantex.co.uk

• Introduction1. Hypertextual Ontologies2. Hypertext and the Question of Canonicity3. A Hypertext Canon4. Literary Competence - Conceptual Adaptations5. Hypertext in the Literature ClassroomConclusionBibliographyIndex