Espen J. Aarseth's Thought on Hypertext Aesthetics

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Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art ›› 2016, Vol. 36 ›› Issue (5) : 38-45.

Issue in Focus: Studies on Media Literary Theory

Espen J. Aarseth's Thought on Hypertext Aesthetics

Nie Chunhua

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Abstract

Espen J. Aarseth's reflections on popular theories about the hypertext have primarily led to his distinction between the structure and the reading of the hypertext, since, for him, it is the hypertext' nonlinearity rather than multi-linearity that determines the real differences between the hypertext and the traditional text. He analyzes the power relation between the author and the reader of the hypertext, and criticizes some popular claims about the hypertext such as "reader-as-writer", "de-centralization", and "interactivity". On the basis of the distinction of the structure and the reading of the hypertext, he poses that the hypertext is of non-narrative structure by which readers can obtain a subjective sense of narrative during reading.

Key words

hypertext aesthetics / nonlinearity / narrative

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Nie Chunhua. Espen J. Aarseth's Thought on Hypertext Aesthetics[J]. Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art, 2016, 36(5): 38-45

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