Criteria

Before discussing Deena Larsen’s hypertext poem “Firefly”, the reader must fully understand what kind of aspects make an effective hypertext. In Hypertext 3.0, George P. Landow states the most important aspect of a hypertext, which is “reader centeredness, or control by the reader”. Landow goes on to list other aspects that make a hypertext successful, however trying to find an agreed upon criteria for a quality hypertext is difficult because it is a relatively new technology. Literary hypertext is even harder to attach a criteria to because not only is it relatively new, it is also relatively uncommon as far as hypertexts are concerned. So how does one critique a literary hypertext? Since I am potentially as much of an authority on the subject as anyone else (except perhaps Landow and Dr. Taciuch), I have decided to make my own criteria for a literary hypertext, and use the criteria to critique Larsen’s “Firefly”. Listed below are the different aspects I believe to be important in creating an effective literary hyperlink. Keep in mind that I am talking about “Firefly” specifically as a literary hypertext. An academic hypertext may have a different set of criteria.