Infinite Limits

Hayles Network Art

          When incorporating N. Katherine Hayles Electronic Literature with The Jew’s Daughter by Judd Morrissey, one example Hayles uses really fits together with this E-lit example. Hayles discusses Emily Short’s Savoir-Faire, which involves the many interactive fiction puzzles that need to be solved. Short’s believes that solving many of the IF puzzles requires the user to make a leap of inference from one device to another that resembles it in function; for example, if a door and box are properly linked, opening the box also opens the door. Such moves resemble the operation of literary metaphor as well as the interactive narrative previously discussed.

          Just like the E-lit example, the IF puzzles of a box that opens a door compares to the words throughout Morrissey’s story. The clicking of the blue words opens a new door to a new story, creating a connection between them all. This immediate interaction of words is like solving a puzzle to unfold the story. There is no limit to what can be solved through interaction fiction, making each story more interesting and compelling to read.