Hypertext as a Rhizome :: Literature Literary Essays

Hypertext as a Rhizome Hypertext is an innovative writing form that has been applied to many different facets of the internet. It provides flexibility for both authors and readers because of the way ideas are linked to one another. One of the most experimental forms is the hypertext novel. Until recently, readers were limited to only linear text. The introduction of hypertext allows for non-linear forms of text, which allow readers to move from one point in the text to another simply by clicking a link. One of the main features of hypertext is this interconnectivity. The way in which the parts of text are linked is best described as a rhizome. The first step in comparing hypertext to a rhizome system is to understand just what a rhizome is. The philosopher Gilles Deleuze came up with the idea and Janet Murray applied to hypertext. A rhizome is a tuber root system in which any point may be connected to another point. â€Å"Deleuze used the rhizome root system as a model of connectivity in systems of ideas† (Murray 132). One simplified example of this is the prewriting technique of making a web. There is one central idea and then several thoughts that branch out from it. These thoughts can be connected to each other so that the writer can move easily between them when creating a piece of writing. The rhizome system has also been applied to the notion of an allusive text system that is not linear like a book, but boundaryless without closure. Hypertext is one example of this phenomenon. In following with the web analogy, there is one main idea of the story and then many other branches that are embedded in the text. The reader does not necessarily have to move on to the next one on the list, but can choose from any of the available options. There is an opportunity later to come back to any ideas that the reader may have missed or skipped over. This format makes the text circular instead of linear. There is no start or finish, just a never-ending loop of information that changes order depending on the reader This rhizome feature of hypertext makes it interesting and creative for readers. They can choose which direction they want to take and essentially create a new story every time they explore the text.