Response to the Electronic Literature

       In todays’ class, we have the discussion about the electronic literature. Our group think that it’s not true that electronic literature is just hypertext essays. Yes, in some way, it is regarded as the hypertext essays. We click some places which lead us to other places. For example, some stories have many links to the explanation of difficult words and terminology to make readers understand the content. We can always click the authors’ names to find their information. However, some literature works are not equal to the hypertext essay. Some stories are collected in the stand-alone website, and does not have any hypertext. There are many new forms of electronic literature appearing rather than hypertext essays. For instance, many websites present the stories or poetries in Flash or other platforms. Some authors attempts to protect their ownership so there is no link in their works. The electronic literature now develops a lot. It always has interactive and collaborative part that allow the audience to comment on the work. 

       There is no denying that the electronic literature has some differences from the print works. Electronic literature has many visible advantages. It is more searchable, we could look over it through many devices including computers, phones or any tablets. Furthermore, online-reading have the function of memory, so we can continue reading the content where we stop last time. Online-reading also contributes to the environmental protection. 

       By contrast, the electronic literature has detriments. It is harmful to people’s health. It causes the risks of ownership, and sometimes there are some technology problems.