LITERATURE // HYPERTEXT // DO YOU WANT LOVE OR LUST?
Admittedly, as a student of literature in 2014, the first time I read about hypertext my only reaction was a sigh. Sure, I thought, someone wanted to spice up literature and make it "interactive". As a person who experiences the non-digitalness of literature as one of it's most attractive parts, I wasn't really interested in any hyperlinks in my texts.
Until Rhizome posted "Hypertext and Destiny: This Twine Could Be Your Life", where they discuss several examples of Hypertext and Life/Love stories. The first example, originally made in 1997, is Claude Closky's Do You Want Love or Lust. Intrigued by the set-up and (honestly mostly) the idea of 1997-internet I clicked, and was forced to reasses my idea of hypertext.
The questions can be read in many different ways and in this sense reflects the reader more than the writer. (spoiler) Any reader thinking their choices have an effect on the next questions or expecting an analysis of their clicks to roll out at the end is fooled. Clearly, your choice has no meaning. But does making these choices have any meaning or effect in real life? Does a choice between love or lust really change your life? Do you even make this choice consciously? And if it does effect your life and you do make a conscious choice, does the analysis of such a choice correspond with what will happen? Meaning: if the standard analysis for choosing lust over love means you will not find your soulmate - is this truly what happens when you make such a choice? Are people who choose love over lust statistically better at finding a life partner? Obviously, this "quiz” is not going to tell you what you should do. It is not going to analyse your choices, it is not going to tell you who you are. But in this trick you might find more truth and answers than you will in the Cosmopolitain’s and ELLE’s that created these questions in the first place (source: intro). I call that the Power of Poetry, but you may call it annoying if you wish.
Find Do You Want Love or Lust over here: http://archive.rhizome.org/artbase/1827/index.html












