I have been meaning to post this link to an interesting essay by Jaishree K. Odin about "The Ballad of Sand and Soot" for some time now. I figure it is better to do so late than never. The essay, entitled "Image and Text in Hypermedia Literature" confronts the mixture of images and words in hypertexts (that N. Katherine Hayles's discusses, most recently, in Writing Machines). Additionally, the essay performs a close (content) reading of Strickland's hypertext poem and offers interesting ways to approach the "Coda" section of the hypertext.
Also, if you are interested in the (nonexistent) hypertext author's intentions see this interview with Strickland.
For the original hypertext, "The Ballad of Sand and Soot," click here.
- Patrick
Posted by pjagoda at November 30, 2003 09:58 PM