RM - Week 4 "Bring it to the Table"

 Donna Haraway's A Manifesto for Cyborgs: Science, Technology, and Socialist Feminism in the 1980s was unlike a majority of the texts I have read before. It explored many ideas, but mainly that of the cyborg being a feminist metaphor. I think this is pretty cool, because I have seen cyborgs in books and TV all my life, and never considered them to have such a deep meaning like this. I like how the essay rejects binary thinking, and suggests that complexity can lead to more progressive politics. I understood the text for the most part, but It was not the easiest read for me. 

Looking at Afternoon, A Story in class was really fun for me. It was super entertaining trying to find new ways to read the story, and I could see myself sitting there for hours trying to reach every possibility (as you (Dr. M) said you did when you first read it!) I also enjoyed what was accessible of Patchwork Girl! I imagine it was a really fascinating piece of hypertext fiction when it was all playable. Shelly Jackson's My Body a Wunderkammer was SO COOL! Although it was strange, I think the layout and illustrations are really awesome and a great example of a engaging and entertaining piece of hypertext fiction. I feel the same way about Entre Ville by J. R. Carpenter. I love the illustration "vibe" both of these pieces used, because it made something digital feel less digital- if that makes sense. 

I explored Judy Malloy's Uncle Roger! It is "one of the most studied early hypertext works" (Rettberg). I played through it a bit and it seemed pretty old (which makes sense) but very fun and fascinating. Apparently in 1989 The Wall Street Journal mentioned Uncle Roger as the start of a future art form in their centennial publication! I'm going to continue to click through Uncle Roger and see what happens