Twelve Blue

Considering the nature of electronic literature, I made it a point to break myself of trying to "read" the text from beginning to end, as one would a novel. I navigated through Twelve Blue alternating between clicking links on the left side of the screen and embedded in the text itself. I thought this would be confusing but there were still elements and characters that I was able to grasp.

The more time I spent in Twelve Blue, the harder it was to get where I wanted. Links became hidden- evaporated into the blue, and the plots and characters seemed to become more jumbled. I was able to recognize a few continuing themes, however. Michael Joyce presents us with an andonment theme with attempts at some sort of reconciliation. I also noticed an emphasis on death (specifically drowning.)

The piece seems to stress chaos over order and control. Ed (I forget his last name) is looking to remove control from the man with the BMW. He wants him to pay a high price for a photograph he ensures he will never recieve. The young boy who drowned was deaf and had little control in the situation. I, the reader/navigator, also found myself without much control. Though I did physically click each link, there was no right or systematic way in which I could feel satisfied that I got the whole story.

The links are also placed in different positions throughout Twelve Blue. Sometimes they're at the bottom of the text, sometimes in the middle somewhere. Though you can finish reading the passage before moving on, it seems to almost hint at not reading the ending-- perhaps that the ending is not what is important. If the ending is not the emphasis, perhaps this makes the characters or overall feeling more crucial.

Before making a statement about the intended meaning of the piece, I'd like to present a disclaimer that I really have no idea what it means.

With the repetition of blue and the drowning boy, I am led to believe that the unfortunate incident in the river is of great importance. And if the ending is not important, then perhaps his death is not the important part of it. Maybe it is instead important that he is remembered, is not a "minor character." Maybe the piece works as a way of concluding that a person's life outweighs their death.

I'm probably way off, and crazy, but that's what I see. =)