Mystery fiction in electronic literature

Abstract

Interest in the relatively new field of electronic literature is growing. While at first the interest was more focused on the technical aspects of electronic literature, some of that interest is now shifting and focusing more on the experience that electronic literature generates for the author and the reader-spectator-actor. This dissertation delves into that newer area of interest, as it attempts to explore how mystery fiction translates into electronic literature, and the experience that is generated through the interaction of reader-spectator-actors with works of mystery fiction electronic literature. The first chapter provides a concise analysis of the rules of mystery fiction and how the fact that there are rules creates a ludic element in the genre. It also aims to give a succinct explanation of how electronic literature builds on previous media and how this can influence the telling of a mystery fiction narrative. The second chapter identifies some of the common tropes found in mystery fiction, and how they are presented in sample works of mystery fiction and mystery fiction electronic literature. The tropes mentioned are: ratiocination; the main investigator and the secondary investigator or the sidekick; the victim; the negative action; and a final revelation. This is followed by a discussion of reader response theories and how these same theories may be applied to mystery fiction electronic literature with some examples from select works of mystery fiction electronic literature. The third chapter stresses the importance of what N. Katherine Hayles calls ‘media specific analysis’, as the medium used may influence how a narrative is presented. The second part of the third chapter discusses authorial control and the reader’s freedom to influence certain works more directly. This is then followed by a more direct analysis of the reader-spectator-actor’s experience when engaging with mystery fiction electronic literature. This analysis mainly discusses how narratives of mystery fiction are expressed and received digitally, and whether the reader spectator-actor gains more control over the narrative.