@KatieGullans
Shy boy is an example of electronic literature because it wouldn’t be the same experience reading it in print. It has a simplicity, yet it has something more than words on paper. The music gives a lonely, sad feeling to it. It helps you understand him. The way the words and sentences are put out also has meaning. The part where the word vanish disappears is especially effective. The boy wants to vanish and you vanish with him. The grey bars seem to give a rainy day feeling. There is no color. There’s only shades. It seems to fit because colors would stand out. Since it’s about a shy boy, he would want to hide and so grey, black, and white are the most appropriate colors to use. As you read this piece, you feel like you are with him and you understand what he’s going through. Someone else might have had the same experiences in school too and felt like there was a dark cloud over their heads. Maybe the grey blocks are like dark clouds over the shy boy.
This is definitely electronic literature because it was created on the computer and is meant to be read on the computer. Katherine Hayles quotes, “Electronic text cannot be accessed until it is formed by properly executed code.” This piece wouldn’t have been able to created without that code. The special effects that go with the story are very fitting.