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the
letter is a brief hypertextual meditation on issues
of context and meaning in language and literature, in
particular the 'letter' metaphor employed by Lacan and
subsequently derided by Derrida. In a style reminiscent
of a fairy tale, the piece follows the misadventures of
a mysterious letter, with the circular 'storyline' serving
as a clever form of expression for a rather difficult
concept. the letter is a virtual illustration of
Derrida's admission that meaning and language can never
be closed off or translated with any finality. However,
the nature of the concept driving the piece demands that
the letter, like the literature it signifies, cannot
be neatly framed into a uniform meaning, thus leaving
it open to various interpretations.
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the
letter is one of the abstract hypertextual works linked
to Carl Steadman's main site, good evening, freedonia.
Founder of the renowned suck.com and something of an Internet
icon, Steadman's work apparently needs no introductions,
as there are none provided for any of the sites. freedonia
is, in fact, completely devoid of any supporting information
other than the title/greeting 'good evening', a
simple moon graphic and a few rows of links to Steadman's
works. the letter is equally devoid of explanation-the
reader is required to find their own way through the piece
and attach their own meaning to the progression.
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The
lexias within the letter are split into two uneven
halves, the top half containing a black and white graphic
that correlates to the single line of text below, while
the links are contained within brackets in the lower half.
The reader has three options for progressing through the
lexias, advancing to the next page, skipping back to the
previous page or jumping between lexias/pages. These are
numbered from two to seventeen and book-ended by the 'title
page' and a brief 'credits' section. When followed in
logical progression, the lexias tell the tale of a letter
addressed 'to whom it may concern'. From the pen of a
Lacanian psychoanalyst, the letter is unearthed by a hen
and abducted by a roving band of 'Lettrists', another
group concerned with context-who see the words as empty
letters to be spelled out with new meaning. The letter
makes its way to the doorstep and subsequently the rubbish
bin of a Derridean philosopher, then back around to its
unearthing at the dump.
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This
bizarre tale relates to a famous phrase coined by Lacan,
that 'a letter always finds its address'. Lacan's structuralist
and psychoanalytical readings of texts highlighted their
context as of greatest importance. He believed that context
creates desire and thus gives the text meaning and individual
significance. Derrida not only criticised Lacan's methods
and results, he endeavoured to illustrate that the antithesis
was true in this case, that language, literature and psychology
defy tidy categorisation and can have a myriad number
of interpretations, thus 'a letter never finds its address."
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A
great deal of thought has gone into the design of the
letter and this is especially evident from Steadman's
sources, listed in the 'credits' section. Illustrations
used in the piece were scanned from 19th century
children's books, while the manipulated text used in as
background is credited as passages from Lacan, Derrida
and Joyce's Finnegan's Wake. These graphics, while
not essential, add to the effect of the piece and help
to establish the somewhat 'fairy tale' atmosphere. The
links are easy to follow, the chronological listing consolidates
the circular motion and gives the reader an immediate
and comforting sense of the size of the piece.
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The
information contained within the lexias is brief and to
the point and they lend themselves quite well to the fragmentation
of the non-linear progression. The effect of the piece
is heightened by several re-readings of the lexias and
prior knowledge of the subject matter (however limited)
is almost essential for the point to get across. the
letter is a deceptively simplistic slice of philosophical
contemplation stripped of confusing rhetoric and infused
with a sense of fun. The hypertext structure allows the
reader to explore different versions of the same story
to highlight the importance of individual interpretation.
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