Identity, Meaning, and the Presence of the Author

Written by Carter Butts, Jonathan Hudson, and Drew Norris,

Three guys with one hell of an authorial presence.

We are the authors. You are the reader. We will now describe to you that which we have done, that which you will read. In reading our writings, you may come to believe that you know us. Do not be fooled. We are merely figments of your imagination...

In this project, we consider numerous questions concerning meaning, identity, and authorial presence. We frame these questions against a "literary" background: never do we consider "useful" text. Our enumeration of these questions, and exposition of these answers, is here presented in a nonlinear, hypertext format, though the original writings, in some cases, were in fact linear documents. If this sounds intimidating to you, do not worry: due to our authorial powers, we have chosen only the best possible placements of words and links to enhance your understanding of our text.

In considering various questions of authorship, each group member has chosen the particular focus which will best allow him to communicate his knowledge to you. In summary:

• Carter has created a series of hypertextual poems, whose reading patterns raise questions about meaning, authorship, and reader control. The transcendent meaning of his work may only be understood by a thorough perusal of is exposition, which considers his work in painstaking detail.
• Drew has analyzed three relatively traditional literary print texts, looking at how these writers 'compressed' onto the printed page stories which, seen from his more enlightened viewpoint, are essentially hypertextual.
• Jonathan has examined the issues of authorship and the creation of meaning in Thomas Pynchon's The Crying of Lot 49 and in Pynchon's own anonymity and "disappearance." Unfazed by Pynchon's hidden identity, he penetrates to the core of Lot 49, offering superior insights into its hidden meanings.

In addition to this, we have created further resources for your edification. Each subsection of out project, while nearly flawless, has nonetheless been the subject of tireless internal critique by we, the authors. We have chosen to make this critique available to you, and you may access it simply by selecting the hyperlinks thoughtfully placed within the works. Moreover, to expedite the understanding of our more difficult terms and turns of phrase, we have included an encyclopedia of our project, which may be read at no charge to you. Our extreme munificence has even extended itself to the extent that we, dear reader, are willing to give you the opportunity to make annotations to selected of our pages, and thus, in some small way, to put yourself on an equal footing with us.

In conclusion, we are sure that you will find this work to be most educational and inspirational, and, moreover, to aid in your quest for self-improvement. We wish you luck on your journey, dear reader, but are confident that our expertise cannot fail to satisfy.

Here we have seen fit to include links to the various subsections of our project:

Elements by Carter Butts

Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain by Jonathan Hudson

A Generation of Proto-Hypertext Authors by Drew Norris

The project encyclopedia