Introduction
This thesis explores the evolution of narrative meaning from early oral storytelling to the digital age, with a focus on the transformative impact of the World Wide Web. Conducted as part of Ph.D. research by Dr Terrell Neuage, this study examines how narrative forms and their meanings have shifted across different media.
Past
Before the printing press, oral narratives were central to cultural transmission, dating back to ancient Greece and thriving in Medieval Europe. Travelling poets recited and performed their works, entertaining audiences and preserving stories. Today, creators on the Internet are akin to these poets, sharing narratives on the electronic highway of the World Wide Web.
Gutenberg
The invention of the printing press marked a significant shift in narrative dissemination. Early printed narratives often detailed adventures in the New World, coinciding with the discovery of the Americas. The mass production of texts allowed stories to reach wider audiences, but meaning remained controlled by the text's creator.
Meaning
Meaning within narratives has evolved dramatically. In oral traditions, meaning was dictated by authoritative sources like the Church or rulers. The printing press enabled mass distribution but retained creator-controlled meaning. The World Wide Web, however, has introduced a non-linear, unstable environment where meaning is fluid and often arbitrary. The medium of distribution shapes narrative evolution, and the rapid growth of the Internet accelerates this process, merging traditional forms like prose and verse into new, interconnected nodes.
An example of this merging can be seen in contemporary works where prose and poetry coexist, with meaning dependent on the reader's navigation of the text.
Poetry
The Internet fosters innovative narrative forms, blending poetry and prose in interactive formats. Michael St. Hippolyte's website, "Mumbo Jumbo," exemplifies this, describing itself as:
"Mumbo Jumbo is a few acres of jungle and beachfront on the Web, hoping to provide a taste of passion and its nobler fruits. Passion: the collective name for mysterious emotive forces churning just below the margin of our consciousness, shooting inspiration from time to time into the blue sky of the human imagination." — Michael St. Hippolyte
This reflects the dynamic, passion-driven nature of web-based narratives.