Galatea, the Escapable Text

Galatea is a kind of interactive fiction where Emily Short creates a game to convey knowledge. This novelty in writing suggests a sort of query text that engages readers in selecting the text. Therefore, the text in Galatea requires the readers to enter commands and comments, mainly using verbs in order to shape the text. Different commands lead to different texts, so the text in Galatea is not stable, it is volatile and dynamic. What strikes me is the idea that it needs different commands so as I can continue up until the end, but there are different ends that depend on the mood of Galatea. These ends are completely different, and sometimes I feel that they are far-fetched; I feel lost while navigating toward the ends. In such case, I went back to the beginning and repeated the same processes. There are many clues to continue to the end; different clues lead to different ends. Finally, that results in different experiences to readers, different environments according to different moods.

This new kind of literary text, or maybe game, relies on the readers’ commands. Thus, different players, or readers, rarely find the same text; that is why I feel text escapes from readers. Maybe some readers classify Galatea as a game; however, it employs the characteristics and elements of fiction. For example, there is a plot for every story even though there are different plots according to different directions and comments. Then there is a begging and end for the story. Moreover, one important element is the suspense in the story that prompts readers to continue their navigation in the text or game.