Post 1: Twelve Blue

While reading "Twelve Blue" there were many things that I kept in mind in my approach. First, after realizing that the structure of the story was sort of "helter skelter" I decided to keep a very open mind when it came to reading. Second, I realized almost immediately that I loved the language used by Michael Joyce. 

The first time I read through "Twelve Blue" during last week's class I made the comment that, had the author not written his explanation of the piece, I would have been extremely frustrated while reading it. I am not someone who adheres to many norms, whether it be socially or literarily, but I still could see myself being angered by a lack of understanding of the material I was reading. I allowed this frustration to take a backseat during my second reading of the story.

My approach was simple: I read through the story and clicked link after link, seemingly at random, until I reached a point where there were no options. Then I decided to click on the sidebar of "threads" in order to jump back into the story and see what might happen. The entire experience was fun, and the language was so rich, that reading the story felt more like a nice warm bath than a journey into the often heady world of literature. 

I did not come into reading "Twelve Blue" the second time with any expectations, which I believe added to the overall experience and enjoyment of the story. This story has given me some great fuel for thinking about my own projects for the class. I realize that working with a non-linear narrative can be quite successful if done correctly and not made to be confusing or misleading.