My interest in hyperfiction began, as things so often do, quite accidentally. I was attending a working seminar in Berlin (discussing an international reception study) when I happened to notice in a tourist guide magazine that there was the first Softmoderne Festival taking place exactly the same week, presenting the hypertext novel Afternoon by Michael Joyce, guest starring Robert Coover etc. Soon after that first contact with hyperfiction it became evident that my future doctoral dissertation thesis would have something to do with hypertexts… As far as I know, the Softmoderne Festival is still alive - I hope them the best of luck!
I spent the academic year 1996-97 in Morgantown, USA, at the West Virginia University - professor Brian McHale was my supervisor there, at the critical phase of designing the first tentative outlines for this thesis, and writing down the first chapters. His sharp comments, editorial advices, and encouragement have been highly valuable not only for this thesis but to my whole academic career. Also, through his connections I really got into the world of hyperfiction. My stay at WVU and at the Center for Literary Computing there was very productive time, and highly influential for the later phases of writing - I want to express my gratitude to all the wonderful persons there, with whom I had the pleasure to work with - and especially to Susan Warshauer for introducing me to the MOO wonderlands.
Since the Fall 1997 I have been closely collaborating with Markku Eskelinen in all things cybertextual. Endless discussions, especially in the day-after moods returning home from seminars or conferences, not shy of bold visions, the collaboration in writing, editing, and organising and his non-compromising attitude toward theoretical sloppiness have been highly influential for this thesis indeed.
Professors Pekka Tammi and Espen Aarseth did the job of reviewing the manuscript - I am highly grateful for their comments, and even though I could not cope with all of their suggestions at this phase, I consider this as a work under construction, and will keep their advise in mind while writing the future versions. Tammi's visiting lecture series at Jyväskylä University in the early 90's showed me what literary studies could and should be - and provided elementary information, especially of narratology, which still proves useful on a daily basis; my somewhat late thanks for that.
Discussions on various occasions with Espen Aarseth, John Cayley, Nancy Kaplan, Marjorie Luesebrink, Stuart Moulthrop, Jim Rosenberg and all the great friends I have met in Digital Arts and Culture and ACM Hypertext conferences have been enlightening - and always a pleasure.
The Reserch Unit for Contemporary Culture has been my academic home for the last six years - during this time I have benefited from the warm, encouraging, and always intellectually stimulating atmosphere which so well reflects the personality of its director Katarina Eskola -- the colleagues here, Annikka, Erkki, Katja, Kimmo, Leena, Sari, Tuija, Urpo have read bits and pieces of this thesis during these years and given always welcome comments; special thanks are due to Urpo for his detailed commentary on the almost finished manuscript. Jaana has taken care of those things I could not, that is, the practical side of academic life.
The University of Jyväskylä, Emil Aaltonen's Foundation, and the Finnish Association of Science Editors and Journalists have given financial support vital for my work with this thesis. Chapter 5, "Visual structuring of hyperfiction narratives", was originally published in Elecronic Book Review 6:1 (1997).
Huge thanks are due to Juha Teppo, who put this work on-line incredibly fast and nicely.
Jyväskylä, May 2000
Raine Koskimaa