Themes of Death Depicted in Electronic Literature

Girl's Day Out

“Girl’s Day Out” by Kerry Lawrynoviczis an online interactive poem constructed on a media flash player in 2004. Her work includes three main sections: the main poem, the “shards” section and her author’s statement. The main purpose of her online piece is to bring awareness to the story of the Calder Road victims. The page is set up so the reader can explore each section at a different time, and then piece them together to understand the whole story.The physical interaction in this work is relatively simple, yet effective.  With a simple click the reader is able to navigate the online poem and read the different sections. In the Shards and Poem section the interaction comes from clicking the mouse to
continue through the narrative or read new words. The story does not progress unless the reader clicks through it, which allows the reader a sort of "discovery" that is discussed in more depth in the later sections. In addition to being physcially interactive, the pieice is also emotionally interactive. The poem and Shards section encorporate important mechanical techniques that invoke deep thought from the reader. 
The theme of death is the backbone to Lawrynovicz's work as it is centered around the mystery of the Calder Road murders. The premise of the whole work is that even in happy moments and memory, death can loom in the shadows. The poem section represents the mystery of death and the fact that death is happening everyday, if its unseen. The shards section emphasizes the horror of death and the kind of confusing impact it can have. 

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