Page by Leah Fox
A plethora of themes, all falling under the blanket concept of identity, are considered in this work of electronic literature. Due to the use of hypertext in order to tell the story, the narrative requires “hours of exploration, delving into each and every possible combination” (Turchi) in order to glean the full power of the work. In this way, hypertext comes to resemble life itself: “Instead of representing or mirroring reality [hypertext conveys] the experience of reality, resulting in complex studies of the ways in which human beings deal with time and space” (Van Hulle). It does not matter in which order the memories of the narrator occurred; whether she was five years old or twenty has no relevance. What is relevant is how the parts of her body and their associated memories shaped her into the ever-evolving human she has become.

I’d like to return to the phrase, “disorientation as an aesthetic quality” (Van Hulle), for disorientation is pivotal in adolescence. Shelley Jackson’s work, “my body”, further establishes this idea. She juxtaposes the realities of self-reverence with self-loathing and the idea that the physical form defines the soul as well as the idea that the soul transcends the body. The narrator is unsure of herself, causing the reader to be unsure of what they are intended to see within the piece. This is purposeful. There is not one meaning hidden within the layers of text; instead, just as a body may be interpreted by an infinite number of lenses, the work takes on the the meaning that the reader chooses. Most likely, the reader will see a bit of themselves somewhere within the piece and will go from there. Personally, I believe that Shelley Jackson is preaching self-acceptance. We can choose to be miserable, to identify as a “monster”, or we can choose to love our “cabinet of wonders”. The body is what we make of it. A foot is only a foot until memories are exposed and a person, with all the complexities of their soul, is taken into consideration.