This lyrically powerful hypertext poem is inspired and informed by a large number of sources, primarily on mythology (mostly Greek) and labyrinths (mandala shaped ones). Centered upon the Minotaur myth, the labyrinth Daedalus and Icarus built to contain it, Ariadne and the Minotaur himself, the poem gives a voice to some of these characters, representing them visually with an image of a portion of the mandala-shaped stone maze, and a body part (in the name given to the node. The hypertext is structured like a mandala, allowing readers to take direct paths in towards a center space with its own nodes. The interface also allows for lateral or circular movement across voices, placing them in conversation with one another and allowing readers to spiral in towards the center.
How you approach this lengthy piece is a matter of discovering the path you want to take and how thorough or systematic you wish to be in exploring these spaces. Consider your own goal in entering a labyrinth: understanding it, finding a way through, getting lost, or meditating as you walk in its paths towards the center— as seen in mazes built on the floors of some old churches.
Whatever your goal, don’t rush through this textual maze, take your time to appreciate its lyric qualities— its alliterations, sudden and brief moments of iambic intensity, and sonorous free verse. And if you’re well versed in Greek mythology, there are pleasures in how Guertin weaves all these narrative threads into a coherent web that Arachne would be proud of.
Featured in Cauldron & Net.
