Article

Name: A communication “I am a hypertext” in the plot of V. Pelevin’s novel “iPhuck 10”

Authors: Tatyana A. Rytova, Andrey O. Gridin

The National Research Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russian Federation

In the section Study of literature

Abstract:

The paper offers an interpretation of the novel “iPhuck 10” by Victor Pelevin. This novel models a conditional picture of the world at the end of the 21st century when Russian society reached the digitalization of all spheres. The key characteristic of the civilization being depicted is the minimization of traditional communication and physiological contact between people for fear of contracting viruses. Pelevin embodies the idea of a technotronic civilization of the 21st century, requiring new types of communication and novel approaches to working with text. A new type, homo virtualis, is introduced in the novel. It is a person oriented towards virtuality, entering and existing in the virtual sphere. Meanwhile, the artificial intelligence, the “police algorithm” Porfiry, is the main character, the author, writing and commenting on the writing process, and the actor, constantly communicating in virtual space with the hypertext of the Internet, reflexing this process as well. This paper provides an interpretation of the situations of the communication “I am a hypertext” with which to reveal Pelevin’s interpretation of the virtual “personality” and virtual reality. The novel’s plot is the reflection of virtual space as a communicative environment characterized by the chaos of narrative and communication of various carriers of virtual consciousness. The novel brings to life the advantages of communication with electronic hypertext, making any information (including the “information trace” of emotions) not disappear but transform and multiply.

Keywords: Pelevin, communication, artificial intelligence, hypertext For citation

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