my body — a Wunderkammer

Main Page of My Body

Summary 

The digital humanity selection, “My Body – A Wunderkammer,” by Shelley Jackson, illustrates a young woman's thoughts, feelings, and memories as she discovers her changing body.  Through hypertext interaction the viewer is able to explore the young girl’s body, both internally and externally.  One may start exploring wherever they please.  No matter where the exploration begins, the viewer will enjoy a narrative of the body and explore different body parts.  

Significance/Message
The main point of the artwork is to show the reader how all of the body parts are interrelated.  One memory can be linked to another through body parts and shared emotions.  The author describes the body as a cabinet that preserves memories in all of its parts, each to be opened and accessed when a certain memory is provoked.  This text also exemplifies that a woman's external identity is often very visible to the public eye, based on historical events and femininity; however, this piece further reveals internal or personal identity--  meaning that even though we are given public identities, it is often for individuals to have personal identities based on our past events and memories.

Relation to the Reader and Ideas it Portrays

Within the text of "My Body-- A Wunderkammer," Jackson takes the reader through a graphic portrayal of growing up and coming of age through the usage of hyperlinks, sketches, and prose. By clicking on each hyperlink within the story, the reader is lead to different parts of the story. Seemingly disjointed at first, "My Body-- A Wunderkammer" is merely a composition of memories that, as the reader makes his or her way through the story, realizes that the author has no true order to the story. Because of the story's lack of order, the author forces the reader into interpreting the story however he or she best relates. 

"My Body-- A Wunderkammer" best shows its readers raw, honest memories and associations made by the human mind during adolescence. Its honesty connects almost directly to the reader in some way surrounding growing up regarding sexuality, way of thinking, or even common emotional connection to the human psyche. Throughout the story, the author portrays her sexuality in such a way that is graphic yet starkly honest that it corners the reader into witnessing Jackson's memories muddled by creative liberties. The word "wunderkammer" literally translates to a cabinet where rarities are kept; when Jackson tells of the graphic sexual memories she has of experimenting with her body, it is like she holds these memories, or rarities, within her. This is also relevant to the other memories Jackson narrates for her readers. 

Relation to the Reader and Ideas it Portrays - Alex Douglas

Hyperlinks - Tim

Summary and Significance/Message - Bailyn Yost

Media - Chase Vazquez