What is a narrative?

To me, a narrative is an explanation or summary of a story. It is a brief snapshot of the overall picture and a foretelling of what is to come. You should learn from it. I like the idea of reading a book, and the story progressing in a linear fashion. Cybertext does not necesarily allow this. It is non-linear. However, cybertext can be considered a narrative, because it does inform and you are reading and learning. It is just a different form of narrative. You can jump to different parts of a story, as evidenced by Joyce's Twelve Blue. In Aarseth's work on Ergodic Literature, he explains that the reader is powerless in the unfolding of a narrative. That is true in the case of cybertext or reading a book. You only have as much power as the author allows. In cybertext, links allow you to read forward, and not in sequential order, but I believe you can lose meaning by reading out of order like that. So, I say all this to say that a narrative is an informative piece of writing, regardless of the format or style. Again, I prefer to read books. My eyes are less tired, and it is less taxing on my brain!!