He states that it is difficult for the author to fix the beginning and end of their work, for the nonlinear node-network rhetorical structure of hypertext conspires to free the work from constraints of the traditional beginning and end. It also renders the concept of the unitary document obsolete, as each document is part of the grand metadocument that is the WEB. This freeing has a profound impact, as a fixed beginning and end plays a key role in the intentional production of meaning and in fixing the document's relationship with other works; past, present, and future.
Hypertext, and the WEB in particular, allows the reader the choice over where to begin, where to end, and the order of which nodes are read. The reader becomes author as they create their own structure, or even add their own text to the beginning and ending extending the text beyond its original bounds.
Landow's view that hypertext tears down the attitudes forged by a physically isolated text is echoed by Ted Nelson. In Nelson's words, "There is no final word. There can be no final version, last thought. There is always a new view, a new idea, a reinterpretation".
This literally blows away our culture's concept of authorship and fixed text, returning us to a more oral, tribal tradition, where the myths and folklore are modified and embellished by succeeding generations, where the original authorship and form is forgotten.
| WEB Paradigm | Why. | Media Theory. | History and Prehistory | Print Paradigm. |
| Multimedia Paradigm. | Hypertext Paradigm. | Docuverse Paradigm. | Interactive Paradigm. | Conclusions |