Rizoma and self-reference in Pentagonal, Incluidos Tú Y Yo (2001), hypertextual novel by Carlos Labbé

Abstract

In this article, we will take as theoretical inputs the links that authors such as Moulthrop and Landow have raised between digital technologies and the concept of rhizome, elaborated by Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari, to review the electronic fiction Pentagonal, incluidos tú y yo (2001), by the Chilean writer Carlos Labbé. We propose, with this exegetical base, that the hypernovela moves away from the classic arborescent narrative scheme, whose organization is in dual structures that advance vertically; on the contrary, the hypertext novel would unfold in a rhizomatic way: like a network, a fabric devoid of hierarchies and made up exclusively of lines. Likewise, analyzing the e-mails that run through fiction, we will argue that the literary text appeals to self-reflection, selfreferentiality and self-awareness, breaking the reading pact with the audience by revealing its status as a scriptural artifact.