Risks/Trade-offs | 8 Levels | Adapting Assignments | Reactions | Suggestions | Works Cited Risks and Tradeoffs in Popularizing Hypertext Considering those risks brought to mind an article in FEED magazine in which hypertext pioneer Robert Coover writes: Silver ages are said to follow upon golden ages—as marriage and family follow upon romance—and last longer but not forever. They are characterized by a retreat from radical visions and a return to major elements of a preceding tradition [. . .] by a great diffusion and popularization of its diluted principles and their embodiment in institutions, and by a prolific widespread output in the name of what went before, though no longer that thing exactly. Certainly there are risks in bringing hypertext theory “to the masses” (i.e. composition students), but if the risks involve trade-offs that allow for excitement and fun in learning, they are worth it. * Student Examples: Aimee, Julie M., Amber, Don, Katie, Bryan, Holly, Julie S.