Unit 2: Hypertext and Interactive Fiction – Electronic Literature and Digital Writing

Overview

Assigned Material:
- Electronic Literature, Chapter 3
- “The Garden of Forking Paths” by Jorge Luis Borges
- “As We May Think” by Vannebar Bush
- Wikipedia entry on Choose Your Own Adventure books.
- Underground Kingdom by Edward Packard
- Explore Eastgate Systems website.
- Read “Uncle Roger, File 1” in the ELC3.
- Read “Judy Malloy’s Uncle Roger” in Pathfinders and watch Judy Malloy’s traversals.
Writing:
- Write a 250+ word response to the assigned material addressing the following question: How does hypertext as a format allow for a reader-driven kind of text generation or experience of a text? Discuss how
- Post in our ASULearn forum today and respond substantively to at least 2 classmates’ postings by the following day.

Assigned Material:
- Read “Patterns of Hypertext” by Mark Bernstein
- Watch “Black Mirror: Bandersnatch” on Netflix.
- If you don’t have Netflix, watch “A Date with Markiplier“
- Read Living Will by Mark C. Marino
- Read “My Body: A Wunderkammer” by Shelley Jackson
- Read one of the Twine games published in the ELC3
Writing:
- Write a 250+ word response to the assigned material in which you discuss strategies used by the writers of these hypertexts to guide readers towards certain outcomes and to what effect?
- Post in our ASULearn forum today and respond substantively to at least 2 classmates’ postings by the following day.

Assigned Material:
- Read and comment on Unit 1 Wrap Up
- Read the Wikipedia entry on Interactive Fiction.
- Play one of the winners of the Interactive Fiction Competition. They’re listed after the history, which you should read.
- Check out the Interactive Fiction Database
- Read and comment on Unit 1 Wrap Up
- Essay #1 is due, which means that when I wake up on Wednesday, I will start (un)grading them.
Writing:
- Write a 250+ word response to the interactive fiction you played, considering the genre of text-based adventures and the types of reader involvement they encourage. Provide a link to the work you played.
- Post in our ASULearn forum today and respond substantively to at least 2 classmates’ postings by the following day.

Assigned Material
- Read Electronic Literature, Chapter 5
- Watch this video on Procedural Rhetoric
- Download and play The Stanley Parable Demo. If you can’t, watch a few endings on this playthrough.
- Play Thoughts and Prayers: The Game by Mike Lacher
- Play A Vast and Lonely Desert by Davis G. See
- Play Game, Game, Game, and Again Game by Jason Nelson
Writing:
- Write a 250+ word piece in which you discuss how the assigned works use interactivity in meaningful, even persuasive ways. Draw from Rettberg’s chapter and from Ian Bogost’s “Procedural Rhetoric” presentation.
- Post in our ASULearn forum today and respond substantively to at least 2 classmates’ postings by the following day.

Assigned material:
- Read “Open Form” “Free Verse” and “Electronic Poetry” in our shared drive.
- Explore and read some of James Dickey’s Hyperpoems (NSFW)
- “My Boyfriend Came Back From the War” by Olia Lialina
- “Fitting the Pattern” by Christine Wilks
- “Separation” by Annie Abrahams
- “Birds Singing Other Birds’ Songs” by María Mencía
- “NeoNio” by Jim Andrews
Class will meet synchronously via Zoom from 6-8 pm.
Be prepared to discuss these assigned works in the context of poetic form, free verse, and e-poetry. How does the content determine the form designed by the writer?
If you cannot attend class, write a 250+ word piece in which you discuss the questions above, watch the recording of the class, and then respond to your post with a post-class reflection.

Assigned Material:
- Explore the works and watch the documentation videos for Jason Edward Lewis and Bruno Nadeau’s PoEMM Cycle.
- A Modern Ghost by Artemio Morales
- Read one work from each bullet listed below:
  - One of Jörg Piringer’s App Poems (iOS), or #Carnivast by Dreaming Methods and Mez Breeze (Android).
  - Pry by Tender Claws (iOS) or “How to Rob a Bank” by Alan Bigelow (cross-platform).
  - The first issue of Upgrade Soul (iOS) or Voyageur (iOS & Android).
- Two works from the first issue of (RE)VERB
Writing:
- Write a 250+ word piece in which you discuss how the assigned works take advantage of the familiar interfaces offered by touchscreen and mobile devices to become 3rd generation interactive works. How are they similar or different from works from the previous day (Meaningful Interactivity)?
- Post in our ASULearn forum today and respond substantively to at least 2 classmates’ postings by the following day.

Choose a hypertext or interactive work from the following list:
- Any of the works we’ve explored partially that have sections that you may need to purchase (like the rest of Upgrade Soul)
- Any of the volumes of the Electronic Literature Collection
  - Note: if you choose a Flash work (there are many in volumes 1-3), check to see if they have been preserved and can work in The NEXT or elsewhere.
- There are a few works in the ELC4 and iOS that are commercial and can be purchased for a very reasonable price. I encourage you to do so, which will not only give you access to a more complete work, but will support the creators.
Parameters and Criteria:
- The essay should be about 1000 words (4 pages) in length.
- It should offer an interpretive thesis that is supported by detailed analysis of the work.
- When possible, include screen-captured images or video to support your essay.
- The essay should cite at least 2 secondary sources.
- The essay should be formatted in MLA or some other established format of your choice.
- The essay is due on Monday, June 13.