Reading Digital Literature: Surface, Data, Interaction, and Expressive Processing
Noah Wardrip–Fruin · 2013
This chapter considers one of the most famous works of digital literature: James Meehan's Tale-Spin. It argues that Tale-Spin is not just widely discussed – it is also widely misunderstood. This is demonstrated in several stages, beginning and ending with readings of Tale-Spin(and its companion text generator, Mumble) that employ the implicit audience model. Between these readings, the chapter, first, attempts to apply Aarseth's traversal function model. Next, it traces the operations of Tale-Spin simulation and then presents a new model that helps clarify the issues important for a notion called ‘expressive processing’. This new model differs from the audience model by, following Aarseth, including the work's mechanisms. Later, the chapter returns to the conclusions of those who read Tale-Spin employing an implicit audience model. It finally attempts to employ Aarseth's traversal function model in studying Tale-Spin and Mumble.