“No wise fish would go anywhere without a porpoise." "Wouldn't it, really?" said Alice, in a tone of great surprise. "Of course not," said the Mock Turtle. "Why, if a fish came to me, and told me he was going on a journey, I should say 'With what porpoise?”

~ Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland readers are introduced to a curious creature known as the Mock Turtle, the living manifestation of a popular Victorian-era dish known as “mock turtle soup.” Mock turtle soup was a clever imitation of green turtle soup, only instead of turtle meat it was calf’s head and various organ meats. Bon Appétit!

In this course, you are tasked with mocking-up a playable interactive fiction game. This game prototype imitates the real thing (like the famous Wonderlandian) and may be enjoyed as-is or adapted into a more serious release. But first let’s explore the history of interactive fiction...

*Most of the images used in this course are illustrations by Sir John Tenniel in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-glass and what Alice Found There.*