Questions for Twisty Little Passages

In Montfort's book, you want to know what a "model" and the "parser" are. The parser is the part of the program that understands the typed words of the player and translates between the computer and the player. The parser is what lets the computer reply to the players text in normal language instead of machine code. The model, if I'm reading the question right, would be the world created within the context of the game and described in replies by the parser.

"In interactive fiction, the secret is locked away..." By this, Montfort means that in order to move through the world or story of an interactive fiction, the player must type commands. "Go North," "look under table" and other similar statements are typed into the computer and the program responds either by describing the new information now available or letting the player know that what they have done doesn't give any new information.

What does reading have in common with the "erotic?" Well, I suppose the idea is that, like a striptease, you know very little of the plot or body of a story before you begin reading. As you proceed through a tale, more and more of the story is exposed. How does interactive fiction change this? I would say that interactive fiction is like starting a game of strip poker with someone who has piled on layers and layers of clothes. Whereas a normal story just starts and goes until the end, with an interactive fiction tale, you have to discover how to make the next part of the story appear. It makes the movement through the tale much more challenging, but can also increase the payoff when you do finally solve a puzzle and are rewarded with a brand new challenge....