What is a MOO?

The term "MOO" may be new to many of you. A MOO space is a virtual environment that is 1) a synchronous chat space, and 2) a space where users might explore different "rooms" and "objects” and talk to fictional “characters.” In our use of the MOO, this exploration is meant to enhance your experience of the novel.

The Brothers Karamazov MOO is pretty easy to navigate, but if you’re interested in exploring the MOO’s special features, please check out the MOO Commands. For more information about Dartmouth’s MOO environment, visit the DartMOO Web site.

Getting to the MOO

In order to get to DartMOO, go to http://dartmoo.dartmouth.edu:7000. Once there, you’ll have to sign in with Kerberos. You can now explore the MOO.

Getting to the Virtual Town of S______

Once in DartMOO, go to Sanborn, and then to Sanborn Library. In the library, you’ll see an icon for a book. Click on that. In the dialogue box in the lower left hand corner, type “Read book as Brothers Karamazov.” You should then be in the virtual town of S_______.

Using the MOO

The virtual town of S______ was created in order to help you explore the novel’s complex world. Each MOO space corresponds to one of the novel’s twelve books. For instance, the Narrator’s House corresponds to Book One, the Monastery to Book Two, and so on. You should explore each MOO space only after finishing the corresponding book. Don’t peek ahead into other rooms, or you’ll discover information about the novel’s plot and ruin your reading experience.
In each MOO space you will discover several characters and objects for you to explore. Each character or object will pose an interesting reading question that you might take up with your classmates in the MOO chat space. Remember: unless your professor tells you otherwise, you should not feel compelled to explore every corner of the MOO space. Rather, you should talk to the people or examine the objects that most interest you.

Please consult your course syllabus to see how your professor intends you to use the MOO in his or her class.

Have a good time in the town of S_________!

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Copyright @ Dartmouth College. Last site update April 9, 2003. E-mail comments to the site editor.
This page written by Karen Gocsik.