English 573:

Editing in a Digital Age

Fall 2020
campbelld@wsu.edu
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English 573:  Editing in a Digital Age 
Dr. Donna Campbell
Fall 2020

 

English 573: Editing in a Digital Age asks the following question: "What is a good critical edition, and can, or should, the same features be translated into digital form?" We'll read Stephen Crane, Edith Wharton, Mourning Dove, and Nella Larsen in the publication context of their works both during their own day and will look at digital editions of other authors.
In this course, you'll be introduced to traditional editing practices through Williams and Abbott (below) and to theories of digital humanities and online editions. We'll then examine the editing practices of such well-established online projects as the Mark Twain and Walt Whitman editions. We will also read literary criticism on the authors we read to understand the historical, interpretive, and publication histories of the author and the texts that he or she produced in a particular cultural moment.
This is not a technical DH class where you'll be expected to use advanced tools and languages, and--very important--you do not need to know any more than basic information that you already have, such as how to write a paper using Word or how to send email. Nor do you need to produce an online project for this class. Think of our web practices this way: if a web site could be a car, this class doesn't ask you to fix it or build it. Rather, we'll be looking under the hood on certain days so that we can learn more about how the car works--and, equally important, reading theoretical material that will help you to frame your understanding conceptually. Since this course is online, you'll need regular access to a computer and the Internet.

Because we're meeting virtually via Zoom, our class will be divided into these segments of time:

• First hour: online live Zoom session, usually with a student presentation on the subject of the day. You'll sign up for topics ahead of time.
• Second hour: offline asynchronous time during which we'll explore digital tools, take a break, or review something for the third hour.
• Third hour (tech time & discussion): online via Zoom for practice with and exploration of digital tools. Among the markup tools to be explored are basic HTML and CSS, the TEI (Text-Encoding Initiative), and Scalar (with a glance at Omeka). Students will have the opportunity to transcribe the manuscript of a short story or novel chapter, follow it through its periodical publication, and then create an edition with textual notes that describe the changes and an essay or introduction that contextualizes the piece, describes editing challenges, characterizes its initial reception, and reviews current criticism.

Required Texts

• Crane, Stephen. Maggie: A Girl of the Streets
• Larsen, Nella. The Complete Fiction of Nella Larsen. Ed. Charles Larson. Knopf, 2001. 9780385721004
• Mourning Dove. Cogewea. University of Nebraska Press, 1981.
• Wharton, Edith. Four Novels. Ed. Cynthia Griffin Wolff and R. W. B. Lewis. Library of America College Edition, 1996. 9781883011376
• Wharton, Edith. Summer. Oxford World Classics, 2015.

Articles and other required readings are available in Blackboard.

 

Blackboard: http://learn.wsu.edu (for readings only; announcements are on the Course Blog)

Course Blog:http://americanauthorsonlineeditions.wordpress.com