Choosing what to annotate
To help you imagine the kinds of things that a reader might need to have explained (or annotated), look at the following examples, two from novels, and one from a poem.
From Benjamin Disraeli's Venetia
"Some ten years before the revolt of our American colonies, there was situate in one of our midland counties, on the borders of an extensive forest, an ancient hall that belonged to the Herberts, but which, though ever well preserved, had not until that period been visited by any member of the family, since the exile of the Stuarts."
A number of items here could use further explanation:
"ten years before":
- What year is "ten years before the revolt of our American Colonies"?
- Why is it 10 years before rather than 5?
- What events of significance occurred ten years before?
- What novels were written?
- What discoveries made?
"midland counties":
- Where exactly is this estate?
- What counties are considered midland?
- Does being from the midlands have any particular value, like being from the southwest or the northeast in the U. S.?
"exile of the Stuarts":
- who are the Stuarts?
- Why were they exiled?
From Benjamin Disraeli's Henrietta Temple
"The family of Armine entered England with William the Norman. Ralph d'Ermyn was standard-bearer of the Conqueror, and shared prodigally in the plunder, as appears by Domesday Book."
Likewise, we find here items that could use further explanation:
"William the Norman":
- Who is this?
- Where is he from?
- Why is this significant?
"standard-bearer":
- What does this mean?
- When is it used?
"the Conquerer":
- Who is this?
- Why is he significant?
- How does this person relate to this passage?
"prodigally":
- what does this word mean in this context?
- How does it influence the meaning of the passage?
"Domesday book":
- What is this? What does the name mean? What was it used for? Why is it significant?
From Aphra Behn's"The Disappointment"
"Like Lightning through the Grove she hies,
Or Daphne from the Delphick God ;
No Print upon the Grassie Road
She leaves, t' instruct pursuing Eyes.
The Wind that wanton'd in her Hair ,
And with her ruffled Garments plaid,
Discover'd in the flying Maid
All that the Gods e're made of Fair .
So Venus , when her Love was Slain,
With fear and haste flew o're the fatal Plain."
Several items that need further explanation appear quickly:
- "hies"
- "Daphne"
- "Delphick" as well as "Delphick God"
- "wanton'd"
- "plaid"
- "Venus"
- Venus's "slain" Love."
First define all the words your reader might need to know: use an authoritative dictionary like the Oxford English Dictionary.
For the others, ask who is it? what is the story behind this allusion? why is it significant that Cloris is compared to this figure? what is the relationship of this story to Cloris's?
Remember as well to consider what your audience would like to know: keep in mind our discussion of Reader Orientations.
Reader Orientations
Peter Shillingsburg in Scholarly Editing in a Computer Age (1986) talks about how various editors "orient" their editions through the information they provide or omit.
For Shillingsburg, these are the "orientations" of scholarly editions:
- historical: places authority in the text itself and the various forms of that text, such as manuscripts, proofs, first editions, etc.
- aesthetic: places authority in "artistic forms--either the author's, the editor's, or those fashionable at some time" (Shillingsburg 22)
- authorial: places authority in those texts the author was most likely to value: manuscripts, corrected proofs, statements where an author says, "I approve this" rather than that
- sociological: places authority in the relationships between authors and their editors, publishers, in what has been called the "social-construction" of the text
So, here's how we've adapted these editorial orientations into reader orientations:
- historical: provides information about historical figures, events, places mentioned in the text; defines words that might be unfamiliar or that have changed their meanings;
- aesthetic: provides information about "artistic forms," how contemporary readers defined a particular genre or idea (like "the beautiful"), where the author uses (or adapts) those expectations, etc.
- authorial: provides information about when, where, why, how the author created the text; this can include biographical information
- sociological/cultural: provides information about the cultural context of the text, its readers, its publication, its allusions, etc.
In class we adapted Shillingsburg's orientations to readers, helping us consider what kinds of annotations different readers might want (or need).
Researching Annotations
Now that you can imagine the kinds of things one could usefully annotate, look at your section of the text.
What items here would your classmates need defined, explained, illuminated. Remember, the purpose of annotation is not to interpret the text for your reader, but to provide information that the reader can use to interpret.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Last revised 1.13.06
Questions: contact Dr. Ann R. Hawkins