The data table link provides suggestions of texts in the Rare Book Room that can be used for editing and transcription exercises, with call numbers and some notes for the pedagogical uses of these works. The catalogue link provides a summary of the data table, and the gallery link provides all the images of the suggested texts on a single page. Other texts are available; please consult with the librarian.
Once you have determined which text/s you would like to use for your class, you can either copy and paste the exercise template below, or you can download the exercise template here:
Click Here For the Print Version
As you transcribe and edit the text, consider the following:
- Be sure to copy the passage accurately. (This is not as easy as it sounds).
- Certain letter substitutions are common in older texts. Watch for the letter “i” where we would use a “j”, “v” for “u,” a long “s” for an “f,” and so on. Such usage is not always consistent, and in some cases, you many need to rely on context to determine whether a letter is substituted or not. Decide whether or not you want to modernize the spelling.
- Punctuation is highly variable in older texts. Watch for the use of colons (where we might use periods), semi-colons (where we might use commas), and so on. Decide whether or not you want to modernize the punctuation.
- Capitalization is also highly variable in older texts. In some older works, every noun is capitalized. Look for patterns in the capitalization to determine whether it is being used for emphasis, or not. Decide whether or not you want to retain the capitalization of the original text.
- Some texts use italics for emphasis, particularly for significant nouns. Check for patterns in italicization, and decide whether or not you want to retain the original italicization.
- Some texts use italics for emphasis, particularly for significant nouns. Check for patterns in italicization, and decide whether or not you want to retain the original italicization.
- Assess the vocabulary of the passage. Are there any words that are unfamiliar to you? Or words that are being used in an unusual sense? If so, check the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), which provides definitions of words from specific periods. (The OED is available through the library database system). Provide notes on vocabulary that you feel will be useful for a modern reader.
- Evaluate the content of the passage. Provide notes on the author, the text, and/or the ideas in the passage that you think will be useful for a modern reader.
Based on your transcription of the text and your notes on the text, you should be able to write a brief (one to two page) essay in which you develop some ideas about transcription and the editing process.
Please keep the following in mind:
- State your thesis at the beginning of your essay. Your thesis may focus on the editing process (and your choices), on the needs of modern readers, or on the conventions of older texts. Remember that a thesis is a position statement and that you need to stake a position about this passage in your essay.
- The more specific evidence you use in your essay to prove your point, the better.
- Your essay should not be a list of responses to the questions 1 through 8 above. The questions are intended to give you some strategies to begin your analysis; they do not provide the structure (or the thesis) for your essay, nor are they intended to limit your analysis.
- Each paragraph of your essay should support your thesis statement. Please make sure that there are transitions between paragraphs so that each paragraph leads to the next, and make sure that each paragraph builds upon its predecessor.
- Every book, and every passage, reflects a cultural moment. It is your job to make sense of it.
- This assignment does not require external research—it requires careful viewing, thinking, and writing.
- Be sure to attach your transcription (including the notes for the transcription) to your essay.