emilyapplegate

[emilyapplegate]

The strikeout in this excerpt reads “It’s more than a week, I think, yes I know it is.” Strikeouts are inherently interesting in that the author both included it and disincluded it at the same time. This then lends to the question of why? Why did the author include this line, and then decide to cross it out? This a conflict that heavily impacts the reader, who now must first analyze the line itself, and then decide why they think the author decided not to include it. What does this say about Hannah? Here, Hannah is observing that this woman’s hair has not been washed in over a week, and she seems positively certain about it. By crossing it out, the reader may assume that it was because Hannah felt the observation is impolite, which lends to her characterization. Is she a ‘bad person’ for thinking it? Is she a ‘better person for crossing it out?’ Why didn’t she just erase it, and further, does Hannah include this line crossed out because she feels like the crossing out justifies the judgement in the thought? Just a simple line across letters can pose such integral questions about Hannah’s character as a whole.  

[emilyapplegate]

a). “Tell all the truth but tell it slant” is written in almost a slanted fashion, paralleling the invocation in the title. There appears to be a slight slant to the right of the page, most clearly indicated by the downward slant of the cross in the ‘T.’ This may be Emily Dickinson’s pattern of writing, but there is an interesting connection with a poem dealing with matters of “truth,” and a slant in the right direction. Immediately, my mind goes to the phrase “the right thing to do.”

b). It is also interesting that this poem is written in pencil, because this invokes a very important aspect of the theme of this poem; the truth. Emily Dickinson did not elect to write this poem in permanent ink, probably because truth is not a permanent entity; it can be erased, distorted, rewritten, or smudged.

c). By saying “tell it slant” Emily Dickinson is advising the reader to ease into the truth. I can visualize this by picturing an actual slant. Imagine a person is running as fast as they can. They begin to approach a steep downhill slant in the road. What must the runner do? They must inevitably slow down, bend their legs, and ease their way down the hill, so as not to accelerate too fast and fall down. This is what Emily Dickinson is advising the reader to do, ease their way into the truth, so not to “blind” their intended audience. When she says “success in circuit lies,” Dickinson is referring to taking an indirect- “circuited” approach to divulging the truth. This relates back to the way the poem is written; slanted with asymmetrical spacing and abrupt line stoppages. In order to read this poem, one’s eyes dance all over the page, taking a route that may resemble a circuit.

[emilyapplegate]

DH Tools (Part III)

While my tool is excellent at picking out key terms and identifying basic information, I found pitfalls early in the experimentation process. One major drawback of this tool is its inability to scan through actual content. When I was looking to scan through my documents for a selection of key words, I found that the tool was only able to scan through headings on a page. For example, when I went to Poetry.com to enter “The Sick Rose” into my database, the algorithm was only able to identify  words such as “podcast” and “newsletter” because they were at the heading of the website. Unfortunately, the tool was not able to access the poems themselves. In order to overcome this fault, the tool woukd have to garner access to the actual content of the page instead of the headings and titles. I’m not sure how this would work with plagiarism and copywriting laws, however if it were possible this tool would be infinitely useful. 

[emilyapplegate]

DH Tools (Part II)

My tool is extremely helpful at cross referencing terms that occur most frequently in either texts, or even URLS. Upon exploring this further, I decided to put both of Blake’s poems; “The Sick Rose” and “The Tyger” into the corpus generator. Above is the graphic this tool created, and I found something very interesting about the words this tool deemed the most frequently found in both the poems. In William’s assessment of “The Romantic,” he highlights several key words (kind of like my tool) they I imagine he feels relate greatly to this time in American Literature. These terms are as follows; “creative, fiction, folk, generation, myth, novel, original, sex, and subjective.” I then thought about the similarities between the terms selected by the generator and these key terms Williams himself selected. Terms selected by the generator such as forest, heart, dare, immortal, wings, night, sort of exemplify what I believe Williams is implying when he mentions concepts such as “folk” and “myth” at the heart of the romantic era. 

[emilyapplegate]

Tumblr Post 9/22

This tool simplifies creating a corpus (a collection of written texts) in three ways:

1. When a URL is pasted in the text box, click Reveal, and then text is retrieved from those URLS. In the case that the text in the box is not a URL, the text will be treated as one singular document.

2.  Next the tool allows you to click open to reveal a corpus.

3. Lastly, click the upload button to upload one or more files from your computer (you can select multiple). 

Upon playing with this tool I discovered that Voyant tools can take a URL to a website about basically anything on the internet, and give a generic definition and background about that thing. For example, I entered the URL for the Great Gatsby Wikipedia page, and this tool told me it was a book, the publication date, and the author. I find that this could be extremely helpful in gathering a basic understanding of a person/place/thing mentioned in a piece of writing that I don’t have a comprehensive understanding of. 

[emilyapplegate]

https://www.google.com/search?q=book+binding+in+1800&client=safari&hl=en-us&prmd=ismxvn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi6o7Hc-4_zAhXidN8KHccQB5YQ_AUoAXoECAIQAQ&biw=414&bih=715&dpr=2#imgrc=Z0dfAR4-0MD3uM

1. Undyed linens are bought in bulk, sorted, washed, and then put in a ‘heap’ for four to five days. Then, wooden mortars stamp out impurities and subsequently reduce the material to pulp.

2. Once the pulp has reached it’s potential, the book maker will transfer it to a vat, where it is diluted by more water. The maker will then use meticulous skill to fill a mould with the substance, flipping and shaking the mould with precision to eliminate drainage.

3. Next, the paper is taken to a standing press, where excess water is pressed out of it. The paper is now strong enough to handle, and hung up to dry.

4. To make the surface ‘impenetrable,’ the dried sheets of paper are dipped in animal gelatine made from vellum or leather.

5. The paper is pressed, and dried again, and then rubbed and hammered in order to smooth the material for writing purposes.

6. A font must be chosen, in order to select the correct type piece for printing.

7. Once the type piece is measured and selected, the maker will be able to gauge how long the book will be, and therefore is able to estimate and order the number of pages he will need.

8. Once the maker has the correct amount of paper, he will forme the print mechanisms on the page using wooden measuring pieces and an iron-frame that locks the pages into place. Once the text is printed, the maker arranges the pages in order based on ‘catchwords.’

9. A proof of the book is produced, not to asses grammatical errors but instead to ensure the book has been printed with “acceptable orthographic style.”

10. A ‘corrector’ sits down to analyze any mistakes made by either the compositor or the book maker that would alter the reader’s ability understand the book. Using an intricate sewing method (demonstrated in the image), the book is then bound and prepared for distribution.

[emilyapplegate]

Bruno Latour Reading

In his ambition to define the parameters of sociology, Bruno Latuor makes an important distinction between what he calls “the sociology of the social” and “the sociology of associations.” Latour then conveys that this distinction in the category of social ties is contingent upon the essence of the social tie itself. The sociology of the social seeks to study social ties that examine  commonalities whereas the sociology of associations examines connections that breed controversy. When Latour describes the ambitions of sociology as a field, he again invokes this idea of identifying, then resolving controversy as the first two key goals of sociology. To my understanding, Latour is communicating that first sociology must aim to identify what controversy causes societal connections, and then study how they are maintained. It seems that Latour insinuates that “the social” is only somewhat perceivable when the system itself is fluid, and this is achieved through this idea of controversy. 

[emilyapplegate]

Wundertopf

[emilyapplegate]

Wundertopf

[emilyapplegate]

Wundertopf 8/27