From: LouisFors <LouisFors@aol.com>
Message-Id: <8a12a56e.35140319@aol.com>
Date: Sat, 21 Mar 1998 13:12:39 EST
To: emweb@fmgmt.mgmt.utoronto.ca
Mime-Version: 1.0
Subject: Digital Dickinson
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Sender: owner-emweb@fmgmt.mgmt.utoronto.ca
Precedence: bulk
Reply-To: emweb@fmgmt.mgmt.utoronto.ca
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII

emwebbers:

I am increasingly impressed by the emerging network of resources devoted to ED
on the Internet.  I have no way of comparing these resources with those
available for other writers, but I find the ED material a tremendous base for
learning.  (I am increasily sure that I should substitute the word "learning"
for "teaching" when contemplating the merits of the Internet.)  I sit in my
little study in Santa Fe, surrounded by books, and now have available to me
the vast resources being created by the Internet. 

But I'm thinking not only about all the information available on the Net, but,
more specifically, about the Dickinson material "out there."  From three
months of becoming acquainted with ED through this forum, I'm aware of
Hallen's lexicon project at BYU, of the Dickinson Electronic Archives, of the
Journal archives (which I haven't been able to access for a week of so), of
this list (with its beautiful search possibilities of prior postings), of the
Texas list, and on and on.

I've just read Martha Nell Smith's "The Importance of a Hypermedia Archive of
Dickinson's Creative Work," which, among many things, stresses the value of
presenting photographic copies of Dickinson's work in electronic fashion to
avoid the bias of the book, and to supply scholars (and students--like me)
with materials for study. Doubtless new biases will develop from the medium of
presentation we are using here, but that remains for future generations to
discover.  Meanwhile, I find it fitting that our ED, who published in her
special way, is now being published in a way she could not have imagined, and
Higginson has been augmented by a zillion critics, and that many of us willing
students stand ready, in a certain sense, to serve the role of Sue,
appreciating ED.

There must be wonderful stories behind this digitalization of Dickinson,
probably filled with internal struggles as well as with pride for placing ED
front and center in a changing world w;hich would fascinate ED's scientific
and techonology side.  Wonder how she would write about this phenomenon?  I'm
tempted to try an ED on this, but that would certainly embarrass me.

Just a Saturday morning thought,

Louis Forsdale