Journal Article

'The vast ocean of infinity & eternity' : creating the (in)finite archive of the Elizabeth Montagu’s Correspondence Online (EMCO)

Abstract

This article explores the complexities of creating an archive – in our case, a digital archive of eighteenth-century manuscript letters, The Elizabeth Montagu Correspondence Online (EMCO). Elizabeth Montagu was one of the most prominent and well-connected women in eighteenth-century polite society. EMCO faces a variety of challenges. Firstly, the project aims to trace all extant letters in different libraries and public/private collections; secondly, it seeks to amalgamate the extant correspondence into one digital repository and a comprehensive inventory; thirdly, it mobilises a team of scholars to transcribe, annotate and develop a critical apparatus; fourthly, EMCO seeks to develop digital tools that foster novel methods of scholarly research and debate. Taking recent scholarship on board, this article concludes by reflecting on the complexities of marrying a data-rich digital edition with literary methodologies that allow both close reading and analysis of the scope and materiality of the archive and its objects.

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Authors

Pohl, Nicole

Oxford Brookes departments

School of Education, Humanities and Languages

Dates

Year of publication: 2023
Date of RADAR deposit: 2023-11-02

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License

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