Book Logic Symposium 2012

Roger Osborne represented the AustESE Project at the annual Book Logic symposium, hosted by the University of Western Australia on 29 June 2012.

The Book Logic series of symposia was established in 2010 to bring together postgraduate students, postdoctoral fellows, independent researchers and academics whose work involves aspects of textual studies: the scholarly editing of literary works and historical documents, the study of versions of works, editorial theory, physical bibliography, codicology and history of the book. The program provides a forum to discuss the state of textual studies in Australia and New Zealand, and the development and funding of electronic editions.

The theme for this year’s symposium was “Text Editing and Digital Culture”. This attracted a healthy variety of papers that ranged from the Renaissance to the twentieth century. Alexander Huang (George Washington University and MIT) opened the symposium with his discussion of the transmission and translation of Shakespeare’s texts across culture, and his introduction to the video and performance archive, Global Shakespeares http://globalshakespeares.mit.edu/. After morning tea, Ros Smith (University of Newcastle) revealed the cultural and practical problems associated with the editing of Early Women’s Writing, and Mark Houlahan (University of Waikato) discussed the challenges of editing the plays performed by the Queen’s Men http://qme.internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/.

After lunch and further discussion at the UWA Staff Club, Roger Osborne (University of Queensland) discussed his plans for an electronic edition of Joseph Furphy’s Such is Life and the development of the AustESE workbench. Paul Eggert (University of New South Wales) concluded this session with a reflection on his recent work on Henry Lawson and Charles Harpur, and stressed the need for more thought on a ‘reader-centric’ understanding of the editorial role.

Discussion from this session continued through afternoon tea, priming the audience for the final papers of the day. Will Christie (University of Sydney) discussed the broad notion of literature captured in the pages of the Edinburgh Review during the Romantic period, and demonstrated a relational database of the Edinburgh Review and its contributors. Teresa Swirski (Charles Sturt University) explored the applications of complexity theory and creativity within digital textuality, offering a framework for the analysis of improvisation and innovation. Willard McCarty (Kings College, London and the University of Western Sydney) closed the day with a thought provoking discussion that considered what it is we think we are doing when pointing at the intersections of natural and artificial intelligence.

Organisers Tim Dolin and Brett Hirsch gave thanks in speech and verse, inviting the participants and audience to continue discussion over drinks and dinner, an invitation that most were only too glad to accept.

The fourth Book Logic symposium consolidated existing partnerships and initiated new collaborations that promise to make a significant contribution to textual studies in Australia and New Zealand. Book Logic moves to Brisbane in 2013. Further details will be posted on this blog and elsewhere when they come to hand.