Finalizing the Multiple-Text Electronic King Lear for Use in the Classroom

Summary
As the teaching of Renaissance texts becomes more and
more technologically enabled, it is even more significant
that these technological enhancements are developed
appropriately. Working with both lecturers and students, the
Active Reading project has developed a number of different
interfaces and tools for analyzing variants in multiple-text
editions. The quarto and folio texts of King Lear are imposing
in length alone, and for students to aptly demonstrate their
understanding of the texts, it is important to create an
appropriate learning environment. The most interesting element
of the work appears to be how these interfaces or tools are being
used actively in the classroom. By studying students'
interactions with the online texts and recording their feedback,
I have been able to form my own conclusions about the most
useful ways of presenting a multiple-text electronic edition and
adequately incorporating its textual variants. This paper will
present the findings of these studies.
Introduction
The Active Reading project is involved in developing an
electronic scholarly edition of a Renaissance text
illustrating the textual variants between published editions of
that work. Two quartos and the folio text of King Lear have
been selected for development in this way, allowing the editorial
processes to be unravelled, and the Active Reading process to
be encouraged through interactive involvement. In examining
several paper-based editions of a work for textual variants,
readers may become disoriented between the editions, and find
comparisons difficult to make. In developing an electronic
edition that combines all the versions of a text, it is possible to
form an interactive resource for comparison of variants, and
indeed for composing new editions of a text and taking on the
role of editor. Initially, a prototype combining all the editions of a short
twenty-one-line poem was developed. This was encoded in
XML, and XSL and JavaScript were employed in producing
the interaction methods. Pilot studies were undertaken, looking
at the ways in which readers interact with the electronic edition
and how they compare variants. The results of the studies
enabled the development of a considerably longer text, that of
King Lear. Initially texts were encoded with a scheme
developed specifically for the project, but TEI (Text Encoding
Initiative) standards have since been adopted to allow for more
simplified sharing and greater dissemination of the material.
Empirical studies into the use of the tool and its effect on the
process of Active Reading have enabled refinements in
development. These studies examine the ways in which readers
actively compare variants of a text - through recording
interactive involvement, and by observing the editorial decisions
they make. Two sets of user groups were established so that
the edition could be observed in use. The first set of users were
several groups of undergraduate students on the BA English
Studies degree, taking the course "Introduction to Poetry".
These students were looking at the edition within the confines
of what would be their usual seminar session on electronic
resources in the computing labs. The second set of users were
postgraduate students either from the MA English Studies
(Renaissance Literature) degree, or research students completing
their work on Renaissance themes. This second group of
students were observed using the edition in the same computer
labs, but not within any formal seminar session. The results
from these studies provide useful feedback directly from the
student target users, who will be using the edition again within
their future coursework. Overall the project is largely
experimental, exploring the ways in which the material could
most effectively be displayed, and looking at the ways in which
readers interact with the texts and the variants.
Conclusions
This edition and the related research presents novel ways
of comparing textual variants in editions of a
Shakespearean text, and offers support for actively reading and
understanding these texts. The edition has been used in teaching
and as a learning tool, but is also intended to act as a template
for the creation of future electronic editions. In designing and
developing a new edition it has been helpful to be able to
employ methods from the sphere of HCI (Human-Computer
Interaction), and to understand the pedagogical requirements
of the application, enhancing the experience for the reader.
In developing an electronic edition of this kind it is possible
for the reader to compose new editions of a text, effectively
taking on the role of editor. This paper aims to demonstrate the
issues associated with developing the King Lear scholarly
edition. The findings presented will illustrate the advantage of
using interactive technologies and text encoding tools to: a)
provide a facility to examine textual variants independent of
the text; b) allow active involvement in students' understanding
of the text, and; c) offer greater insight into students'
requirements when set the task of editing a multiple-edition
text.