A World of Fiction
Digital Collections and the Future of Literary History
Katherine Bode
Publisher: University of Michigan Press
Imprint: University of Michigan Press
Published: 01/2018
Pages: 260
Subject: Literary Criticism - Australian & Oceanian, Computers - Digital Media/General, History - Study & Teaching
Print ISBN: 9780472130856
eBook ISBN: 9780472900831
DESCRIPTION
During the 19th century, throughout the Anglophone world, most
fiction was first published in periodicals. In Australia,
newspapers were not only the main source of periodical fiction, but
the main source of fiction in general. Because of their importance
as fiction publishers, and because they provided Australian readers
with access to stories from around the world -- from Britain,
America and Australia, as well as Austria, Canada, France, Germany,
New Zealand, Russia, South Africa, and beyond -- Australian
newspapers represent an important record of the transnational
circulation and reception of fiction in this period. Investigating
almost 10,000 works of fiction in the world's largest open-access
collection of mass-digitized historical newspapers (the National
Library of Australia's Trove database), A World of Fiction
reconceptualizes how fiction traveled globally, and was received
and understood locally, in the 19th century. Katherine Bode's
innovative approach to the new digital collections that are
transforming research in the humanities is a model of how digital
tools can transform how we understand digital collections and
interpret literatures in the past.
REVIEWS
“Bode has been influential in Australian literary studies since she began publishing about a decade ago, and there is no doubt this book will be a field-defining intervention. It is a model of scholarly work, especially in its redefining of the literary system. Literary history and digital literary humanities are lucky to have such an intellectually accomplished and confident worker in the field.”
—Philip Mead, University of Western Australia
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