Read: What to do with literary manuscripts?

Posted by mdever on November 24, 2018 in archival research, archives, genetic criticism, humanities, literary heritage, manuscripts, materiality, Uncategorized

In a new article in the journal Comma, International Journal on Archives entitled, “What to do with literary manuscripts? A model for manuscript studies after 1700”, Wim Van Mierlo explores how to bring the resources of genetic criticism and archive studies to bear on one another: “Despite sharing an object of study, genetic criticism and archive studies occupy distinct spheres of activity. What to do with manuscripts thus remains a pertinent question.”

Van Mierlo reminds us: “Manuscripts are not just documents that provide windows to the past, nor are they simply witness to a composition process; as psychical, cultural and heritage objects, they are complex and multi-faceted in their attributes: material, form, value and use. Careful study of these attributes can thus significantly enrich our understanding of their production, utility, function, circulation and historical after life.”

Find the full article here