Theoretical Issues
We encountered several theoretical questions while deciding how to mark up our text, specifically concerning page numbers, missing sections of text, and quotations. By thinking through each question carefully, we tried to create a website with maximum value to our users.
The first question arose in the first stage of brainstorming -- should we include page numbers, and if so, whose? Our group agreed that page numbers and separately displayed pages would help users read the text as they would a regular book, but we questioned whether page numbers were a part of the "true" text that needed to be represented accurately. We came to the conclusion that, since our site is a research tool, the text needed to include reliable page numbers from a printed edition of the book. This way users can include quotes and references that are easily traced to the printed text. We decided to use the version available in the library, printed in 1968 by Latimer Trend & Co, Ltd.
Once we began inserting page breaks and page numbers into the xml file, we discovered something very odd: the xml version of the book included sections of text that did not exist in the hard copy. These sections ranged from a few paragraphs to a few pages of missing text, so we had to decide how to treat these mysterious sections. Because we had previously decided to stay faithful to the 1968 edition of the book, we hid these sections from display, but made them available via a link for interested readers. These sections were likely cut from the original text as it was edited and republished in later versions.
The last decision we had to make was creating an additional tool that would be helpful to users. After looking through the book, we realized that its plot is driven by relationships between s and changes in the characters themselves. We thought it would be helpful to focus on dialogue, since it appears regularly in the text and reveals how characters relate to one another. The next question became whether or not to include the speaker tags and sentences following quotes, in order to give the quotes context. We decided this context would be helpful to our users, so we included it in the tags, with a separate option for viewing only the words within the quotation marks. This way users can see the speeches with or without additional context.
Because characterization and relationships are so important in The Heart of Rachael, we envision visitors to our sight searching for a character's speeches and word concordances in order to trace the character's personality, desires, and relationships throughout the book. Most interesting is Rachael's relationship with Warren Gregory, which has many shifts that can be traced through the way the characters speak to each other in different sections of the book. The basic word search and concordance can also be used to indicate themes and motifs throughout the novel.