Connections A Hypertext Resource for Literature

Transhistorical Project

Because this project comes at the end of the semester, it is the only major assignment whose Standard Version and Extra Version are due at the same time. You simply choose which version you want to submit.

Standard Version (Essay or Creative Alternative)

Throughout this semester, we have encountered ways of thinking about analogies between different technologies across time, such as Molly McCarthy's striking proposition that the almanac was "the iPhone of early America." For this assignment, you will create a scholarly or creative project based on a similar connection between past and present technologies.

When you choose the transhistorical connection you want to analyze, think of the characteristics that make for a good thesis of any kind: an unexpected insight that adds something new to most people's understanding of the technologies involved. (McCarthy's point about the almanac, for instance, helps us understand both the almanac and the iPhone in ways that most people would not think about on their own.)

If you choose to write an essay for this project, it will include the components listed below. You may also choose to do a creative project, such as creating your own artist's book with a shorter explanatory essay. I heartily encourage such creative projects, and I will happily work with you to establish parameters for a creative project that make sense for your idea.

An essay for the standard version of this project take the form of a standard academic essay of 1500-2000 words, with sources cited in Chicago NB style (PDF). They essay will include the following components:

  • A clear statement of the transhistorical, conceptual connection you identify between one technology of the history of the book and one technology of the present day
  • A detailed explanation of how your central concept manifests itself in the past and present technologies
  • A closing statement that points to how you imagine future technologies might build on the connection you analyze in your essay
  • Citations of at least four sources, two of which can be primary (citing books that illustrate the technologies you analyze, for instance), and at least two of which must be secondary or theoretical

Extra Version

The extra version of this assignment is the same as the standard version but longer (2500-3000 words) and drawing on more sources (at least seven sources, two of which can be primary and at least five of which must be secondary or theoretical). As with the standard version, I welcome conversations about creative projects that will qualify as the extra version of the assignment. All sources should be cited in Chicago NB style (PDF).

If your final project involves a creative process making an object, the Extra Version essay accompanying the project should be 1200-1500 words, citing at least four sources, in addition to the object you create. All sources should be cited in Chicago NB style (PDF).