In response to a question from one of the students in
the class about topics 3 and 4, I have written the following additional
hints.
If you choose one of the web site questions, you should
pick a particular issue discussed in one or more of the electronic links
and discuss evidence from the book in relation to the way the web site
treats that issue. At the same time, I you should reflect upon the
advantages and disadvantages of the secondary information made available
through Churchill or Landow's pages. Thus, your discussion of a specific
issue in the novel--say gender roles--would be the angle from which you
comment upon the web site. Some of the features of the web site that
you might consider include:
-
length of treatment of a particular topic (versus, say, an
article, a scholarly book, an entry in an encyclopedia, etc.)
-
pertinence to the novel (i.e., does the information on the
web site illuminate specific features of the novel or would you rather
have the page linked to a particular passage or set of passages, in the
manner of annotations?)
-
reliability (what enables you to judge the accuracy of the
page--some are written by undergraduates, some by more seasoned scholars--does
this matter?)
-
are the entries too predigested?
-
what about ease of access and organization of the database?
-
does the site enhance your appreciation and understanding
of the novel?
There may be other questions that occur to you about the
value or limits of web-based scholarly resources. Please feel free
to explore them.