This week after 16 months of planning and developing, the interactive website Transforming Middlemarch went live! A Genetic Edition that takes users on a journey from George Eliot’s ground-breaking novel through to the television adaptation produced by the BBC in 1994.
George Eliot. From the George Eliot Archive Middlemarch book cover. From Google Images.
2022 marked the 150th anniversary of the publication of George Eliot’s novel Middlemarch (1871-72) and in January the same year, Professor Justin Smith, Director of De Montfort University's (DMU) Cinematic and Television History Research Institute (CATHI) began leading an interdisciplinary team, including advisors to the project, Archivist Dr Natalie Hayton and Special Collections Manager Katharine Short, from Special Collections to create the Edition.
Screenwriter, Andrew Davies. BBC Middlemarch DVD box cover. From Google images.
The papers of Andrew Davies, screenwriter, provided the foundation of the project. A playwright, author, screenwriter and producer, Davies is most well-known for his classic novel adaptations, such as Pride and Prejudice (1995) and War and Peace (2016). The award-winning celebrated auteur donated his papers to DMU Special Collections in 2015 and a detailed catalogue of his papers is available to view here: https://specialcollections.catalogue.dmu.ac.uk/records/D/061
Users of the Genetic Edition are able to chart the adaptation process, viewing and comparing raw text versions of Davies' scripts and Eliot's novel on the screen side by side.
Image of the Genetic Edition, comprising (from left to right) Eliot's novel, the Shooting Script, the Post Production Script and a Notes panel with commentaries along the bottom.
Alongside the scripts and the novel, the Edition contains editorial notes and commentaries created by members of the Team with expertise in Adaptation Studies (Dr Anna Blackwell and Dr Lucy Hobbs) highlighting many types of adaptive processes and techniques. An amazing tool for students, scholars and enthusiasts, the Edition is Open Access -- free to use for everyone.
The resource is also illustrated with archival materials to offer a full production history, including images of Davies annotated scripts which provide much insight into the screenwriting and adaptation process.
Shooting Script Cover Page for Episode 2. Shooting Script Episode 3 Page 3/48. Shooting Script Episode 4 Page 4/16.
With the help of the Stamford community, the Lincolnshire town where Middlemarch was filmed, more unpublished archival material was discovered, including original BBC production designs, props, artwork and photographs. And it was with this element where Special Collections played a crucial role, sharing archival best practice with the Team regarding, acquisitions, agreements, digital preservation and metadata creation.
Designs for the hustings podium by Gerry Scott, Production Designer for Middlemarch c 1993. From the private collection of Lea Rickard.
Sign artwork for The White Hart Hotel by Gerry Scott, Production Designer for Middlemarch c 1993. From the private collection of Lea Rickard.
Illustrated script cover page for Middlemarch, 1993. From the private collection of Susie Conklin, Script Editor for Middlemarch.
On location photograph of the hustings scene. From the private collection of John Smith, former curator of Stamford Museum (1977-97).
Photograph of the construction of Mawmsey's shop. From the private collection of John Smith, former curator of Stamford Museum (1977-97).
As well as materials from private collections, the Edition incorporates a range of media: original manuscript pages from project partner, the British Library; programme clips; readings from the novel by performer Leslie Smith and location photographs taken by the Team.
Location photograph of St Andrews Church, Brympton d'Evercy which featured in Middlemarch.
As items were selected to feature in the Genetic Edition as assets, it was our job to provide a metadata schema which would provide information for each item such as Title, Date, Source, and Creator. By March 2023, the Team had selected and created a staggering 500+ assets. With the help of DMU Graduate Champion, Katie Joyce and Frontrunner, Natalia Wadowska, all of the metadata for the assets was created and would appear as searchable captions attached to each image. A 'before and after' shot features below:
Raw metadata for Shooting Script Episode 2 cast list page. A completed asset with searchable captions. See caption for details.
After 12 months on the project, in December 2022, a prototype of the resource was shared at a British Library Study Day where feedback from a range of audiences (academics, archivists, educational publishers, literary interest groups) was invited to help further develop the edition before its spring launch. Throughout, a focus on user experience and accessibility was of primary importance. With the help of DMU Digital Partner, Jina Ali, the Digital Humanities specialists building the resource (Professor Gabriel Egan and later Dr Paul Brown) were able to improve accessibility features such as keyboard navigation, Alt Text placement and some design elements.
Images from the British Library Study Day held in December, 2022.
With last minute critical developments being made in March 2023 (conversion to HTML5, a new approach for ALT Text), four members of the Team, Anna, Justin, Lucy and Natalie prepared for the British Association of Film, Television and Screen Studies (BAFTSS) annual conference to share the Edition.
Natalie delivers her paper at the BAFTSS conference via Teams in April, 2023.
Serendipitously, on the 4th April 2023, the panel delivered their papers and the website launched. With much excitement from the audience about the potential to use the Edition in a number of contexts for teaching, research and heritage, they were also very keen to go away and explore for themselves, investigate functions and offer feedback! We hope you will do the same...
Link to the Genetic Edition: https://middlemarch.dmu.ac.uk/index.html
Image of the landing page of the website.
It has been a privilege to have been involved in this project from its inception, and we look forward to the transfer of the full Project papers to Special Collections which will offer a full production history of the Genetic Edition. A catalogue has already been partially created and can be accessed here: https://specialcollections.catalogue.dmu.ac.uk/records/D/104
We would like to congratulate all members of the Team on a job well done, especially Lucy who has worked on all elements of the project from coding to commentaries and beyond. Bravo!
This blog offers only a brief overview and does not name everyone involved in the project. For more information on the project please see the relevant pages on the Transforming Middlemarch website and the following press releases:
Press Releases
About DMU News: 'Website guide to adapting Middlemarch from page to screen goes live'
For a complete list of the Project Team as shown on the website of the Genetic Edition please see below:
The Team
The interdisciplinary team behind the genetic edition brings together expertise in DMU's Centre for Adaptations, its Centre for Textual Studies, its Cinema and Television History Institute and its Special Collections department.
PI, Professor Justin Smith
Professor of Cinema and Television History (DMU) and expert in using archival and interview sources to research film and television production histories.
Co-I, Professor Gabriel Egan
Professor in Shakespeare Studies (DMU) and TEI digital humanities expert.
Co-I, Dr. Anna Blackwell
Assistant Professor in Drama (University of Nottingham), partner in the original Andrew Davies digitisation project and adaptations specialist.
Research Fellow Dr. Lucy Hobbs
(DMU), responsible for the analysis and coding of the core texts, researching and producing multi-media assets and assembling the genetic edition.
Advisor Dr. Natalie Hayton
Archivist, DMU's Special Collections, partner in the original Andrew Davies digitisation project and advisor in metadata production and archival best practice.
Project Consultant Dr. Beverley Rilett
Associate Research Professor (Auburn University, Alabama), Digital Humanities specialist, Vice President of the George Eliot Fellowship and Director of the George Eliot Archive, Scholars and Review Online. She is advising us on all things Eliot and digital humanities.
The project team was supported by a steering group of advisory experts:
Kamilla Elliott Professor of Literature and Media at Lancaster University (an Adaptations and Victorian literature specialist)
Professor Deborah Cartmell Director of the Centre for Adaptations and Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research) at DMU
Professor Ray Siemens University of Victoria, Canada and Honorary Fellow at DMU (and expert in Digital Humanities)
John Wyver Professor of the Arts on Screen at University of Westminster (Writer and Media Producer)
Ruth Livesey Professor of 19th Century Literature and Ideas, Royal Holloway (George Eliot expert and PI on AHRC project 'Finding Middlemarch in Coventry 2021')
Dr. Alexander Lock FRHistS, Curator of Modern Archives & Manuscripts, British Library.
John Burton Chair of the George Eliot Fellowship.
Katharine Short (Manager, Special Collections, DMU)
Nicola Boyle (OCR correction and proofing)
Natalia Wadowska (Web design, asset and metadata production)
Lesley Smith (Voice actor)
Tim Hall (Sound engineering and editing)
Anne Marie Galt (Administrative support)
Katie Joyce (DMU Graduate Champion, metadata production)
Jina Ali (Accessibility Advisor)
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