Assignment #3: Book Traces

October 1, 2015October 2, 2015 ~ arangoj1

I want to start off by saying that Sojourner truth library is extremely intimidating. This was my first time searching for books at a college library. It was very tedious searching for a 19th century book that also had 19th century marginalia. After over an hour of picking the books that looked most worn out (this was my strategy) I finally hit the jackpot when I picked up “Phillip Massinger” edited with an introduction and notes by Arthur Symons. The title alone was very confusing because Phillip Massinger is the main author and it contains “the best plays of the old dramatists.”

http://www.booktraces.org/book-submission-philip-massinger

However, after reading through the book it was made clear that Phillip Massinger was the author of numerous plays that constituted the book and Arthur Symons provided readers with a bibliography of Phillip Massinger and spoke about his plays.

“Phillip Massinger” was published in London in 1887 and its publisher is London Vizetelly.

As soon as you open the book,on the inner hardcover there is a name that reads: Hailey S. Carles Jr. and is barely visible but after 5 minutes of analyzing each letter with a flashlight I was able to make out the name.

After searching all over the internet I was not able to trace this name to any person. This was probably because it was just an average person in London, who owned this book and wrote their name to show possession.

The book itself is very old and smells like it as soon as you open it. By this I mean it literally smells “dusty” and made me sneeze as I flipped through the pages.

The other marginalia that I found (on the first 2 pages after opening the book) was for the most part illegible and I was unable to understand its purpose.

There is however, the number 600 clearly written which could indicate what is equivalent to 900 dollars ( a lot of money back then).

What I found most interesting were the way some pages were set up (shut together) making the pages in the middle of that binding hard to read.

From pages 9 to 96 there are 11 “sections” where the binding is like this, making it hard to read what is in between them.

This seems to have been done purposefully but I am not sure for what reason or if this is a characteristic of 19th century books but it was very interesting and different.

Overall I enjoyed learning about marginalia and having the chance to actually find a 19th century book with personal hand writing from the 19th century. Book traces and preserving this marginalia is important to understanding how people used books in the 19th century.

Prostitution in 19th Century Victorian London

August 31, 2015August 31, 2015 ~ delancem1

Atypical “Attitudes Towards Prostitution”

A practice many would think is far beyond moral taboo for 19th Century London women actually received varying views. One anomalous opinion was written in The London Times in 1858 which expressed that call girls of the day were merely “practising their trade, either as the entire or partial means of their subsistence.” This writer views prostitution as any other occupation, which is fascinating for a time when women weren’t technically even ‘supposed’ to have jobs. The notion that women who practice prostitution are morally wicked is another common view not held by this author. He writes, “they have their virtues, like others; they are good daughters, good sisters, and friends.” In short, the author sees prostitution as a job like any other, one in which a woman can find not only means for subsistence but she can find success.

“Causes of Prostitution”

Another article published in The London Times is written from a different and woman’s perspective. This one was written by a woman who feels unsettled with the limitations on which women can know or offer suggestion about a troubling occurrence in a society. That a woman should not only stray from the practice but not even acknowledge such a topic, for she should not know of such things, that she should ignore and not ask questions: “We have been told heretofore by men whom we respect that it becomes a woman to be absolutely silent on such revolting topics – to ignore, or rather to affect to ignore, such a ‘state of things’ as you allude.” In this passage, prostitutes are referred to (by the woman) “outcasts of our own sex.” All other women are referred to as “virtuous women”, and the writer refers to herself as the latter. The writer sees this topic as one that affects all members of the gender and seems to be deeply concerned. Her view is probably leaning towards the typical view of the time, because she thinks of them as “wretches whose sole and profitable occupation is to hunt down and ensnare victims…” Men are referred to as ‘victims’ of prostitution. So the woman conforms to the gender norms in society that everything morally incorrect is at the fault of women more than at the fault of men, though both deserve equal blame (Adam and Eve and the Forbidden Fruit being the prime example. She even mentions the Bible and Christianity a couple times in her ramble.)

Summary

We have two opinions, one ironically written by a man with outlandish views and one by a woman who conforms to what was seen as acceptable in her society. The articles in this section all prove the idea discussed in class that the issues and topics of Victorian times are virtually no different than those of modern times.

– Miranda Delancey, Online Assignment #1

Victorian Dictionary: Teacher Training

August 29, 2015 ~ Danielle Koppie ~ 2 Comments

As was the case nearly everywhere at the time, women in Victorian London were treated as horribly inferior to men. This left them with few employment opportunities and a tendency to remain home, cooking and cleaning for their families. One option available to women was to become an elementary school teacher. Similar to modern times, teachers had to go through extensive training before actually getting in front of a class.

While browsing under the Education category on Lee Jackson’s “Dictionary of Victorian London,” I was able to find some interesting information about teacher training in the Victorian Era. All of the information I found was from the “Etiquette and Household Advice Manuals,” published in the 1880s. According to the unknown author, training could begin at as young as thirteen years old, with an apprenticeship. This was also one of the only jobs for which women were required an education. The author makes a few interesting (and still relevant) points about the field. He says, “A good student is not necessarily a good teacher, and but few people grasp the difference between training and teaching.” He continues to say that Government schools are the only places a girl could go to receive quality training, and that one must have had at least two years of training in order to become a teacher. The main idea of the entire section is clearly that teachers required a great deal of training before entering the classroom. The author even states that it was common for girls in particular to have health breakdowns and to be overworked, which is why he recommends girls do not join the workforce until they have a “stronger physical frame,” around age fifteen or sixteen. Another writer, however, shares a different opinion. This writer, mentioned by the main author, believes that children who were born into the upper or middle class would become great learners even before they could talk, which would allow them to in turn become great educators. Those were the children who would apparently need less time to become quality teachers. According to the writer, they could have started their apprenticeships at age thirteen, and could have been ready to teach within two or three years. While the young age is not surprising for the time period, it is still strange to think about a fifteen year old being ready to teach a class of children just a few years younger.

Covent Garden Markets. Shack Burger not included.

April 9, 2015 ~ Annie Swafford

In the Holme’s short story, “The Blue Carbuncle,” the Covent Garden Market in London is visited in the story. Here, Holmes talks to a goose salesman named Breckenridge who sold the goose that had the carbuncle in its crop.

The Covent Garden Market is farmer’s market and shopping center located in the center of the Covent Garden District of London which is a very popular shopping and tourist destination.

Here is what the Market looked like in 1896.

In the story, the area Watson and Holmes have traveled to the market, has been described as a slum. According to the Booth Poverty map, most of the area around the market is middle class, especially right near the market, though there are some light and even darker blues the further you get away from the market. These people may have ran into the markets and stole food if they could not afford to feed their families adequately.

One very interesting fact that I have learned from British-History.co.uk is that there has been a period where many people wanted the market to change its location mainly due to congestion from a boom in production of produce. In the 1960s, an increase in traffic to the area has caused major problems around the area. So the “original” market is not here anymore. It has actually has moved to a different location in Southwest London (in Nine Elms). The location (called the New Covent Garden Market) is much more convenient for modern London, as there is a large parking garage that is able to accommodate many vehicles as well as a delivery trucks unloading to the store.

Today, the original site is now a large shopping center complete with pubs, cafes and small stores. This makes Covent Garden more akin to Times Square as many people come here. Covent Garden does have one major advantage though, it is indoors! So rain won’t stop you.

I thought it was interesting to learn that a small plot point in The Blue Carbuncle can be full of rich history. This is just another part of London’s charm that is why many people want to visit this city.

Capture — They even have Shake Shack here!

Cruisin’ Regent Street

April 9, 2015 ~ Annie Swafford ~ 1 Comment

Screen Shot 2015-04-09 at 2.14.49 PM — Regent Street today, specifically the curved part heading towards Piccadilly Circus

I was tasked with looking into Regent Street in London, which is mentioned in A Scandal in Bohemia. Here is the passage from the story that mentions Regent Street, and it entails Holmes describing Irene Adlers’ future husband:

“He was in the house about half an hour, and I could catch glimpses of him in the windows of the sitting-room, pacing up and down, talking excitedly, and waving his arms. Of her I could see nothing. Presently he emerged, looking even more flurried than before. As he stepped up to the cab, he pulled a gold watch from his pocket and looked at it earnestly, ‘Drive like the devil,’ he shouted, ‘first to Gross & Hankey’s in Regent Street, and then to the Church of St. Monica in the Edgeware Road. Half a guinea if you do it in twenty minutes!’

According to the Conan Doyle Encyclopedia, Gross & Hankey’s was probably a jewelry shop, although it was fictitious. Mr. Norton hurried there before going to the church to secure the wedding bands. After researching the Regent Street area, I focused on the section of the street that curves, heading into Piccadilly Circus. Today, this is a very upscale shopping district, and there is an Underground station at Piccadilly Circus. (Note: In this context, a circus, from the Latin word meaning “circle”, is a round open space at a street junction)

Screen Shot 2015-04-08 at 4.03.15 PM — Victorian Google Map of the Regent Street and Piccadilly Circus area

Screen Shot 2015-04-08 at 4.04.20 PM — Current Google Map of Regent Street leading into Piccadilly Circus. Note several upscale shops on Regent in this area today.

Screen Shot 2015-04-09 at 1.07.30 PM — Using http://www.locatinglondon.org, a 1746 map shows Piccadilly, but Regent Street doesn’t exist yet. “The Hay Market” on the right corresponds to the lower part of the future Regent Street.

Although the jewelry shop was fictional, Booths’ map shows red and yellow which indicate the upper end of income. It can be established that the Regent Street/Piccadilly Circus area has been wealthy for over a century, at least.

Screen Shot 2015-04-08 at 4.10.28 PM — Charles Booth Map of Regent by Piccadilly Circus

Finally, British History Online provides an even deeper glimpse into the history of Regent Street. This website reinforced the facts that I already knew; the commercial aspects and the wealth of the area were well established. However, I also discovered when Regent Street was designed and built (1813), why it was named as it was, and the architect behind the buildings (John Nash).

The long vista of Regent Street, as seen from the Quadrant, is very fine, exhibiting, as it does, a remarkable variety of architectural features. It was erected principally from the designs of Mr. John Nash, who deserves to be remembered as the author of this great metropolitan improvement; and it was named from the architect’s patron, the PrinceRegent. The expenditure of the Office of Woods and Forests in its construction was a little in excess of a million and a half. Of course, being a thoroughfare of so recent a date, having been commenced in 1813, Regent Street has scarcely a back history for us to record here, like Pall Mall and St. James’s Street. It belongs to “new,” and not to “old” London.

In his design for Regent Street, Nash adopted the idea of uniting several dwellings into a façade, so as to preserve a degree of continuity essential to architectural importance; and it cannot be denied that he has produced a varied succession of architectural scenery, the effect of which is picturesque and imposing, superior to that of any other portion of the then existing metropolis, and far preferable to the naked brick walls at that time universally forming the sides of our streets.

Historical Interrelation: Words and War

April 3, 2015 ~ Annie Swafford

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle penned all the Sherlock Holmes stories between 1891 and 1927, creating a literary legend that would not soon be forgotten. By using topic modeling techniques and some fancy algorithms, we can investigate the potential relevance of word usage in his stories.

The Great War was a momentous event that almost exactly bisected Doyles’ creations, so I will view my ten topics through this lens. I found an interesting website for historical background on London during this time period, which helped me to identify significant events.

Estate vs Business

In contrasting estate and business, I noticed a spike in the former before 1905 and again before 1910. This could have been because British colonies had large tea estates in India. However, estate crashed back down after 1910 and business led throughout the rest of the time period. It is possible that the industrial growth of London led to this change, and both words are lower during the war and flu pandemic of 1918.

Search vs Case

Regarding search and case, there is a slight rise in each during the war years. Once again, the flu of 1918 and the peak of both words during the 1910-1920 decade may involve correlation rather than causation. The term search may also have increased during the war because soldiers could be missing in action.

Crime vs Reasoning

Reasoning was mentioned more than crime prior to 1915, but the use of crime skyrocketed after this, calming back down in the 1920’s. This fits well with the suffrage movement and trade unions growing, as this disrupted established society. From the 20th century London website:

The suffragettes, the Irish ‘Home Rule’ movement and trade unions all agitated for change, sometimes with violence. In 1918 some political demands were met through the Representation of the People Act, which gave the vote to working men and women over 30.

Appearance vs Expression

Appearance quite possibly became less important than expression after the war, due to the realities it forced upon the people of London. This trend continued through the 20’s, as the growth of jazz may have led to expression becoming more common.

Silent Reflection vs Public

Silent reflection had an interesting spike in 1908, and it dropped precipitously, becoming equal to public by 1914. It is possible that the Alien Act impacted this word usage, as many immigrants tried to come to London during this period. Perhaps many Londoners had thoughts about the impact on their society, but the war decreased their time for such thoughts.

While I am not certain about these linguistic developments, I feel topic modeling could be an important tool to help scholars revisit the past, specifically helpful in distinguishing how history affects word usage.

Words Clouds: Form over Function

March 2, 2015 ~ Annie Swafford

After reading an editor from the New York Times disparage the utilization of word clouds, I had similar thoughts running through my mind as I endeavored upon this assignment. What deep insight can be gained from tallying Arthur Conan Doyles’ choice of words? I chose his story A Scandal in Bohemia to investigate the importance of word clouds.

Screen Shot 2015-03-02 at 2.08.44 PM — The “photograph” was thematically important to the story, as the word clouds would establish

I began with Wordle, and then planned to also use Tagxedo for some word cloud fun. I chose these two based on the fact that Voyant‘s learning curve may have been longer because stop words would have to manually removed. I preferred to try to understand the first two applications thoroughly.

I found Wordle very easy to use, and yet complex enough to change the word clouds’ appearance fairly significantly. It removes the common words automatically, although you can adjust that, as well as the font, the colors (both background and the letters) and the layout. This final option dictates how many words are included, which direction they face, and if the cloud is round or jaggedly shaped.

I began with gray and black words with a white background, remembering the design principles from class last week. This was called the Ghostly color setting. I sought to add a touch of color, and chose the Heat setting. I found this to be the most pleasing combination I had found. Finally, I wanted to make a kaleidoscope of color to test the outer bounds of the application.

Movie Poster? — Potential first draft movie poster for *A Scandal in Bohemia (*click to enlarge) created with Tagxedo

After learning a bit about the basics of word clouds, I hoped to create something more unique and memorable. The above word cloud was made with Tagxedo, using the sunset color scheme and aligned in the shape of Great Britain. One of the best features Tagxedo offers (which Wordle doesn’t) is the variety of shapes in which the words can be arranged. There were several geographic options, including Australia, South America and Great Britain, the latter of which was perfect considering Holmes London address. In addition to the options I did change, there were even more in the word/layout options menu on the left-hand side which I hope to investigate in the future.

Overall, this visualization tool can help to illuminate potential themes in a literary work. Photograph and Adler are two of many words that appear in the word cloud, making it clear that each is vital to the story. The confusion regarding the photo leads Doyle to increase the suspense, and Irene Adler’s name is used frequently because Holmes calls her the woman. The word cloud is simply another tool at the disposal of a digital humanities scholar.

I plan to try this with a yet-to-be decided text for exploration beyond Sherlock Holmes. Underlying themes can reveal themselves, or at the very least an artistic graphic can be created for a favorite piece of literature. Both design and literature interest me, so this was an intriguing assignment that I enjoyed thoroughly.

Lauren Gao’s Extra Credit: Victorian London: A bit of ee-nif ‘cant’,

January 29, 2015 ~ Annie Swafford

Now the two Victorian London accents I, most likely, just insensitively appropriated and horribly butchered were of the Costermongers and London’s Cadgers (beggars). While reading around Lee Jackson’s Victorian London Dictionary, in the Words & Expressions tab, I stumbled into a short piece about the different English accents just within the city of London itself. Everything from the metropolitan elite, to the poor, or to the (actual) meat butchers themselves have surprisingly distinguished manners of pronunciation, granted, just within the radius of a city.

And we thought we had a lot of accents here in the U.S.

Continue reading →

Victorian London…Or unsubstantiated science with a side of child prostitution

January 28, 2015 ~ Annie Swafford

Lee Jackson’s Victorian London Dictionary sent me off on quite an interesting tangent. First, I investigated the science/technology heading and recalled the pseudoscientific Victorian pursuit called phrenology, which I found there. Aside from jostling my memory regarding the specifics of phrenology, the abundance of information online, both dismissing and supportive, was quite surprising. Of course, racism and European superiority were the prevailing views of the time, which allowed phrenology to flourish in Victorian London.

Here is a short video detailing the basics of phrenology for anyone who is not acquainted.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80dZ71Km6_g]

More simply, here is a drawing designed to help the unmarried ladies in the house…

After checking out the science area of Jackson’s Dictionary, I made my way to the sex heading, clicking on children as victims. I had a bad feeling about what I would discover, and my intuition was correct.

In an anonymous letter to a newspaper, a man recalled “a child of tender years”, who was addressed “by an old man dressed in the garb of a gentleman.” The young girl was likely a prostitute, and the author of the letter found a policeman, but he was no help. “The man behaved with exceeding propriety, and appeared to be quite alive to the grossness of the affair, but he (the policeman) said he had no right to interfere.” There were no laws protecting children such as the one detailed in the letter, and economic difficulty led to this being a regular occurrence on the streets of London.

The bustling city of London during this period was full of peril, as another entry under the “children as victims” heading detailed an 11 year-old girl chased by a man of about 50. “He overtakes her, stops her way, takes hold of her dress, and endeavors to force her into some den of infamy.”

While some people may think that the attitudes reflected by Victorian London are gone and forgotten, it was not until 2000 that children caught up in prostitution were thought of as victims in England. I found a terrific article from the Guardian which elucidates the plight of this rarely thought of segment of the population.

Finally, Archer stopped by to remind all of the Bob’s Burgers fans that spies are way cooler than cooks.

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