Jane Austen's holograph fiction manuscripts: a digital and print resource

Lead Research Organisation: University of Oxford
Department Name: English Faculty

Abstract

Jane Austen's fiction manuscripts are the first significant body of holograph evidence for any British novelist. They represent every stage of her writing career and a variety of physical states: working drafts, fair copies, and handwritten publications for private circulation. The manuscripts were held in a single collection until 1845, when at her sister Cassandra's death they were dispersed. Digitization will enable their virtual reunification and provide the first opportunity to make simultaneous comparison of their different physical and conceptual states; it will facilitate systematic study of Austen's working practices across her career, a remarkably neglected area of scholarship.

Publications

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Kathryn Sutherland (Author) Festschrift for Harold Short

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Kathryn Sutherland (Author) 'A Long Letter Upon a Jacket and Petticoat': Reading Beneath Some Deletions in Catharine, or The Bower.

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Sutherland K. (2010) Jane Austen's Fiction Manuscripts: A Digital Edition

 
Description Various new readings of Austen Manuscripts were discovered through the creation of the digital edition. These are reported in the associated publications.
Exploitation Route The encoding model that underpins the web edition for the Austen Manuscripts could be adapted for editing and encoding other literary draft manuscripts.
Sectors Creative Economy,Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections
 
Description The digital edition has been freely available since October 2010. It has been widely used by fellow researchers, by teachers (at tertiary and secondary levels), by the general public, and by the libraries and museums where the original manuscripts are deposited.
First Year Of Impact 2010
Sector Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections
Impact Types Cultural,Societal
 
Title A fully searchable database of all Jane Austen's Fiction Manuscripts 
Description  
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Provided To Others? No