A Different Look at Aurora Leigh

On BB go to Poetess Archive Folder under Course Documents
Look at 3 versions of the Bijou poem (1) Page Image, (2) HTML version, (3)TEI (XML language text) encoded version
Task: Do a close reading of the poem in the HTML version. Answer one or all or a combination of the prompts below

1. Is the poem the same in these 3 versions?
For me, these poems are definitely not the same. It is very difficult for me to process computer language let alone the TEI text. I'm also very unsure about how texts "talk" to each other online by using the same interface, because I actually don't know what an interface is. I do think it is very interesting to see the poem in this different language because, since I am a double English and Spanish major, I find myself crossing between languages in my head. I feel that this type of poetry is a kind of Spanglish for computer oriented people. I would probably have a much stronger opinion of the language used in these alternative texts if I were not so technologically challenged beyond all hope :(

2. What difference will digitizing make to our understanding of poems?
Digitizing these poems definitely gave me a new perspective on the "British Women Writers Digitized" title of our class. I am the complete opposite of a computer guru (and have tragically failed at every attempted technological activity thus far presented) but I am a good reader. This type of computer poetry presents readers with a new way to read. For me, it's kind of like reading latin, but there is certainly always something to gain from looking at things, especially art and literature, through a different lens.

3. BONUS: Apply the poem's theme about art to the poem itself: does digitizing contribute to Hemans' aim?