Pedagogy Jan 2026

“We Have to Be Detectives”

Bridget C. Donnelly

Abstract

Abstract This article describes a project taught in a British literature survey course, in which students navigate digital archives like Eighteenth-Century Collections Online (ECCO) to find a “companion piece” to a literary text. The essay shares the goals of the research project, the assignment design, and specific successes and challenges students encounter. The piece additionally offers reflections about teaching the conventional British literature survey course for undergraduate English majors, particularly considering the ways in which digital archives and historicist methodologies can expand students’ understanding of literary canons and the interrelationship between literature and history.

Journal
Pedagogy
Published
2026-01-01
DOI
10.1215/15314200-12097322
Open Access
Closed
Topics
multimodality multilingual writers

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (0)

No articles in this index cite this work.

Cites in this index (3)

  1. Sheffer et al. (2019)
    Digital Curation
    Pedagogy
  2. Diaz (2012)
    The Digital Archive as a Tool for Close Reading in the Undergraduate Literature…
    Pedagogy
  3. Wardle (2009)
    “Mutt Genres” and the Goal of FYC: Can We Help Students Write the Genres of the…
    College Composition and Communication
Also cites 7 works outside this index ↓
  1. Binhammer (2020)
    “Skim Reading, a Flat Canon, and the Question of Value.”
    Eighteenth-Century Fiction  ↗
  2. Gallop, Jane . 2007. “The Historicization of Literary Studies and the Fate of Close Reading.” Profe…
     ↗
  3. Hayot (2011)
    “Against Periodization; or, On Institutional Time.”
    New Literary History  ↗
  4. Holahan (2021)
    “Rummaging in the Dark: ECCO as Opaque Digital Archive.”
    Eighteenth-Century Studies  ↗
  5. Leuner (2020)
    Locating Book History in The Stainforth Library of Women's Writing
    SEL: Studies in English Literature 1500 to 1900  ↗
  6. Rosenthal (2009)
    “Introduction: Recovering from Recovery.”
    The Eighteenth Century  ↗
  7. Underwood (2013)
    Why Literary Periods Mattered: Historical Contrast and the Prestige of English Studies
     ↗
CrossRef global citation count: 0 View in citation network →

Related Articles

  1. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Apr 2026
    What Video Games Can Tell Us About Interactive Technical Communication ↗
    Emily Kuzneski Johnson
    multimodality technical communication multilingual writers
  2. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Apr 2026
    “Is This Ethical?” New Data on the Ethical Principles and Practices of Document Design ↗
    Leslie Seawright; Amy Hodges; Timothy Ponce
    multimodality technical communication disability studies multilingual writers
  3. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Mar 2026
    “It's Hard to Show ROI When You’re Preventing Things from Happening”: How Impact Storytelling Frames Community Health Initiatives for Executive Audiences ↗
    Margaret Hsiao
    qualitative research multimodality technical communication professional writing multilingual writers
  4. Written Communication Feb 2026
    Reading Medium and Communicative Purpose in Writing: Effects on Pausing Behaviour and Text Quality, Controlling for Reading Comprehension and Executive Functions ↗
    Ángel Valenzuela; Cristian A. Rojas-Barahona; Ramón D. Castillo; Ladislao Salmerón
    assessment curriculum design multimodality multilingual writers revision
  5. Literacy in Composition Studies Feb 2026
    All Are Connected: From Traditional Chinese Medicine to Students’ Literacy Practices Reviewing Doing Difference Differently: Chinese International Students’ Literacy Practices and Affordances by Zhaozhe Wang ↗
    Shi, Carina Jiaxing
    multimodality multilingual writers