This page was created by Collin Hardwick.
Design Statement
The first section of the project is divided into two segments - the Scalar book and the Story Map. The Story Map is embedded in the project and connected to the themed path so that the audience can explore the map before they move to the annotated part of the text. The themed path will take the readers through the network of maps, images, videos, textual content in a sequential manner. The page titled "Chapter XIX" contains the plain text of chapter 20 where reader can see how the original chapter looks like in the novel. The page titled "Chapter XIX Re-mapped" contains different segments of the same chapter that are annotated with maps, videos, and images. The Story Map is placed between these two chapters so that the readers have a glimpse of the juxtaposing worlds before they move onto read the chapter with media annotations.
Story Map
The Story Map is designed to juxtapose the idyllic world of British country life and the world of death, dehumanization, and devastation of black lives in plantation colonies, slave markets, and slave ships. The map-markers with the image of a ship are placed in the background map in such a way that it creates a passage between the two worlds of the story. The strings in the map creates a network between objects, people, and places in these two worlds, Northamptonshire in England and plantation colony in Antigua. The map also marks some of the places that used to operate as slave markets.
Visualization
By using digital story map and media annotation, I tried to provide the readers with a visual experience of this project. The scholarly argument of this Scalar book is largely depended on its visualization. I want the readers to think beyond the logo-centric ways of perceiving scholarly works and explore alternative ways of creating and reading scholarly arguments.
Background and Key Images
A few illustrations from Mansfield Park, that are used either as background image or key image in different pages, are taken from Molland's Community archive. The illustrations are done by C. E. and H. M. Brock. The images of slave-oppression, that are used in the story map, are collected from Google Images and edited for better resolution and effect. The images of various scenes from Mansfield Park, that are used in the story map, are screenshots from the 1999 and the 2007 film adaptations of the novel.
Interface
TO BE ADDED
Maps
In addition to the Story Map, the scalar book contains a number of maps related to British plantation in Antigua, transatlantic slave trade, and triangular trade. The maps are either used as a background image or key image or for annotating the text. Most of the maps are collected from Voyages: The Transatlantic Slave Trade Database. For the time being, these maps are only incorporated to make reader understand the colonial history of the novel. However, in future I intend to use these maps as texts and explore how these maps are also politicized and manipulated.
Future Iterations
This project is still in the process of “becoming”!
In future, as I continue working on this project after my MA, I will add more layers to the existing Story Map. Also, when I will add chapters from other novels, I would like to create individual Story Map for each text and a general Story Map for all the texts that visually represent the network of stories, people, objects, and places in those texts. I will also incorporate other forms of visualization. I will revise my design statement and explain the process and design choices in detail.
