André Gide Editions Project
Gide's manuscripts pose complex problems to editors working on them: they are characterised by a lengthy maturation and frequent recastings, resulting in a densely-layered, heterogeneous body of writing which cannot adequately be presented in conventional printed form. For this reason, the André Gide editions project, operating in the context of Sheffield's internationally-renowned Humanities Research Institute, chose to apply advanced IT-based text-handling methods to encode the manuscripts and present the author's work in a form which will facilitate the multi-dimensional readings it invites.
Electronic edition of Les Caves du Vatican
The first product of our innovative research is a joint publication with the prestigious French publisher Editions Gallimard: 'Edition génétique des Caves du Vatican d'André Gide'. This CD-Rom edition, devised and presented by Alain Goulet, with editorial preparation by Pascal Mercier and IT work by Michael Pidd, presents a huge archive of genetic material, comprising over 650 digitized images of manuscript for this novel, the initial idea for which dates from 1893 but which Gide did not complete writing till 1914. Our CD-Rom also presents preparatory documents, notes, transcriptions and texts of all the printed editions. A sophisticated search engine, extensive indexes and multi-dimensional hyperlink connections enable the reader to explore the creative process by navigating through this extensive corpus and comparing the various stages of the text by means of a split-screen display.
The 'Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique', the French government body which funds research of national importance, made an award to support the Sheffield team. Our research is recognised by the 'Association des Amis d'André Gide'; and the writer's daughter, Mme Catherine Gide, has endorsed the project.
Association des Amis d'André Gide
Gidiana Archives Project
Following our initial success, with further funding from the AHRB and the MHRA we embarked on an on-line compilation of Gide's personal archive of press cuttings, the 'Gidiana Archives Project'.