2 weeks Ago
A project led by Dr Michael Sullivan, from the university's English Faculty, used a combination of imaging techniques to uncover text that had been crossed out or was covered by marks or ink blots. Dr Sullivan's team employed multispectral imaging, X-ray fluorescence, and fibre-optic reflectance spectroscopy to examine previously hidden parts of Tennyson's manuscripts. Multispectral imaging involves capturing a variety of images in different wavelengths, from infrared to ultraviolet.
By imaging a manuscript with more than 40 different illuminations, the research team was able to draw out details beyond what the naked eye can see. Using advanced digital processing, they then combined and processed the imaging results, analysing changes in the author's ink and enhancing writing that had been lost. By applying these techniques to Tennyson's manuscripts, the research team was able to see past crossings out, blots, and environmental damage that had obscured the original text.
This allowed them to see, for the first time, text which had previously been beyond the reach of scholarship. They were able to uncover text that had been edited out of Tennyson's work by the author himself, giving scholars a new insight into the creative decisions he made while composing his famous works. Dr Sullivan said: "Our project is developing new digital techniques to restore lost literature that has remained beyond the reach of readers.
"Whether from environmental damage, redaction, or authorial revision, many factors affect how much of modern literature survives for us to read today. "Reading this recovered text helps us to illuminate the creative process behind works of art, but also to restore valuable parts of the world’s cultural heritage." The findings arise from the project Recovery of Literary Manuscripts, which was founded by Dr Sullivan as principal investigator with his co-investigator Professor Andrew Beeby from the chemistry department at Durham University.
The text will be included in The Complete Works of Alfred Tennyson for Oxford University Press, and the research team has already begun applying the techniques to other authors, which is expanding understandings of their artistry. Although types of multispectral imaging have previously been used in the world of art, uncovering paintings underneath masterpieces, this project is among the first to apply, adapt, and develop advanced processing techniques for the study of modern English literature. The research team said the techniques used could have "transformative" effects for how scholars can work with archives, illuminating obscured and damaged cultural texts.
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