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Indexing Emily
D.
Each group has assembled a small
anthology of Dickinson poems. If you had duplicates, select other
poems to take their place. If you have not yet contributed your
poem selections to the group, DO SO IMMEDIATELY.
The group will now construct an index to the themes, objects
and events of these poems. You may form sub-groups: one to index
themes, another to index objects and events. Every member of
the group needs to index every poem for themes, objects or events
(i.e. DO NOT split up the poems - "you do the first five;
you do the second five"...etc.).
According to Mulvany, "An
index is a structured sequence--resulting from a thorough and
complete analysis of text--of synthesized access points to all
the information contained in the text" (13).
For a sample index, consider what has been done with the two
poems below.
Every significant aspect of each poem should be referenced
(indexed) by main heading and subentry. Main headings
and subentries should be arranged in alphabetical order. Poem
numbers at each entry should be listed in numerical order. Note
the particular uses of commas and semi-colons.
The See also cross-references are provided so that
you might see how they are handled. You would not use such a
cross-reference if there were no new information at that other
place, as in the example.
Mulvany, Nancy C. Indexing Books. Chicago: U of Chicago
P, 1994.
Consider the following poems. Notice how I have created
main heading and subentry terms for the themes,
objects and events in the poems. You will be doing the same for
your poems.
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92
My friend must be a Bird-
Because it flies!
Mortal, my friend must be,
Because it dies!
Barbs has it, like a Bee!
Ah, curious friend!
Thou puzzlest me!
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1755
To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee,
One clover, and a bee,
And revery.
The revery alone will do,
If bees are few.
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We might expect to find entries for these poems at
bee; See also insect [main heading]
prairie ingredient, 1755 [subentry]
sting, 92
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bird; See also flight [Do not use See also if there is no new information
at that other place]
flies, 92 [Only
create a subentry when you have more than one item]
walks
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clover, 1755
death
of friend, 92
in nature
as night
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flight, 92
friendship
dies, 92; See also mortality
flies, 92; See also bird, insect
puzzling, 92; See also perplexity
stings, 92; See also bee, insect
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imagination, power of, 1755
insect
mortality
perplexity/problem/riddle [choose
the clearest, most useful, heading term], 92
prairie, how to make a, 1755; See also bee, clover
recipe
for a prairie, 1755
poem as, 1755
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revery, 1755; See also imagination |
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