Headed by University of Alabama graduate students in the Department of English, in partnership with Dr. Emma Annette Wilson and the Alabama Digital Humanities Center, the Early Modern Network Of Networks, EMNON, uses Digital Humanities techniques to visualize the intricate network of relationships connecting key figures in early modern literary and intellectual culture. Centering on the networks belonging to and linking Andrew Marvell and John Milton, EMNON offers a straight-forward and accessible understanding of how early modern writers and thinkers related and interacted. Open to providing new skills to its readers and participants, EMNON hinges on the use of causality, or Milton’s Art of Logic, proving that understanding logical structures in literature enables a deeper comprehension of early modern texts. An ongoing project, the site remains under constant development by graduate students and researchers at the University of Alabama.

EMNON offers several digital tools for investigation and interaction. Our “Timeline” chronicles the individuals uncovered in exploration of those Marvell/Milton spheres; it provides a visual, sequential representation of their births, deaths, and major publications. If you wish to uncover specific biographies for a particular individual, our “People and Publications” page, compiled in alphabetical order, offers more direct options for investigation, while simultaneously remaining open for anyone curious to browse. Our “Glossary” section defines terms of logic and causality outlined in Art of Logic. Challenging, but most rewarding, our “Paradise Logic” page features videos that demonstrate the use of logic terms in close-readings of Paradise Lost. Lastly, our “About Us” section gives you the names behind the website, telling you a little about who we are and what we are researching.

 

Welcome to the Early Modern Network of Networks.

–Diamond Forde

Early Modern Network