© Oxford University Press 2005; all rights reserved
Articles |
The Early English Text Society in the Nineteenth Century: An Organizational History
Oxford
During the nineteenth century, the Early English Text Society (EETS) printed or made generally accessible for the first time numerous Middle English texts, thereby identifying and disseminating, in conjunction with the Chaucer Society, almost the entire Middle English canon as we know it today. The way in which EETS operated as a publishing organization is interesting because the financial and material conditions under which its editorial work was carried out influenced the nature of its seminal publications. This article explores the origins of EETS in the Philological Society's New English Dictionary, and the nationalistic and egalitarian objectives that informed its work. The organizational structure and mode of operation of EETS are examined, with particular attention to the means by which editions were produced, marketed, sold, and distributed. Also examined are its various attempts to broaden its market, which was limited in size by the near absence of English studies in the universities. This factor also meant that the majority of its editorial personnel were unpaid amateur enthusiasts; the means by which such editors were selected, their varying levels of expertise and experience, and their use of amanuenses are discussed. Finally, the collaborative nature of EETS's operation is highlighted, as the organization is an excellent example of the co-operative middle-class activity that characterized the wider literary culture of the Victorian era.