Periodic Reporting for period 1 - OpeRaNew (Opening Romanticism: Reimagining Romantic Drama for New Audiences)
Reporting period: 2021-01-07 to 2023-01-06
The OpeRaNew project unlocks the potential in the forgotten dramatic plays of Frances Burney (1742-1840), a talented writer from the Romantic era. It aimed to undertake a critical and digital analysis of the court dramas written by Burney during her years of service at the court of King George III (1786-1791) and revised in the following decade. It demonstrated the perspicacity and potential of highlighting these unpublished plays, which were neglected during the author's lifetime and remained obscure for over two centuries. Additionally, the project created a corpus of contemporary plays ranging from c.1750 to 1820 to offer textual and contextual comparison to Burney’s overlooked dramas.
Many stakeholders from academia and various organizations participated in productive discussions, both in person and online, about exploring Romanticism and the overlooked dramatic works of Burney. Topics discussed included creativity, authorship, body politics, oppression, gender-related violence, the literary market, familial and social systems, and their impact. Additionally, the project spread through various events that created knowledge and encouraged exchange and two-way communication.
The lessons learned demonstrate the social benefits of unleashing the potential of neglected artwork with urgently contemporary implications. Moreover, it confirmed that Open Science and Citizen Science have a major influence on research and innovation activities.
Many stakeholders from academia and various organizations participated in productive discussions, both in person and online, about exploring Romanticism and the overlooked dramatic works of Burney. Topics discussed included creativity, authorship, body politics, oppression, gender-related violence, the literary market, familial and social systems, and their impact. Additionally, the project spread through various events that created knowledge and encouraged exchange and two-way communication.
The lessons learned demonstrate the social benefits of unleashing the potential of neglected artwork with urgently contemporary implications. Moreover, it confirmed that Open Science and Citizen Science have a major influence on research and innovation activities.
The main research tasks implemented by the OpeRaNew project were:
- the analysis of the court dramas Frances Burneys composed and revised in the 1780s and 1790s;
- the construction of a corpus of contemporary plays to provide textual and contextual terms of comparison for Burney’s dramas;
- the communication of the project findings through print, social, and audio/visual channels capable to engage both academic and non-academic communities;
- the dissemination of these findings in different contexts, through publications, activities, and events capable of creating knowledge and engaging in two-way exchanges.
These results and activities were described as the deliverables and milestones in the project. In Y1 and part of Y2, mitigation strategies were successfully implemented to lessen the impact of COVID-19 on both the research work as well as the researcher. Sustained communication and dissemination activities progressively refined the objectives in view of these unplanned limitations, mitigated ensuing drawbacks, and implemented corrective actions. Communication and collaboration with the supervisor and her team continued productively throughout the Fellowship, and interaction has grown into a steady research partnership.
OpeRaNew has greatly contributed to the field of Burney Studies, Romanticism studies, theatre studies, and audience response. This achievement has been made possible through high-impact publishing and presentations at international conferences. Findings were shared through different channels, including print, social media, and audio/visual means, which catered to academic and non-academic audiences. This innovative mediascape offered the opportunity to finally bring Burney’s works into the spotlight, especially during a period of significant changes in research communication and dissemination. Reviews, metrics, and published comments confirm the research results’ high quality and positive impact on science.
I
- published and had accepted for publication 14 items;
- submitted 2 book proposals (both accepted);
- produced 3 videos and delivered 11 presentations;
- attended and/or organised 3 seminars and lectures;
- engaged in several MSCA Ambassador activities;
- engaged in activities of knowledge building and knowledge exchange with both academic and non-academic peers;
- organised a photography competition, designed publicity posters, wrote lay summaries of my activities for publication in the general press.
The PowerPoints and video recordings of my lectures and talks have been made available online and include a reference to EU funding.
Findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reuse of data, consistent with the FAIR guidelines, are ensured through secure storage and curation in reputable repositories such as Zenodo, the University of Edinburgh Research Explorer, and the University of Tuscia DSpace, as well as their inclusion in other trusted websites such as those of the McGill University Burney Centre and the Centre for Data, Culture, and Society (CDCS) at the University of Edinburgh. No website was developed for the project. I maintained a project blog and curated three dedicated social media accounts.
Ethical approval and consent were not required.
- the analysis of the court dramas Frances Burneys composed and revised in the 1780s and 1790s;
- the construction of a corpus of contemporary plays to provide textual and contextual terms of comparison for Burney’s dramas;
- the communication of the project findings through print, social, and audio/visual channels capable to engage both academic and non-academic communities;
- the dissemination of these findings in different contexts, through publications, activities, and events capable of creating knowledge and engaging in two-way exchanges.
These results and activities were described as the deliverables and milestones in the project. In Y1 and part of Y2, mitigation strategies were successfully implemented to lessen the impact of COVID-19 on both the research work as well as the researcher. Sustained communication and dissemination activities progressively refined the objectives in view of these unplanned limitations, mitigated ensuing drawbacks, and implemented corrective actions. Communication and collaboration with the supervisor and her team continued productively throughout the Fellowship, and interaction has grown into a steady research partnership.
OpeRaNew has greatly contributed to the field of Burney Studies, Romanticism studies, theatre studies, and audience response. This achievement has been made possible through high-impact publishing and presentations at international conferences. Findings were shared through different channels, including print, social media, and audio/visual means, which catered to academic and non-academic audiences. This innovative mediascape offered the opportunity to finally bring Burney’s works into the spotlight, especially during a period of significant changes in research communication and dissemination. Reviews, metrics, and published comments confirm the research results’ high quality and positive impact on science.
I
- published and had accepted for publication 14 items;
- submitted 2 book proposals (both accepted);
- produced 3 videos and delivered 11 presentations;
- attended and/or organised 3 seminars and lectures;
- engaged in several MSCA Ambassador activities;
- engaged in activities of knowledge building and knowledge exchange with both academic and non-academic peers;
- organised a photography competition, designed publicity posters, wrote lay summaries of my activities for publication in the general press.
The PowerPoints and video recordings of my lectures and talks have been made available online and include a reference to EU funding.
Findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reuse of data, consistent with the FAIR guidelines, are ensured through secure storage and curation in reputable repositories such as Zenodo, the University of Edinburgh Research Explorer, and the University of Tuscia DSpace, as well as their inclusion in other trusted websites such as those of the McGill University Burney Centre and the Centre for Data, Culture, and Society (CDCS) at the University of Edinburgh. No website was developed for the project. I maintained a project blog and curated three dedicated social media accounts.
Ethical approval and consent were not required.
OpeRaNew is the first research project to analyse the work composed by Frances Burney at the turn of the eighteenth century. Thanks to its multimedia ecology, it communicated and exploited the findings of my research beyond the confines of the academic world. As a result of the international exchange it stimulated, the OpeRaNew method is now an established part of the discourse on Burney studies and Romanticism.
The advancement of the state of the art has been achieved through the scientific quality of the research results, as testified by:
- high impact publications and presentations.
- Metrics, published comments, and specialist reviews.
- The numerous stakeholders beyond academia who participated in the various research phases, including artists, research centres, policy makers, cultural organisations, and special interest groups.
As a result of highly intensive and diverse research, communication, and dissemination activities, OpeRaNew has made a significant contribution to the state of the art in Burney Studies, Romanticism Studies, Theatre Studies, and Audience Response. The innovative legacy of the project will extend beyond its lifetime, thanks to the open access and open-source nature of the data.
My findings may lead to spin-off initiatives in the coming months. On the one hand, my research into the relationship between creativity and biography has uncovered two culturally significant objects that I will valorise in future publications, thus contributing to the dissemination and transfer of knowledge on which the OpeRaNew project is built. My research into Frances Burney's dramatic work is therefore in line with EU policy on the valorisation and networking of tangible and intangible cultural heritage. On the other hand, the augmented e-texts of selected scenes from Burney's plays that I plan to produce in 2024 will be made openly accessible via the CDCS website, in the section dedicated to OpeRaNew. This action was envisaged in WP4 and is made possible by my continued affiliation with CDCS.
Due to the COVID-related cancellations and postponements, four project-related events will take place between March and July 2024. They were planned during the fellowship as part of the planned exploitation and dissemination of results and involve the three main action lines of OpeRaNew (academic targeted and community targeted approach): two seminars aimed at academic peers offered at major international conferences; a participative workshop organised in a museum-library that will involve the audience in a two-way exchange; a public lecture organised for a civic society. All these events will include a reference to EU funding.
Finally, two monographs were proposed and accepted for publication.
The advancement of the state of the art has been achieved through the scientific quality of the research results, as testified by:
- high impact publications and presentations.
- Metrics, published comments, and specialist reviews.
- The numerous stakeholders beyond academia who participated in the various research phases, including artists, research centres, policy makers, cultural organisations, and special interest groups.
As a result of highly intensive and diverse research, communication, and dissemination activities, OpeRaNew has made a significant contribution to the state of the art in Burney Studies, Romanticism Studies, Theatre Studies, and Audience Response. The innovative legacy of the project will extend beyond its lifetime, thanks to the open access and open-source nature of the data.
My findings may lead to spin-off initiatives in the coming months. On the one hand, my research into the relationship between creativity and biography has uncovered two culturally significant objects that I will valorise in future publications, thus contributing to the dissemination and transfer of knowledge on which the OpeRaNew project is built. My research into Frances Burney's dramatic work is therefore in line with EU policy on the valorisation and networking of tangible and intangible cultural heritage. On the other hand, the augmented e-texts of selected scenes from Burney's plays that I plan to produce in 2024 will be made openly accessible via the CDCS website, in the section dedicated to OpeRaNew. This action was envisaged in WP4 and is made possible by my continued affiliation with CDCS.
Due to the COVID-related cancellations and postponements, four project-related events will take place between March and July 2024. They were planned during the fellowship as part of the planned exploitation and dissemination of results and involve the three main action lines of OpeRaNew (academic targeted and community targeted approach): two seminars aimed at academic peers offered at major international conferences; a participative workshop organised in a museum-library that will involve the audience in a two-way exchange; a public lecture organised for a civic society. All these events will include a reference to EU funding.
Finally, two monographs were proposed and accepted for publication.