It does so from a very different point of view from that of the New Historicists, one that proves to be curiously similar to the kinds of interests shown by old-fashioned descriptive, analytical, and historical bibliographers. In fact, so impressive has this impact of theory on renewed attention to physical objects been, in the context within which Michael and I teach our course, that we have been able to build into our planning something more than simple play off one another's strengths. We have also been able to use the differing strengths of our students, who come from backgrounds in English, French, and comparative literatures, history, and music. As we play off one another, so they have played off their varied classmates. Additionally, our faculty colleagues's advanced theoretical notions have spared us any need to expatiate at tedious length on the significance of our subject.
Students are welcome.
Not only graduate students but also undergraduates have attended, some because, even in undergraduate classes, their theoretical instructors are introducing them to questions that only a curiosity about how texts gad about can begin to answer. We have, in our context, one advantage that many folks don't have. We are the rare book librarians. We even meet in a room close enough to our stacks so that, if something comes up during a session we had not anticipated, we can, without breaking a sweat, often find the right illustrative object ready to hand. And yet . . .