Reality Check: Projects and Prospects in Digital Humanities

This paper reports on work in progress and describes the humanities computing community at University of Virginia as a context for thinking and rethinking the premises on which an array of projects are currently conceived. The projects range from personal research to institutional initiatives. They include reflections on the book and text as informed by the dialogue of electronic and traditional forms (the "metalogic" of the book and rhetoric of the text from page space to e-space), development of a participatory space for critical practice (Ivanhoe), thoughts towards the foundation of the curriculum in knowledge representation for the MA in Digital Humanities, and the planning process for a Center in Digital Initiatives within a larger complex (a future learning environment with residential, research, and educational facilities). Each instance has been shaped in dialogue with various members of this community -- faculty (Unsworth, McGann, Martin, Ayers, Thomas, Germano, Sullivan, Howard etc.), staff (Pitti, Staples, Ramsay) and students (Nowviskie, Laue, Sanmiguel). The importance of this context and the activity of community exchange is evident in every aspect of these projects.