The process of curating various texts was an interesting and surprisingly varied experience, especially given that the text being looked at was Goblin Market. I had previously studied Goblin Market, but I was not entirely aware of the extensive amount of variations and editions the poem has seen. Through the process of curating and reading about these various renditions, it showed me how much a text can change and develop over time. Goblin Market has been represented as a poem, a picture book marketed to adults, a children's book, a mystery novel, and more. In addition to the different formats and audiences, the images are also different between the versions in order to heighten specific themes and concepts that may not have been pronounced in others. The diachronic model especially helped me understand these changes. My group looked at the various Housman editions of the poem, and seeing the contextual elements around the edition’s creation enhanced my understanding of that particluar rendition of the poem, for example, how Housman sought to expand and heighten the sexual themes of the poem through his illustrations. In addition, this was the first time the poem was released as a picture book, which offers an insight into the future of the text being released as picture books.
Submitted by Mark Dasilva on