A very brief philosophy of research

1) I begin from the assumption that I don't know anything about a topic.  This is particularly important in interdisciplinary work, where one runs the risk of reinventing wheels and/or lecturing people who do, in fact, know better.

2) I try, as far as I can, to be challenged by the works I read.  

3) I find it helpful to remember that the past is both messy and incredibly inconvenient.

4) I do not think that literary history can be rendered equivalent to "the canon," nor do I think that "lost" (bad, ephemeral, unjustly forgotten) works should be treated merely as context.  Popular genres frequently have their own canons.

5) I think it important to remember that valuable knowledge (about the emergence of genres and forms, or cultural attitudes, or now-forgotten fears, or...) may emerge from the most unexpected research topics.   Humility is in order.