Textual Criticism and Editing

MAKING THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE. On the Methodology for Editing Medieval Works with Massive Manuscript Tradition
27-29 giugno 2018
Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa e Scuola IMT Alti Studi Lucca
Organizzazione: Amos Bertolacci e Tommaso Alpina

Please contact me if you wish to read any of my work directly. Presented by invitation at the English and Theatre Studies seminar at the University of Melbourne, September 18, 2019.

Early in his essay “De l’Expérience”, Michel de Montaigne asks, wryly, “when is it agreed between us that ‘this book has enough, and there is nothing more to say about it’?” (1067). His comment emerges from his discussion of editing and glossing legal texts – he was a lawyer by training – but his words can be rather tellingly applied to scholarly editing practices, including those surrounding Shakespeare’s Hamlet. This paper discusses the relationship between editorial work in Shakespeare studies, the Hamlet texts, and Montaigne’s editorial philosophy. It does so in light of a broader claim about Shakespeare’s language, which is that Hamlet is not written in English. Instead, Shakespeare uses a language that can be more helpfully called French English. Mediating this project through questions of language and translation allows for connections between Montaigne and Shakespeare to be made as alternative forms of translation, rather than being mediated by the widely read English translation by John Florio in 1603.

Both Hamlet and Les Essais, whether edited, glossed, or simply replicated, are neither singular nor intact. Montaigne’s explanations of editing and indeed of ending can be found in different forms within each and across all of the Hamlet texts. In this way, Shakespeare’s play texts are an essay constantly in the process of being (re-)written.

Research papers can be a great resource for academic information and scholarly references. Reading research papers can also help you understand how to write a good one. Start by skimming the paper, identifying key details that stand out to you. Then, do a critical read of the paper, reading it carefully a second or third time so you can look at it in depth. Once you have done a critical read, analyze the key arguments and ideas in the paper so you can fully understand it.

Sesión del curso de postgrado "Editar textos medievales en el siglo XXI", organizado por Esperanza Alfonso (CCHS-CSIC). Presentación dedicada a la transmisión y la edición de las obras en verso de Ramon Llull. Se proponen herramientas de trabajo para la edición de los textos, se señalan algunos ejemplos de edición y se explican los criterios que se han aplicado en los casos señalados.

Few things make you feel as if you're holding history in your hands more than a fine map or print. As recent and forthcoming examples sold at auction attest, this particular area of collectibles brings collectors' key responsibility to the fore: to preserve pieces of man's history. For that reason, it is imperative that you take good care of your maps and manuscripts. Steps for Manuscript Maps Preservation • Handle them carefully. A lack of care when handling old manuscripts is the most prevalent cause of their damage, often resulting in wear and tears, worn-out images, creases and stains. • Don't handle the paper with unwashed hands. Oils and salts in your perspiration may damage the paper and leave difficult stains. • Always handle your rare maps a manuscript with two (clean) hands and never handle them by the edges, particularly if tears are already evident. • Prepare a clean viewing surface on which to enjoy your collection, with no liquids, foods, ink pens or other messy objects nearby. • Avoid any use of paper clips, staples post-it notes or other potentially damaging stationery items. • Don't store your collection in a space where there are extreme changes in temperature or humidity. Each of these can have a detrimental effect on the paper. Ideally, your storage space

One single picture, showing all the primary books that form the widely accepted and quoted source(s) to the translation and interpretation of Thomas' logion 74:

1) Layton, Nag Hammadi Codex II, 2-7, Brill, 1989 - citing Doresse and Guillaumont et al.
2) Doresse, L'Évangile selon Thomas, Plon, 1959.
3) Guillaumont (et al.), The Gospel according to Thomas, Brill, 1959.

As a bonus, at the bottom left is located Volume One of Doresse's 'Les livres secrets des gnostiques d'Egypte'.

The session on its related paper can be found at:

https://www.academia.edu/s/6619e4b607/translation-versus-interpretation-in-thomas-the-perplexing-treatment-of-logion-74