A Linkemic Approach to Textual Variation: Theory and Practice of the Electronic-Critical Edition of Stijn Streuvels' De teleurgang van den Waterhoek

Abstract

In creating the electronic-critical edition of Stijn Streuvels’ De teleurgang van den Waterhoek, the Electronic Streuvels Project (ESP) wants to explore new ways of scholarly editing. Apart from having published a text-critical reading edition in bookform and an electronic-critical edition on CD-Rom, the ESP has entered the international debate on text encoding, electronic scholarly editing, and the changing role of the editor. In the electronic-critical edition of de Teleurgang, textual qualities such as instability and textual variation are approached through the introduction and realization of two new concepts: orientation text and linkeme. Together with the hybrid character of our edition - the edition includes elements of documentary, historical-critical, diplomatic, study and reading editions, but is neither of them exclusively - the linkemic approach to textual variation serves a wide array of possible orientations of study. The true hypertextual features of the edition enables the user to add annotations and to create hyperlinks and bookmarks. The electronic-critical edition of De teleurgang van den Waterhoek fulfils what I believe to be the threefold purpose of an electronic edition: 1. to articulate what the editors think; 2. to invoke the literary debate by providing tools and material to explore new ways of understanding and studying the text; and 3. to preserve our cultural heritage.