The critical edition between digital and print: methodological considerations

Abstract

This contribution explores the world of digital critical editions by proposing reflections on the methodology that can be used for their production. The first part analyses the positions of various scholars on the digital critical edition and its definition. In particular, the relationship between digital critical edition and digital scholarly edition is explored. The criteria used to build Sahle's and Franzini's catalogues help to understand both the concept of digital scholarly edition and the state of the art of digital critical editions in the classical context. Subsequently, the constituent elements of the digital edition are taken into consideration and how they can be integrated with the critical edition method. Elements such as the choice of mark-up language and tools for creating an interface in relation to the text are an integral part of the digital critical edition process. For this reason, they need a thorough reflection on their characteristics and their use. Finally, we focus on the potential of the digital critical edition and how it differs from the printed critical edition, proposing new ways of transmission and scientific communication of philological work, starting from the critical apparatus to the use of images as components of the editions and the possibility of collaborative editions.