The Visual [Re]Presentation of Textual Data in Traditional and Digital Critical Editions

Abstract

The prospect of breaking free from the confines of the printed page drives much of the interest in digital critical editions; yet the format of traditional editions in print remains an effective and efficient information visualization. This paper will argue that using the data from a digital edition to [re]present the traditional format of a printed edition can illuminate the strengths and weaknesses of both platforms. In addition to making the data available in a familiar format for offline reading, a print visualization is also a useful test of the digital edition’s data model. It can also promote a shift toward thinking about textual data and its visualization (in print or on a screen) as separate concerns.