The Modes of Existence of Transcripts and Carbon Copies in Letter-Copying Books

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Jörg Paulus
• Subject Area: General and Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies ; Theatre and Media Studies
• Term: from 2019 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 413140577

Letter-copying books are maintained in order to preserve both manual as well as mechanical created duplicates (copies, transcripts, blueprints) of incoming and outgoing correspondence. This research project examines the impact of practices related to the maintenance of letter-copying books from the perspective of the living and non-living actors involved (materials, machines, copyists, archivers, editors, agents of digital infrastructures). It is based on methods of cultural technique research in the persphe ective of media and literary history and of the theory and practice of philology.Focusing on the genre of letter-copying books, the cultural techniques of creating transcripts and copies can be observed in reference to the reorganization of existing media formats of the book or of the bound volume, based on networks of transcript production from the 18th to 20th century and up to today’s media of philological, and of digital representation insofar as letter copying books are (entirely or partially) the textual basis of the respective editions.The project’s approach considers both the diversity and autonomy of copy and transcription systems in bureaucratic, artistic, and private contexts as well as the mutual influence of these contexts. To emphasize the autonomy of transcripts means conducting an investigation of them even beyond a privileged perspective of originals and writing practice norms, without ignoring trelevance of those. Instructional writing books, guides to letter writing, archive filing systems, and manuals are regarded rather as emerging options, among others, in each concrete transcription process. Beyond the traditionally overriding archival questions about provenance, documentary content, and reliability, question chains that avoid this sort of prioritization are invoked in the project: Which scopes do transcripts and copies open up in terms of variation and extension? Which means of aesthetics do they unfold? In which form do transcripts and copies establish networks among themselves in archiving realms? In which diversified modes of existence can they split, under which conditions are they reunited?This research project consists of two sub-projects. Sub-Project A will explore theoretical aspects in the practice of maintaining letter-copying books (with regard to their relevance in epistolary networks), sub-project B focuses on philological aspects connected to letter-copying books (with respect to their current and prospective relevance in networks of philological editing).

• DFG Programme: Research Grants