Varianz vermitteln : zur editorischen Aufarbeitung abweichender Textfassungen in Redaktionen von Der Heiligen Leben

Abstract

Textual variance poses a particular challenge to editing medieval texts. Digital editions in particular can respond to these challenges in order to convey to the user the potential of variance and to enable an interpretation of medieval literary works that is close to their actual transmission. This paper presents some possibilities of dealing with and presenting variance through the example of the digital edition of a late-medieval legendary, the so-called Der Heiligen Leben, Redaktion. This collection of saints’ legends offers a particularly good example of the value of considering textual variants, while also posing particular challenges for communicating variance.