Learning where a text came from and in what variant it exists is essential for readers and writers to have a grasp on how and what a text is telling you. Especially if the text happens to be extremely old. In this way, we can analyze an original text and track its changes to derive societal context. In this post, I would like to explore urtexts in literature and what that means for reading and writing.
What is an urtext defined?
To put it simply, an urtext is a text in its original form. As Merriam-Webster states, an urtext is “the original text (as of musical score).” In the context of musical scores, this means it is the composer’s original notation without the interference of interpretation, edits, or alterations. As it relates to books and long-form ballads, we can see a text in its original form. That is to say, some books have had major edits and changes since its publication, and therefore we can see it in a more unaltered state.
Why does this matter?
First, understanding a book in its earliest version is important because an urtext can act as a definitive resource. For example, an urtext that requires an original, “authoritative” copy is Homer’s Iliad and the Odyssey, as reprints and translations often change fundamentals in the story through interpretation.
Again, having the original writer’s copy helps us understand their truest vision.
Other examples include:
- The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
- Hengwrt Manuscript
- Ellesmer Manuscript
- Moby Dick by Herman Melville
- (1851 edition)
- Ulysses by James Joyce
- (1922 Edition)
Conclusion
Thus, having knowledge of urtexts in literature is extremely important. If you have access to an early unaltered version of a text then you can see how an author’s work is shaped and changed by future revisions. What this means is that the world that shaped the author’s work is intext in the urtext, and the subsequent years of interpretation become visible as well. The Iliad has had many translations throughout time (upwards of 200). That is a lot of interpretation for a single text. Thus, using an original text as the go-to text is essential for crafting these glimpses into the past via text
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One response to “The Importance of Urtexts in Literature”
[…] text was published in 1883 and that it is considered to be the book on Robin Hood. After discussing urtexts on here, we find that there are many ballads written about Robin Hood from yesteryear, including […]