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

保存信件抄写簿是为了保存来往信件的手工副本和机械副本（副本、抄本、蓝图）。本研究项目从涉及的活着和非活着的行动者（材料、机器、抄写员、存档者、编辑、数字基础设施代理）的角度考察了与维护信件复制书籍相关的实践的影响。它基于传媒和文学史视角下的文化技术研究方法以及文献学的理论和实践。专注于书信抄写书的类型，创造抄本和副本的文化技术可以在参考书籍或装订卷的现有媒体格式的重组中观察到，基于18至20世纪的抄本生产网络，直到今天的语言学媒体，以及数字表示，只要信件抄写书（全部或部分）是各自版本的文本基础。该项目的方法考虑了在官僚、艺术和私人环境中复制和转录系统的多样性和自主性，以及这些环境的相互影响。强调抄本的自主性，意味着超越原创和写作实践规范的特权视角，对抄本进行调查，而不忽视它们的相关性。在每个具体的转录过程中，教学写作书籍、信函写作指南、档案归档系统和手册都被视为新兴的选择。除了传统的关于起源、文献内容和可靠性的档案问题之外，避免这种优先级排序的问题链也在项目中被调用：就变化和扩展而言，抄本和副本打开了哪些范围？它们展现了什么样的美学？在存档领域中，抄本和副本之间以何种形式建立网络？在何种多样的存在方式中它们能够分裂，在何种条件下它们能够重新结合？本研究项目由两个子项目组成。子项目A将探讨维护书信抄写书籍实践中的理论方面（关于它们在书信体网络中的相关性），子项目B侧重于与书信抄写书籍相关的语言学方面（关于它们在文献学编辑网络中的当前和未来的相关性）。

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).