Mutating Monsters: Approaches to “Living Texts” of the Carolingian Era
Abigail Firey
Scholars of pre-modern legal history face interesting problems with the interpretation their materials because ideal fixed written laws is compromised by variability in handwritten transcription texts. The may lead to inadvertently peculiar readings law specific instances, or have resulted from deliberate manipulation texts adapt them particular interests circumstances. While such textual evolution occurs many professional fields (medicine, music, liturgy, etc.), it raises especially questions field studies implications for authority text and threshold “forgery.” This paper investigates new methods assessing relationship between “standard” versions degree frequency alteration manuscript witnesses, using Carolingian Canon Law project as one possible model a digital environment study histories “living texts”, that is, potentially mutate each representation.