Transcription (Mondrian)

Physical structure

We encode a page break before each page. The page break is represented by a pb-element. The page break element carries a f-attribute (refers to the folio, or sheet), a n-attribute (page number) and a facs-attribute (reference to the corresponding <surface> or <zone> element under <facsimile>).

Example:

<pb f="1r" n="1" facs="#z1r-1"/>

Paragraphs of text that belong at a certain position in the letter, even though they are written on another page, are placed in their logical, not physical, position. In that case, we repeat the pb-element of the physical page to indicate the writing is continued on this earlier page. (We still need to discuss how this will be shown to the user.)

For example: Suppose Mondrian writes a two page-letter (one sheet) and after finishing the letter adds ‘BTW, say hello to your wife’ on page 1. We represent that as follows (simplified):

In the facsimile element:

<facsimile>
 <surface n="1" xml:id="s1r">...</surface>
 <surface n="2" xml:id="s1v">...</surface>
</facsimile>

In the text:

<pb f="1r" n="1" facs="#s1r"/>   
(text of page 1)

<pb f="1v" n="2" facs="#s1v"/>   
(text of page 2)

<pb f="1r" n="1" facs="#s1r"/>   
<p>BTW, say hello to your wife</p>

Writing process and damage

To encode different stages of changes, we use @seq i.e. Mondrian deleted a word and then added a new one. @seq assigns a sequence number related to the order in which the encoded features carrying this attribute are believed to have occurred.

<del seq="1">yellow</del >
<add seq="2" place="above">red</add>

You can also use seq=0 for immediate deletions (deletions while writing or Sofortkorrektur).

If a single act of modification requires multiple elements, these elements have the same seq attribute:

Ik <del seq="1">heb</del><add seq="1">lees</add> het boek<del seq="1" gelezen</del>.

On the del element, we can use the rend attribute to indicate it has been overwritten, either by an add or in a Sofortkorrektur:

<del rend="overwritten">wel</del><add>niet</add>

A text fragment that has been modified is tagged as <seg> (segment), for the purpose of being able to display the multiple states of the text. It is up to the editor to choose meaningful segments. In the above example the sentence might be tagged as <seg>:

<seg>Ik <del seq="1" >heb</del><add seq="1" >lees</add het 
boek<del seq="1" gelezen</del>.</seg>

If an earlier deletion is restored we can encode this using <restore>. An example ('cocktail' replaced by 'drink', which is then deleted while 'cocktail' is being restored):

<restore seq="2"><del seq="1">cocktail</del></restore>
<del seq="2"><add seq="1">drink</add></del>

A Sofortkorrectur is not embedded in a seg-element, because there is no need to show the different states of the text. If it is desirable to show the scope of an immediate correction by overwriting, we use add (with seq="0"):

<del seq="0">F</del><add seq="0">V</add>ics

We don't use @seq on retrace.

When a text continues in the margin, that does not by itself make the margin text an addition (<add>).

Visual characteristics

If a paragraph is indented, use rend="indent" on its first line (<lb rend="indent">).

We use rend="blockletters" for block capitals.

There is technically no difference between using a rend-attribute on an existing element and using a hi-element with that rend-attribute within that existing element. So

<addrLine rend="underline">New York City</addrLine>

and

<addrLine><hi rend="underline">New York City</hi></addrLine>

are completely equivalent.

Foreign additions in the text

Foreign additions unrelated to the contents of the letter, probably in another hand, we encode as <ab> (anonymous block). ‘Anonymous’ here refers not to the author being unknown, but to this being a block of text not identified as a paragraph, a list or another block-level element. We use the hand attribute to point to the probable writer and describe the hands in the document hands.xml.

For instance (this is an example of an changed address provided by an anonymous person):

<div type="envelope" xml:id="PD">
   <!-- envelope recto -->
   <pb n="envelope-r" xml:id="env-r" facs="#zone-env-r"/> 
   <div type="postalData">
      <md:postmark>Paris XIV … </md:postmark>
       <address type="receiver">
         …
       </address>
   </div>	
   <ab hand="hands.xml#anon">James Abbott // 20xx Newbold Eve // Bronx</ab>
…
</div>    

See annotations for notes as used to annotate the text.

Envelopes

Encode as div type=envelope. See SampleLetterWithEnvelope.xml. The addresses are encoded as divs with type="postalData". The address of the receiver goes on the front (recto) side of the envelope. Code the addresses as <address> with <addrline>s. Give the <address> a type-attribute (receiver, sender). <addrline>-elements are preceded by <lb>-elements if they begin on a new line. Short descriptive phrases (‘sent by’, ‘sender’, ‘To’) before the address go into <label>-elements.

An example of an address:

<address type="receiver">
    <lb/><addrLine rend="underline2">M<hi rend="super underline">r</hi>
        Harry Holtzman</addrLine>
    <lb/><addrLine>231 East 60<hi rend="super">th</hi> Street</addrLine>
    <lb/><addrLine rend="underline">New York City</addrLine>
</address>

See also

• Transcription: structure (Mondrian)
• Transcription: annotations (Mondrian)
• Transcription (Mondrian)