Launch of one of the leading historical-critical editions of German literature as a digital edition

„Der Dichter ist kein Lehrer der Moral, er erfindet und schafft Gestalten, er macht vergangene Zeiten wieder aufleben, und die Leute mögen dann daraus lernen, so gut, wie aus dem Studium der Geschichte und der Beobachtung dessen, was im menschlichen Leben um sie herum vorgeht.” 
Letter No. 58, July 28, 1935, from Georg Büchner to his parents in Darmstadt

The digital edition gives researchers and interested parties the opportunity to freely explore numerous well-known texts by Büchner, his correspondence, philosophical and scientific writings, school essays, and notebooks from over three decades. It is based on 10 volumes and 18 sub-volumes published between 2000 and 2013, and the digital version opens up new possibilities for searchability.

Features

The digital edition, which is closely linked to the existing Büchner portal, relies on a tightly networked linking system. The reference system of the print medium has been enriched by the linking system of the digital medium. This allows users to jump to a reference point with a simple mouse click to navigate to the exact line. At the same time, numerous additional links have been introduced: where appropriate, the information in the MBA digital has been linked to the documents and essays in the Büchner portal.

In addition to the links, all forms of text presentation (manuscript, differentiated transcription, print, etc.) are interconnected. This allows users to navigate between the different forms of presentation with page-precise access or to view two or more text presentations simultaneously. In the Transcribo display format, the differentiated transcription is linked to the corresponding manuscript image on a line-by-line basis so that all lines—including all interlinear and marginal entries—can be highlighted and individually assigned to the transcription as needed. This allows for a smooth reading of the handwritten text, even for readers who are unfamiliar with German cursive script or Büchner's writing habits. For the MBA digital, all existing transcriptions were transferred line by line into the Transcribo system and thus linked to the digitized versions of the manuscript. This makes it possible to further process the manuscript data in the future and to link it bidirectionally with the diplomatic transcriptions.

Furthermore, the system allows users to search for individual words or groups of related words either throughout the entire MBA or specifically in certain volumes and/or sections.

Further, a consolidation of all personal registers from the individual volumes was developed and a comprehensive register was created. In addition to references to short biographies in edition reports and introductions to the sources, this also contains links to portraits and short biographies in the Büchner portal. Where possible, all individuals are linked to The Integrated Authority File (GND) or other personal files.

Errors in the book edition have been corrected and innovations from current research have been continuously integrated. 

Click here for the new edition: https://www.marburger-buechner-ausgabe.de/

Management, team, and funding

The project was led by Prof. Dr. Burghard Dedner (Philipps University of Marburg), Prof. Dr. Roland Borgards (University of Frankfurt), and Dr. Thomas Burch (University of Trier). The team members were Julia Fischer (University of Trier), Dr. Tilman Fischer (University of Marburg), Dr. Gerald Funk (University of Marburg), Dr. Esther Koehring (University of Frankfurt), Ingrid Rehme (University of Marburg), Nicolas Schenk (University of Trier), and Felix Thielen (University of Trier). The project was funded by the German Research Foundation and the Hessian Ministry of Science and Research, Arts and Culture.

Launch at the Büchner Annual Conference

The launch was implemented and celebrated during the annual conference of the Georg Büchner Society. Dr. Burghard Dedner, Dr. Claudia Bamberg, Felix Thielen, and Prof. Dr. Roland Borgards presented the digital edition to conference participants, covering its history, implementation, and functionality.

MBA digital makes Georg Büchner's literary legacy accessible online in a sustainable, open, and structured way, providing a reliable, scholarly basis for all areas of Büchner research.

We would like to thank our partner institutions for their valuable cooperation!