Digital nærlesing og kunnskapsproduksjon i digitale transkriberingsprosesser: Fra gotisk håndskrift til digital tekst

Sammendrag

The literature concerning the role of close reading is somewhat inadequate when it comes to its application on cultural history material. This article examines the role of close reading in the process of creating digital transcriptions from handwritten cultural historical archive material. The article aims to contribute to the field of close reading research by offering the term digital close reading used for close reading where the digital format plays a part in approaching and utilizing the material. The article uses the transcription of Christine Storm Munch’s (1746-1825) cookbook, dated to the latter part of the 18th century and beginning of the 19th, as a case study. Transcribing the cookbook involved the use of images, text and handwritten text recognition (HTR). This article details the transcription process from Gothic handwriting to a digital text, while also giving some guidelines to a practical approach. One of the key points in this article is that digital close reading also includes the understanding of genre and context, which aids in understanding the words written on the page. While creating a digital text, patterns of new knowledge also emerge, even if the primary goal is to create a good and readable digital text. This is referred to as secondary knowledge production in this article. It is also important to remember that digital formats will not reflect the physical material but have their own attributes offering the possibility to ask and answer different types of questions than traditional close reading of archival material.