From Word to Print-and Beyond Introduction

Perhaps no problem faced by folklorists is more pervasive and more profound in its implications than how to represent verbal arts on the printed page, as well as in emergent electronic media. Many aspects of this problem, however, remain relatively unexamined by specialists, while as for the more popular books that claim to present "folklore" or "oral tradition" to the reading public, they often impress one as much by their freedoms or frauds as by their fidelities to a real-world source. The magnitude of this problem is daunting, given how massive a share of the world's literature falls into a "Third" category that is distinct from either elite writings or oral performance. The articles included in this issue of Western Folklore help theorize the process of Verschriftlichung 'textualization' while at the same time offering hands-on guidance to responsible practices in editing and translating.