| Chapter : | Introduction |
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The more common method of restoration is the creation of a critical edition from the various existing manuscripts, published and unpublished. The aim of this method is to create an authoritative text that “represent[s] as nearly as possible the author's intentions” (Gaskell 336). The method is commonly referred to in critical circles as the “intentionalist” theory and method, though “intentionalist” does not mean that the critic presumes to know more about the work than the author himself. Rather, the editor must examine each change within the context of the work's artistic integrity to establish a text that reflects the author's vision in its best light. In other words, unlike a non-critical edition, a critical edition “demands both criticism and conjecture….” (Greetham 352). West used the intentionalist method in the restoration of Jennie Gerhardt, following guidelines set out by W. W. Greg, Fredson Bowers, and G. Thomas Tanselle, all of whom are pioneers in the study of textual editing. These scholars were instrumental in setting the foundation for intentionalist theory and in bringing about significant recognition to the field of textual studies. The guidelines set out by Greg, Bowers, and Tanselle have been adopted by the Center for Editions of American Authors (CEAA), and have been followed by all critical editions endorsed and financially supported by the CEAA. West, however, does not note in the Pennsylvania edition of Jennie Gerhardt whether the text is endorsed by the CEAA.
The intentionalist method is best explained by a brief overview of Greg, Bowers, and Tanselle's influential works. W. W. Greg's 1948 essay, “The Rationale of Copy-Text” has been, by far, the most important in establishing a ground for intentionalist studies. The purpose of Greg's essay was to dismantle the popular idea that the most authoritative text is always the last edition published during an author's life, an “assumption” that “rested on an undocumented (and often undocumentable) theory that it was the normal practice for authors personally to see all editions of their works through the press” (Greetham 333). Instead, he suggests a method of dual authority, wherein the first edition, if available, is used as a starting point. Because “spelling is now recognized as an essential characteristic of an author,” he explains, the first edition should be the most authoritative text for establishing accidentals (Greg 43). In determining