COLLEGIUM PAPERS - AN INTRODUCTION David Robinson
In the early years of the Collegium, the annual papers were published in hard-copy book form, which gave them a sense of permanence which some (if not all of them, perhaps) certainly deserved. Sadly, the changing situation of cultural economies no longer permits us this traditional style of record, and we now reluctantly acknowledge that the only mode or publication for the immediate future is on-line. We look for the positive side in every necessity. The formality of book production required that the papers underwent a formal process of editing, to transform them into conventional, correct English. It made for easier reading, but we were also conscious that often we lost a certain freshness and vitality in the very errors of people battling to express themselves in a language not native to them (and moreover we had occasional complaints that our editing was too opinionated!). The internet heartens informality and is a welcoming host to orthographic eccentricity. Now, then, we feel justified in publishing the papers in their original form – errors and enthusiasm unchecked. We are proud – even amazed by the best of them; disappointed in those that have not turned out so well. But they are all new voices, worth hearing. � ������� ������ ��������� ������ �������������� 1