LITERARY TEXT: SACROSANCTITY VERSUS INTERPOLATION

Abstract Interpolation has a long history of harsh criticism from both ancient Alexandrian librarians and twentieth-century philologists, which obscures its popularity and value during the medieval period. This article begins by recounting the history of interpolation critique, utilizing the Latin verb ‘interpolare’ as a common thread over centuries of commentary. The consensus in this view is that interpolations must be discovered and eradicated. The problem with this scenario is that eliminating interpolations undermines the idea that texts were subject to such interruptive modifications; by erasing embedded texts, these editors silently eliminate a crucial aspect of medieval textual culture. To address this issue, the paper then suggests an alternate scenario in which medieval methods of interpolation represent flexible perspective on authorship and textual unity. Finally, interpolation is shown to be a crucial component of medieval textual culture that has been unfairly ignored due to a long history of misinterpreting it as a threat to the integrity of the text rather than as a sophisticated method of interpretative interaction. The paper has attempted to show through analysis and allusions that interpolation is seen as a corrupting of the text, but this is only half the truth. Attention has been drawn to another aspect of interpolation, namely that it also adds to the text, thereby enhancing its density and meaning, as also making it multi-perspectival.