Notes: encoding the note itself

Encoding Instructions (old P4 version)

The WWP encodes notes using the note element. Included in the category of “notes” are: footnotes, endnotes, printed marginal notes, and notes which appear within the body of the text. This last category is a creation of necessity; we prefer not to encode material in the body of the text as note, and the element should only be used in cases where there is no logical alternative. examples include parenthetical information (for instance, about the authorship of a particular segment of a work) which is inserted within the text but clearly is distinct from the narrative and represents an intrusion of an editorial voice. Headnotes (for instance, at the beginning of entries in an anthology) would be another possible example.

If the note is linked to the text with a mark of any sort (asterisk, number, letter), the mark as it appears in the note itself is encoded using the pre() keyword on the rend attribute.

Here is what can go inside note:

1. “Notetop” elements which can only occur at the beginning of the note element: label, ref, head, opener. One or more of these may appear, in any order.

2. “Notecomp” elements which can occur alone, or after the opening elements (if any): anchor, bibl, biblFull, biblStruct, castList, cit, l, lg, list, listBibl, note, p, q, quote, seg, sp, stage

3. “Notebot” elements which can occur only after one or more of the notecomp elements: respLine, closer, trailer

4. A note can also consist solely of a respLine element.

In practice:

1. #PCDATA is not allowed directly within note; hence at the very least (if there is no other appropriate element) all notes must contain a p.

2. In notes which begin with a member of “notetop”, the first part of the note (consisting of any “notetop” elements) should be finished before any element from “notecomp” is begun. Thus in a long note beginning with a ref and then continuing with some prose explanation, the p element should not contain the ref element, but should begin after the ref is over. (The break() keyword on rend for the p element will need to be set to “no” in cases where the p starts on the same line as the ref.)

3. We encode references to the text (such as verse, line, or page numbers) using ref. We treat any quotation as a form of reference, so we nest quote inside ref, along with whatever other referencing information may be present. Neither the quote nor the ref should point to the main text; the target on note is sufficient for this.

4. Note the difference between ref, label, and head in this context. ref is for references to other places within the same text (in this case, most often to the location of the noted phrase). label is used for numbers or words which identify the note itself (similar to the numbers in a numbered list). head is the name of the thing of which it is the head; for instance, “The Editor’s Note”.

5. It is very important to distinguish between quotations in notes which restate a passage from the main text (which should be encoded with quote inside ref) and quotations in notes which quote a passage from another text, by way of documentation or to give the source of an allusion (which should be encoded as quote, with any accompanying bibliographic reference encoded as bibl). See example 5 for both kinds. The latter should not be confused with epigraphs, which have the same basic form but a different function.

Example 1. An example of a reasonably verbose note with all the 
                usual parts:
                <note><ref>Verse 1, line 3. <quote>Fairest Autumn 
                fades</quote></ref> 
                <p>This line echoes the delightful, though too little known 
                words of our national poet: 
                <quote><lg type="couplet">
                <l>Though fairest autumn fades, let none deny</l> 
                <l>That spring in all its bliss is ever nigh.</l> 
                </lg></quote> 
                <bibl>Gutworth, Scenes of Country Life, ll. 578&mdash;579.</bibl>
                However, our present author has given the sentiment greater 
                point.</p> 
                <respline>The Editor</respline></note>
                
            

Example 2.  A very simple example illustrating the need for a 
                <p> directly inside <note>, even if the <p> is very 
                short:
                <note><p>A duck.</p></note>
           

Example 3.  Another example of a simple note, this time with only 
                a bibliographic reference:
                <note><bibl>Pope, The Rape of the 
                Lock.</bibl></note>
                
            

Example 4.  Another type of simple note, with just a <respLine>:
                <note><respLine>Homer.</respline></note>
                
            

Example 5.  In the following example, the first quotation is the 
                one repeating the noted phrase from the text, and is contained within 
                the <ref> element; the other quotations are from other sources 
                which are being used to explain the noted phrase. Note that the 
                <p> element does not start till after the initial <ref> 
                element. (This is from Anne Francis, Song of Solomon, p. 67.)
                <note><ref>Ver. 15. <quote>As pillars of marble, 
                set upon sockets of fine gold.</quote></ref> 
                <p rend="break(no)"><quote 
                part="I">Doubtless</quote> (says Mr. Harmer) 
                <quote part="F">his legs being like pillars of 
                marble, refers to the breeches [or drawers] of fine linen he wore; 
                such garments being ordered to be worn by the priests of God, whose 
                vestments were appointed for glory and beauty.</quote> 
                <bibl>Exod. xxxiii.2, 42.</bibl>
                <bibl>See Outl. p. 117.</bibl> Sandys says of the Turks, 
                that <quote>they wear next the skin a smock of 
                calico...</quote> <bibl>Lib. i. p. 
                49.</bibl></p></note>