6.12 Divisions

6.12.1 SGML

Like TEI P3, RET uses division tags, numbered in sequence, or unnumbered, except that where TEI gives a single tag series, <div>, <div0>, <div1> ... <div7>, RET has four, one for the printer's bibliographical matter (<bkdv>, <bkdv1> ... <bkdv4>), one for general text (<ttdv>), and one each for plays and poetry (<pmdv> and <plydv>). See TEI P3, pp. 936-45. The single divisional tag proposed by TEI eases text retrieval in a large electronic library; and some editors may prefer to tag <div0 type="verse" form="sonnet sequence" n="1"> rather than <pmdv1 type="sonnet sequence" n="1">. It seems clear, however, that divisions in verse are quite different from ones in plays, and that both kinds of structures differ generically from ones in prose treatises. The increased granularity of RET divisional tags arises from an attempt to bind tag content to the Renaissance period.

The first example, from the 1609 quarto of Shakespeare's sonnets, employs three nested divisions for the poem: <pmdv1 type="" n=""> (with two types, the sonnets and then the Complaint), <pmdv2 type="" n=""> (where the types are each sonnet and each stanza in the Complaint), and <pmdv3 type="" n=""> (where the type is the verse line). It is also possible to make <pmdv3> a tag for verse groups within the stanza, and <pmdv4> a tag for verse lines. TEI P3 recommends the use of the unstructural <l> ... </l> tags for verse lines, and of the unstructural <lg><lg1> ... <lg5> tags for (nesting) groups of verse lines (e.g., refrains within stanzas, etc.). It is not clear whether the Shakespearean sonnet should be subdivided, although it could be.

The book is a quarto in which a gathering consists of a single forme. Note that, because multiple formes are often collected in a single gathering (as here) and because the sequence of pages on the inner and outer formes does not correspond to the order of the pages in the electronic text, neither forme nor forme side can be tagged within SGML as a numbered division. This is so because the tags would not nest properly. For this reason, information about the forme side and the forme are made attributes of the <bkdv2> tag.

A basic guide to determining book format is Philip Gaskell's A New Introduction to Bibliography (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1972). 

<bkdv1 type="gathering" format="quarto" n="1" in="1s">.... 
...
<bkdv2 type="page" n="5" sig="A1r" side="outer" forme="1">

&ornament;
<pmdv1 type="sonnet sequence" n="1">
<heading>
<bkdv3 type="line" n="21"><f type="dprl">
  S<f type="prl">HAKE-SPEARES,
<bkdv3 type="line" n="22"><f type="pil">SONNETS.
</heading>
<pmdv2 type="sonnet" n="1" rhyme="ababcdcdefefgg">
<bkdv3 type="line" n="23"><pmdv3 type="line"
  n="1"><f type="2sprt">F<f type="pr">Rom
  faire{{s}t} creatures we de{{s}i}re increa{s}e,
<bkdv3 type="line" n="24"><pmdv3 type="line" n="2">That
  thereby beauties <f type="pi">Ro{s}e<f type="pr"> might neuer die,
<bkdv3 type="line" n="25"><pmdv3 type="line"
  n="3">But as the riper {{s}h}ould by time decea{s}e,
<bkdv3 type="line" n="26"><pmdv3 type="line"
  n="4">His tender heire might beare his memory:
The second example comes from Shakespeare's Hamlet (F1). The <bkdv3> line numbers are not supplied. Again, TEI would recommend <dv0 type="play">, <dv1 type="act">, and <dv2 type="scene"> instead of the more granular <plydv> tags. 
<bkdv3 type="line" n=""><plydv1 type="act" n="1"> Actus
  Primus. <plydv2 type="scene" n="1" classscene="1">Scoena Prima.
<bkdv3 type="line" n=""><plydv3 type="line" n="1">
  <stage type="entrance">Enter Barnardo and Francisco two Centinels.</stage>
<bkdv3 type="line" n=""><plydv3 type="line" n="2">
  <sp who="Barnardo"><speaker>Barnardo.</speaker> Who's there?
<bkdv3 type="line" n=""><plydv3 type="line" n="3"<
  sp who="Francisco"><speaker>Fran.</speaker> Nay answer me: Stand & vnfold your selfe.
...</sp>
</plydv2>
...
</plydv1>
Here the division is into act, scene, and speech (note how at least some stage directions now belong to the act and scene divisions unless they are arbitrarily added to the beginning or end of a speech). The <bkdv3> line numbers have again been omitted. If tagged by <plydv4>, play-text line numbers would be reset to 1 at the start of each speech.

To add tags for through-scene line numbers, either use the <milestone> tag or a <plydv type="line" n=""> tag that is under the <plydv2> tag and is reset at the start of each scene. 

<bkdv3 type="line" n=""><plydv1 type="act" n="1">
  Actus  Primus.<plydv2 type="scene" n="1">Scoena Prima.
<bkdv3 type="line" n=""><stage type="entrance">
  Enter Barnardo and Francisco two Centinels.</stage>
<bkdv3 type="line" n=""><plydv3 type="speech"
  n="1" who="Barnardo"><speaker>Barnardo.</speaker>
Who's there?
<bkdv3 type="line" n=""><plydv3 type="speech"
  n="1" who="Francisco"><speaker>Fran.</speaker>
  <bkdv3 type="line" n="">Nay answer me: Stand & vnfold
your selfe.
The third example shows one treatment of Francis Bacon's Essays (1625), dividing the work into essays (ttdv1 type="essay"), paragraphs (ttdv2 type="p"), and lines (ttdv3 type="line"). TEI P3 would recommend <div0 type="essays">, <div1 type="essay">, and <div2 type="paragraph">.

Note how the lineation reverts to zero at the end of each paragraph. This can be rectified by making the lineation an unnumbered division <ttdv> under <ttdv1>. Some tag attributes are not filled in. 

<bkdv1 type="gathering" format="" n="" in="">.... 
<bkdv2 type="page" n="" sig="" side="" forme="">
...
<ttdv1 type="essay" n="3">
<bkdv3 type="line" n=""><heading>
<bkdv3 type="line" n="">Of Vnity in           
<bkdv3 type="line" n="">Religion . 
</heading>
<headingno> 
<bkdv3 type="line" n="">III .</headingno> 
<ttdv2 type="par" n="1">
<bkdv3 type="line" n=""><ttdv3 type="line" n="1">REligion being the chiefe Band 
<bkdv3 type="line" n=""><ttdv3 type="line" n="2">of humane Society , it is a 
<bkdv3 type="line" n=""><ttdv3 type="line" n="3">happy thing , when it {s}elfe , 
<bkdv3 type="line" n=""><ttdv3 type="line" n="4">is well contained , within the 
<bkdv3 type="line" n=""><ttdv3 type="line" n="5">true Band of Vnity . The Quarrels , and 
....
<ttdv2 type="par" n="2"> 
<bkdv3 type="line" n=""><ttdv3 type="line" n="1">The Fruits of Vnity ( next vnto the 
<bkdv3 type="line" n=""><ttdv3 type="line" n="2">well Plea{s}ing of God , which is All in All ) 
<bkdv3 type="line" n=""><ttdv3 type="line" n="3">are two ; The One , towards tho{s}e , that

6.12.2 COCOA

Consider using the numbered division tags <ttdv1>, <ttdiv2>, <ttdv3>, and <ttdv4> to indicate structural divisions in texts that have no special genre, and <plydv1>, <pmdv1>, etc., for texts of these genres. Numbered division tags appear for major sections of a work that repeat or cycle, or that enclose such repeating sections. Normally, use unnumbered division tags <ttdv>, <plydv>, and <pmdv> for other non-essential but important sections. Distinguishing between these is sometimes a matter of opinion. For example, I think that the prologue, acts, and the epilogue of a play should be numbered <plydv1> divisions because they all have a comparable importance in the play, even though the prologue and epilogue do not repeat or include repeating sections. The dramatis personae section, in contrast, seems to me to be an unnumbered <plydv> division, like prefaces, dedications, dedicatory poems, indexes, and bibliography. In general, anything that has a number in Renaissance works should be given a numbered division tag.

In general, any authorial section deserves a <ttdv> tag, and any printer's or publisher's section a <bkdv> tag. Give the numbered division tags <bkdv1>, <bkdv2>, <bkdv3>, <bkdv4>, and <bkdv5> in this order to the gathering or quire, the forme, the forme side (inner or outer), the page or signature, and the line number. Where the gathering is a single forme, make the forme <bkdv2>, and each gathering <bkdv1> will only have one forme. If there are columns on the page, these might be considered appropriate for <bkdv5> tags, although where a page begins with a line that extends across the complete page width and then shifts into columns, that full line would be <bkdv5>, the columns would be <bkdv6>, and the column lines would be <bkdv7>. The title-page, printer's introduction or preface, errata, and colophon are secondary to the basic physical book-structure and should probably be given unnumbered <bkdv> tags. Where book or printer's matter in a work leaves off structurally is sometimes a matter of judgment. A printer's address to the reader, as in Shakespeare's 1609 sonnets, certainly belongs to <bkdv> encoding, but an author's own preface probably belongs to a <ttdv1> structure.

The first example, from the 1609 quarto of Shakespeare's sonnets, employs three nested divisions for the poem: <pmdv1> (with two values, for the sonnets and then for the Complaint), <pmdv2> (for each sonnet, and then for each stanza in the Complaint), and <pmdv3> (the verse lines). The book is a quarto in which a gathering consists of a single forme. 

<bkdv1 gathering1>
<bkdv2 forme01>
<bkdv3 outer>
<bkdv4 sig[B1r]>
<page [5]>
<catchw This>
[[ornament]]
<pmdv1 sonnets>
<tt title>
<mode p>
<bkdv5 ln21><f dprl>S<f prl>HAKE-SPEARES,
<bkdv5 ln22><f pil>SONNETS.
<bkt text>
<mode v>
<pmdv2 sonnet1>
<rhyme ababcdcdefefgg>
<bkdv5 ln23><pmdv3 1><f 2sprt>F<f pr>Rom faire{{s}t} creatures we de{{s}i}re increa{s}e,
<bkdv5 ln24><pmdv3 2>That thereby beauties <f pi>Ro{s}e<f pr> might neuer die,
<bkdv5 ln25><pmdv3 3>But as the riper {{s}h}ould by time decea{s}e,
<bkdv5 ln26><pmdv3 4>His tender heire might beare his memory:
The second example comes from Shakespeare's Hamlet (F1). Here the division is into act, scene, and line. The <bkdv5> line numbers have been omitted (they begin at the start of the first folio). 
<bkdv5 ln><plydv1 act1>
<classicalscene 00>
<bkdv5 ln><tt act>Actus  Primus. <plydv2 scene1><tt scene>Scoena Prima.<f r>
<tt stage>
<bkdv5 ln><plydv3 ln1>Enter Barnardo and Francisco two Centinels.
<bkdv5 ln><plydv3 ln2><speaker Barnardo><tt sppfx>Barnardo.<tt speech>
Who's there?
<bkdv5 ln><plydv3 ln3<speaker Francisco><tt sppfx>Fran.<tt speech>
  Nay answer me: Stand & vnfold
<bkdv5 ln><plydv3 ln4>your selfe.
Here the division is into act, scene, and speech (note how at least some stage directions now belong to the act and scene divisions unless they are arbitrarily added to the beginning or end of a speech). 
<bkdv5 ln><plydv1 act1>
<classicalscene 00>
<bkdv5 ln><tt act>Actus  Primus. <plydv2 scene1><tt scene>Scoena Prima.
<tt stage>
<bkdv5 ln>Enter Barnardo and Francisco two Centinels.
<bkdv5 ln><plydv3 ln1><speaker Barnardo><tt sppfx>Barnardo.<tt speech>
Who's there?
<bkdv5 ln><plydv3 ln2><speaker Francisco><tt sppfx>Fran.<tt speech>
  Nay answer me: Stand & vnfold
<bkdv5 ln><plydv3 ln3>your selfe.
The third example shows one treatment of Francis Bacon's Essays (1625), dividing the work into essays (ttdv1), paragraphs (ttdv2), and lines (ttdv3). Note how the lineation reverts to zero at the end of each paragraph. This can be rectified by making the lineation an unnumbered division <ttdv>. <bkdv5> line numbers have been omitted. 
<ttdv1 essay3>
<tt title>
<bkdv5 ln>Of Vnity in           
<bkdv5 ln>Religion . 
<tt essayno> 
<bkdv5 ln>III .<tt essay> 
<ttdv2 par1>
 
<bkdv5 ln><ttdv3 ln1><f i> <f bi>R<f r>Eligion <f r> being the chiefe Band 
<bkdv5 ln><ttdv3 ln2>of humane Society , it is a 
<bkdv5 ln><ttdv3 ln3>happy thing , when it {s}elfe , 
<bkdv5 ln><ttdv3 ln4>is well contained , within the 
<bkdv5 ln><ttdv3 ln5>true Band of <f i> Vnity <f r> . The Quarrels , and 
....
<ttdv2 par2> 
<bkdv5 ln><ttdv3 ln1>The Fruits of Vnity <f r> ( next vnto the 
<bkdv5 ln><ttdv3 ln2>well Plea{s}ing of God , which is All in All ) 
<bkdv5 ln><ttdv3 ln3>are two ; The One , towards tho{s}e , that