emendation

Emendation, in the context of textual criticism, refers to the process of correcting or improving a written work to restore it to its original form. Textual criticism itself is the study aimed at establishing the original text of a literary work. This involves analyzing various versions of a text to identify and correct errors that may have occurred during transmission through copying or other means.123456

The goal of emendation is to bridge the gap between the earliest inferable state of a text and its original form, often by using reasoned conjecture when the transmitted text is deemed inauthentic. This practice originated with ancient scholars in Alexandria who sought to create critical editions of important texts. While emendation can involve guesswork, it is guided by principles of historical inquiry, philology, and literary analysis to make the best possible determination of the original wording.254