Index: src/main/java/org/exolab/castor/xml/Introspector.java
===================================================================
--- src/main/java/org/exolab/castor/xml/Introspector.java	(Revision 6994)
+++ src/main/java/org/exolab/castor/xml/Introspector.java	(Arbeitskopie)
@@ -1187,6 +1187,22 @@
         //-- make sure type is not Void, or Class;
         if  (type == Void.class || type == Class.class ) return false;
 
+        float javaVersion = Float.valueOf(System.getProperty("java.specification.version")).floatValue();
+        if (javaVersion >= 1.5) {
+            try {
+                Method isEnumMethod = type.getClass().getMethod("isEnum", (Class[]) null);
+                Boolean isEnum = (Boolean) isEnumMethod.invoke(type, (Object[]) null);
+                if (isEnum.booleanValue()) {
+                    return true;
+                }
+            } catch (Exception e) {
+                // nothing to report; implies that there's no such method
+            }
+//            if (type.isEnum()) {
+//                return true;
+//            }
+        }
+        
         if ( (!type.isInterface())  &&
              (type != Object.class) &&
              (!isPrimitive(type))) {
Index: src/main/java/org/exolab/castor/xml/MarshalFramework.java
===================================================================
--- src/main/java/org/exolab/castor/xml/MarshalFramework.java	(Revision 6994)
+++ src/main/java/org/exolab/castor/xml/MarshalFramework.java	(Arbeitskopie)
@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@
 import org.exolab.castor.mapping.MappingException;
 import org.exolab.castor.mapping.loader.CollectionHandlers;
 
+import java.lang.reflect.Method;
 import java.util.Iterator;
 import java.util.Vector;
 
@@ -204,6 +205,47 @@
     } //-- isPrimitive
 
     /**
+     * Returns true if the given class should be treated as an enum type. This method 
+     * will return true for all Java 5 (or later) enums, and for enum-style
+     * classes.
+     *
+     * @return true if the given class should be treated as an enum
+     **/
+    static boolean isEnum(Class type) {
+
+        if (type == null) {
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        float javaVersion = Float.valueOf(System.getProperty("java.specification.version")).floatValue();
+        if (javaVersion >= 1.5) {
+            try {
+                Method isEnumMethod = type.getClass().getMethod("isEnum", (Class[]) null);
+                Boolean isEnum = (Boolean) isEnumMethod.invoke(type, (Object[]) null);
+                return isEnum.booleanValue();
+            } catch (Exception e) {
+                // nothing to report; implies that there's no such method
+            }
+//            if (type.isEnum()) {
+//                return true;
+//            }
+        }
+        
+        return false;
+        
+        //TODO: investigate whether this code should apply to 1.4 as well ? 
+//        try {
+//            Method isEnumMethod = type.getMethod("isEnum", (Class[]) null);
+//            Boolean isEnum = (Boolean) isEnumMethod.invoke(type, (Object[]) null);
+//            return isEnum.booleanValue();
+//        } catch (Exception e) {
+//            return false;
+//        }
+
+    } //-- isPrimitive
+
+    
+    /**
      * Returns true if any of the fields associated with the given
      * XMLClassDescriptor are located at, or beneath, the given location.
      *
Index: src/main/java/org/exolab/castor/xml/Marshaller.java
===================================================================
--- src/main/java/org/exolab/castor/xml/Marshaller.java	(Revision 6994)
+++ src/main/java/org/exolab/castor/xml/Marshaller.java	(Arbeitskopie)
@@ -1706,6 +1706,16 @@
                     throw new MarshalException(sx);
                 }
             }
+            else if (isEnum(_class)) {
+                char[] chars = object.toString().toCharArray();
+                try {
+                    handler.characters(chars,0,chars.length);
+                }
+                catch(org.xml.sax.SAXException sx) {
+                    throw new MarshalException(sx);
+                }
+                
+            }
         }
 
         //---------------------------
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