The term "editor" covers a number of functions ranging from one who ma

The term "editor" covers a number of functions ranging from one who makes acceptance decisions or is responsible for commissioning and organizing a publishing program; to someone internal who deals with the production process (production editor) or is responsible for copy-editing typescript and/or electronic manuscripts. Most copy-editors of literature consider it their main duty to present the text as the writer intended. As Thomas McCormack says, ―the primary rule of editing is, first do no harm.‖ This sounds simple, but aside from the question of whether the author‘s intentions can ever be known, it is not necessarily clear what is actually intended. The actual cases are so diverse that any singular maxim probably does more harm than good.

Circumstances abound in which pressure has been applied to authors by their editors to alter their work. The publisher of the first edition of The Red Badge of Courage moderated Stephen Crane‘s uncompromising depiction of the horrors of war. The publisher of the first edition of Women in Love toned down much of the explicit nature of D.H. Lawrence‘s sexual passages. In both cases, the changes were ―authorized‖ insofar as the authors accepted them. But then, on the other hand, what other option did they face except not seeing their work published at all. Can this situation be construed as the authors‘ ―free‖ acceptance of the editorial alterations, and do the author‘s intentions endure?

More recently, there has arisen a trend in editing that is well illustrated by the declaration adopted in 1992 by the Board of Directors of the Association of American University Presses: ―Books…should also be at the forefront in recognizing how language encodes prejudice. They should also be agents for change and the redress of past mistakes. This ―politically correct‖ movement seeks to eliminate un-intended perpetuation of prejudices in literature, but with obvious, inherent dangers and difficulties.

Not all difficult problems for editors are caused by moral, political, ethical or even marketing issues. Punctuation, mainly thought of as part of an author‘s individual style, is not usually considered controversial. In spite—and partly because—of this, punctuation is what publisher straditionally feel most free to alter as mere, neutral ―correction‖ (a gross example is the unskilled and unnecessary editing of Emily Dickinson‘s eccentric, but eloquent, punctuation in early editions of her works).

First editions in particular tend to present the publisher‘s ―house style‖rather than the author‘s own punctuation. The obvious course for an editor might be to return to the author‘s manuscript wherever possible. But publishing-house re-punctuation is so routine that many authors have actually counted on it for the correct punctuation of their work; in such cases, the manuscript would contain punctuation (or a lack thereof) that the author never expected to see reproduced in print. Jane Eyre provides an interesting quandary for an editor. We have Charlotte Brontë‘s original manuscript. We also have a letter from Brontë to her publisher, thanking him for correcting her punctuation. Which punctuation is more authentically ―Brontëan‖: Brontë‘s own, or that which Brontë explicitly preferred to her own?

The thorniest situation of all, perhaps, involves authorial revisions made long after publication. W.H. Auden, in subsequent editions of his work, altered his own earlier poems to accord with his later political and religious opinions. One fancies that the young Auden would have been furious at the old Auden‘s liberties. Yet both are Auden—which has the greater authority?

1. Which of the following can be inferred about the text of Jane Eyre from the passage?

A. Following the punctuation of the manuscript would make the book more difficult to read.
B. The punctuation of the first edition misrepresents the intentions of the author.
C. Bronte made a mistake by allowing her publisher to correct her punctuation.
D. Bronte requested that the publisher make corrections to her punctuation.
E. Bronte was not very good with punctuation



2. Based on information in the passage, which of the following new discoveries would potentially be a legitimate basis for a new edition of a literary work?

I. An author‘s original manuscript
II. A first edition incorporating the publisher‘s revisions
III. A second edition thoroughly emended by the author

A. I only
B. III only
C. I and II only
D. I and III only
E. I, II and III



3. Based on the information given in the passage, which of the following situations would the author probably consider the most difficult decision for an editor?

A. Pope rewrote The Dunciad, directing the satire against a completely different person.
B. Dickens changed the ending of Great Expectations at a friend‘s suggestion before its publication in book form.
C. Whitman printed Leaves of Grass himself and continued to produce new, expanded editions for almost 40 years.
D. James Joyce‘s poor eyesight made it difficult for him to proofread his manuscripts.
E. Shakespeare‘s works that had been edited by Thomas Bowdler to make it more acceptable to families