Most editors of literature consider it their main duty to present the

Question

Most editors of literature consider it their main duty to present the text as the writer intended. This sounds simple, but putting aside the question of how the author's intentions can be known, it is not necessarily clear what is meant by author's intentions. The actual cases are so diverse that one cannot formulate universal rules for an editor. Sometimes authors have been pressured to alter their work. The publisher of the first edition of The Red Badge of Courage mollified Stephen Crane's uncompromising depiction of the horrors of war. The publisher of the first edition of Women in Love toned down some of D.H. Lawrence's explicit sexual passages. In both cases, the changes were "authorized" in the sense that the authors accepted the. But them, it was either that or not see their work published at all. Did they then accept the, freely, and if not, do the changes represent the authors' intentions? Most readers recognize the importance of punctuation to an author's individual style. Yet punctuation is what publishers traditionally feel most free to alter; first editions tend to present the publisher's "house style" rather than the author's own punctuation. The obvious course for an editor is to return to the author's manuscript, where possible. But publishing-house re-punctuation is so routine that some authors seem to have 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 did not intend to be reproduced in print.

Jane Eyre provides an interesting quandary for an editor. We have Charlotte Bronte's original manuscript. We also have a letter from her publisher, thanking him for correcting her punctuation. Which punctuation is more authentically "Brontean": Bronte's own, or that which Bronte explicitly preferred to her own? The thorniest situation of all, perhaps, involves authorial revision made long after publication. For example, W.H. Auden altered his 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 greater authority?

Jane Eyre provides an interesting quandary for an editor. We have Charlotte Bronte's original manuscript. We also have a letter from her publisher, thanking him for correcting her punctuation. Which punctuation is more authentically "Brontean": Bronte's own, or that which Bronte explicitly preferred to her own? The thorniest situation of all, perhaps, involves authorial revision made long after publication. For example, W.H. Auden altered his 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 greater authority?   1 
  Which of the following can be inferred about the text of Jane Eyre from the passage?

(A) An edition that followed the punctuation of the manuscript would be too hard to read.
(B) The punctuation of the first edition misrepresents the intentions of the author.
(C) The punctuation of the manuscript has the advantage of being the author's own.
(D) The author made a mistake by allowing her publisher to correct her punctuation.
(E) The author did not expect the publisher to correct her punctuation.

C: This is true based on the information in the passage. We know that there is a manuscript which has been unaltered from Charlotte Bronte. 
 2 
  It can be inferred that the author would regard which of the following as potentially a legitimate basis for a new edition of a literary work?

1: An author's original manuscript
2: A first edition incorporating the publisher's revisions
3: A second edition thoroughly amended by the author.

(A) 1 only
(B) 3 only
(C) 1 and 2 only
(D) 1 and 3 only
(E) 1, 2 and 3

E 
 3 
  Which of the following situations would the author probably say presents the least 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
(C) Dickinson's poems are preserved only in her own oddly-punctuated manuscripts
(D) Whitman printed Leaves of Grass himself
(E) Because of his blindness, Joyce had difficultly proofreading Ulysses

D is correct because Whitman controls the publication of the manuscript from start to end.

carcass · Accepted Answer

As premises:

the passage ir quite ackward with a lot of shifts that me too had difficulties to understand and to put in a clear framwork. As a matter of fact, for me is not a good passage though, generally speaking, Kaplan is a must for the gmat preparation, at least in RC.

It can be inferred that the author would regard which of the following as potentially a legitimate basis for a new edition of a literary work?

1: An author's original manuscript in genral,  the passage points out just this: the review of the original authpor's work 
2: A first edition incorporating the publisher's revisions  In the first paragraph you have 2 examples on how the first edition is modified 
3: A second edition thoroughly amended by the author.

(A) 1 only
(B) 3 only
(C) 1 and 2 only
(D) 1 and 3 only
(E) 1, 2 and 3

Which of the following situations would the author probably say presents the least 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
(C) Dickinson's poems are preserved only in her own oddly-punctuated manuscripts
(D) Whitman printed Leaves of Grass himself  The only reason is that the main point of the argument is the revison of a work. the question ask for the least...so is like a CR question in which you have to find the question that weaken or else the argument EXCEPT 
(E) Because of his blindness, Joyce had difficultly proofreading Ulysses

I would suggest you do not spend too much time to think about this passage and to move on for a better passage (even by kaplan) or other reliable sources

regards

jenchen0908 · Answer

can anyone explain why the answer to the 1st questions is (C) The punctuation of the manuscript has the advantage of being the author's own. ???? I just don't get it. the last paragraph only says : "Which punctuation is more authentically "Brontean": Bronte's own, or that which Bronte explicitly preferred to her own?

where did it say in the passage that "the punctuation of the manuscript has the advantage"????

hope someone can help me here .... really much appreciated !!

where did it say in the passage that "the punctuation of the manuscript has the advantage"????

hope someone can help me here .... really much appreciated !!

Maxirosario2012 · Answer

Hi,
the author gives the example of Jane Eyre to explain the  quandary   that is presented to the author regarding the authenticity of punctuation. 
Therefore, in resolving this quandary (which punctuation is more "authentical": the punctuation in the manuscript or the one in the edited text), the fact that the manuscript is 100% written by the author gives to the manuscript an advantage over the edited text.

thanhtam0102 · Answer

2: It can be inferred that the author would regard which of the following as potentially a legitimate basis for a new edition of a literary work? 
III : A second edition thoroughly amended by the author. 
"The thorniest situation of all, perhaps, involves authorial revision made long after publication." We can remove choice A and C. 
II:A first edition incorporating the publisher's revisions.
"The publisher of the first edition of Women in Love toned, The publisher of the first edition of The Red Badge, the changes were "authorized" in the sense that the authors accepted"
Just choice E has both II and III, so E is the answer.

1. Which of the following can be inferred about the text of Jane Eyre from the passage?
"We also have a letter from her publisher, thanking him for correcting her punctuation. Which punctuation is more authentically "Brontean"
I think it is quite clear to deduce in this question.

3 ) Which of the following situations would the author probably say presents the least difficult decision for an editor? 
The passage mentions many time about the quandary of the editors, because they base on the authors' opinion to publish. Choice D said that the editor is also the author so that he can do anything in their text.

rish2708 · Answer

For question 1, I think C is an option which is subject to   interpretation  
Just checked the meaning of   quadnary  - it means puzzling ( in lay man terms)

Also the passage 3 writes which is better? - Author provides no EXPLAINATION for the INTENTION.

I believe, since inference should be a MUST BE TRUE question ( based on the theories of Powerscore and CR), we CERTAINLY don't know whether she felt it better than her own creation.

So this question I believe is more about the intent, which also we don't know because the last para EXPLICITLY mentions this :
The thorniest situation of all, perhaps, involves authorial revision made long after publication.

We again don't know whether she revised the punctuations that is too LONG AFTER.

Can anybody help me if I am wrong here?

I opted E though because at the time of solving the problem I thought that she MIGHT not have expected the corrections ( which is again about the intent)

Regards,
Rishav

VerbalBot · Answer

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Most editors of literature consider it their main duty to present the

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Most editors of literature consider it their main duty to present the

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