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• 1 2016-03-07T23:01:06-08:00 Bucket and Levin 22 Interactions between Bucket and Levin plain 2016-03-15T20:28:26-07:00

  A closer look at Malamud's editing process: 

  “I have nothing against Howard as a person. He is friendly, democratic, quite charming, but he is, so to say, intellectually peripatetic. I don’t see in him anything resembling C.D.’s learning or, or closeness to literature; not his steadfastness not forthrightness. Howard Gerald, don’t mistake me in his way, is an good efficient administrator, although more interested, it is my guess, in administration than administering an English department. Perhaps Hhe has his sights set on a future may someday be a deanship of something or other, but CD, in my opinion, is more truly interested in literature and literary scholarship and  I am reasonably certain C.D. would turn down such an offer if it were made to him. He would like nothing better than to remain at the helm of an English department, and it goes almost without saying that he would make this a be much more effective and respected department than it has been in raising our standards. Although I agree with your observation that there'll be few daring innovations under either man, yet what comes with CD will come with increasing value." [Malamud breaks the paragraph here in the published draft, but in the manuscript it is all in one paragraph] 

  "I didn't mean—" 

   "When I say this 'raising our standards'," Bucket hurried on "please understand, I speak without disrespect to for Dr. Fairchild, one of my an old and revered much-liked teachers of mine,. but it is apparent that his interests in recent years have lain elsewhere than upon matters of administering an English department. I've often thought it a shame that he did not devote himself entirely to teaching. I'll testify he does it well.” 

  Levin, slowly stroking his beard, asked, “Would Does Fabrikant be able to deal with people. Isn’t he rather uneasy with them have a chance at the job?” 

  “Not with students, though he is somewhat, in person-to-person relationships with members of the staff, but I imagine this situation will tend to be ameliorated as he gain experience as head of department. I think he will mellow if given responsibility.” 

  "Your guess is equal to mine. I understand the situation is fluid. No one I know quite understands the preference of the new dean in all this. One hears all sorts of rumors." 

  “Responsibility or power?” 

  “Both.” 

  “Another question,” said Levin. “Is Gilley a at all liberal? His wife sounds like she is.” 

  “He may think he is but his constitution is conservative. On the other hand, C.D. will not retreat in his defense of a liberal idea.I wouldn't judge him by her.”  

  Sample analysis:

  As evidenced by the large ratio of red text to black text, Malamud made significant changes to this early interaction between Levin and his colleague, Joe Bucket, primarily with the tone of the information Bucket shares (to see a visual representation of character exchanges, visit the Request Dynamics page). Bucket is far less specific in the published version and the effect is a more direct and concise summary of his opinion. Where the manuscript version reveals Bucket's reluctance to divulge a final opinion on the matter (he spends about equal time professing his respect for Gilley's and Fabrikant's virtues), in the published version, Bucket seems more settled on his preference of Fabrikant over Gilley. The complete removal of Bucket's introductory appraisal of Gilley (Howard in the original manuscript) suggests that Bucket has a greater trust in Levin's discretion. Additionally, in the manuscript version, Bucket's assessment that neither candidate is perfect for the job comes much later and is in fact outside the scope of the above excerpt. This hints at a greater uncertainty on Bucket's part about the success of either candidate. When he speaks of Dr. Fairchild, he is less forthcoming about Fairchild's limitations as a dean and speaks only in praise of his teaching abilities, suggesting that his trust in Levin isn't complete. Despite his exclusion of Fairchild's faults, his subtle assertion that Fairchild should have remained a teacher provides a subtle insight into Bucket's feelings as to Fairchild's effectiveness as a dean without him having to directly confess this to Levin.

  Additionally, the discussion of Fabrikant's anti-social tendencies is absent from the published version. This gives the sense that Levin is less familiar with Fabrikant, or at least that he has more confidence in Fabrikant despite knowing less about him. Over the course of the conversation, Bucket tends to reveal less information in the published version. When Levin asks about Gilley's political affiliation, for example, Bucket neither confirms nor denies that Gilley is a liberal, again choosing to suggest his opinion on the subject rather than state it directly.

  Malamud has also removed Bucket's statement of Fabrikant's political affiliation contained in the statement "On the other hand, CD will not retreat in the defense of a liberal idea," again implying that Bucket has doubts about both candidates. Finally, Bucket's divisive statement about Gilley and Pauline ("I wouldn't judge him by her") indicates them as separate entities and sets up for Levin's treatment of Pauline later in the novel.