Part Two: Edition Differences (Close Reading)
The primary focus of this section is analyzing the difference in significant character interactions throughout the novel between editions. We feel this section will give users a closer look at the character dynamics displayed in part one of this project through the lens of close analysis. Keeping consistent with the definition of literature as a "process" rather than an end product, this section of the project supports analysis of the evolution of the text. The "closer look at Malamud's editing process," will also give readers an easier way to analyze revision history. We hope that this kind of analysis will also give insight into the general principles of the craft. Additionally, the unique format allows readers to explore Malamud's revision in the form of suggested line-by-line edits based on careful study of differences between the manuscript and the published novel.
How it works:
The following interactions are grouped by character interactions. The Pauline and Levin tab, for example, displays moments we feel are significant in analyzing the dynamics between these two characters. Within subcategories, the moments are organized chronologically. On each page, you will be able to view the manuscript version with Malamud's notes beside the published version. Once you scroll down, you will be able to view a simulation of Malamud's revision process. The text in red represents changes Malamud made to the manuscript. The additions are simply red text and the omissions are both red and crossed-out to portray sections of text that are entirely absent from the published version. The text in black are the words that survived in the published draft. On a first glance, users will be able to see a visual representation of roughly what percentage of the text escaped the revision process unharmed, what percentage was deemed unworthy, and what percentage was added by Malamud at some point before publication of the novel. For example, if a page contains a lot of red text, but not a lot of it is crossed out, this may suggest a scene where Malamud felt satisfied with the foundational version of the scene, but decided to expand it. A brief analysis of these differences follows in the form of close-reading that focuses on the revision process.
Limitations:
The focus in this project is to display a close analysis of the revision Malamud did on A New Life. As such, we utilized line-by-line editing to showcase the differences between editions. As with anything, this came with certain limitation. For example, if Malamud changed the order of events in a scene, this was particularly difficult to display while keeping with the focus of the project and often these moments were not emphasized to the extent we would have liked. Because of copyright constraints, we relied heavily on excerpts we chose based on our data. As a result, there are many moments of significant change we were not able to include. Additionally, our hybrid sections are merely simulations of Malamud's editing process and we have no evidence, outside of his comments on the manuscript, that the line-by-line editing is fully representative of the way Malamud edited and revised his work. We think that, while they have significant value in providing visual representation of Malamud's revisions and providing a more accessible way to do analysis, they best serves as a suggestion of literary and revision processes of any author. Finally, we recognize that the analyses we provided likely contain biases and are certainly not exhaustive.
