Books Quote by Judith Thurman
“As for the multiple editions, in the case of a truly great writer - Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson, Proust, someone with a canon - there is often a "variorum" edition of the work that presents its variants. I think publishing most other writing that way would be impossible, economically, for publishers, and very ill-advised for authors.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: The New Yorker, “The Canon and the Variorum”, 2005
A true literary master’s work often has many textual variants, compiled in a variorum edition, which is costly and impractical for most writers to publish in that format.
In simple terms: Great authors have many versions; others cannot afford it.
Key Takeaway
Consider the value versus cost of comprehensive editions.
Themes
literature
publishing economics
canonical works
Mood
analytical
reflective
Type
critical
explanatory
When to use this quote
- academic research
- library collections
- collector’s editions
- digital archives
Key Concepts
textual criticism
authorial intent
edition theory
Questions to Reflect On
- Should every author’s work be preserved in multiple versions?
- How do economic constraints shape literary canon formation?
A Different Perspective
Not all writers benefit from exhaustive variant collections; they may dilute the core text.
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