The Art of Editing : Raymond Carver and David Foster Wallace

"The place of the editor in literary production is an ambiguous and often invisible one, requiring close attention to publishing history and (often inaccessible) archival resources to bring it into focus. In The Art of Editing, Tim Groenland shows that the critical tendency to overlook the activities of editors and to focus on the solitary author figure neglects important elements of how literary works are acquired, developed and disseminated. Focusing on selected works of fiction by Raymond Carver and David Foster Wallace, authors who represent stylistic touchstones for US fiction of recent decades, Groenland presents two case studies of editorial collaboration. Carver's early stories were integral to the emergence of the Minimalist movement in the 1980s, while Wallace's novels marked a generational shift towards a more expansive, maximal mode of narrative. The role of their respective editors, however, is often overlooked. Gordon Lish's part in shaping the form of Carver's early stories remains under-explored; analyses of Wallace's fiction, meanwhile, tend to minimise Michael Pietsch's role from the creation of Infinite Jest during the mid-1990s until the present day. Drawing on extensive archival research as well as interviews with editors and collaborators, Groenland illuminates the complex and often conflicting forms of agency involved in the genesis of these influential works. The energies and tensions of the editing process emerge as essential factors in the creation of fictions more commonly understood within the paradigm of solitary authorship. The mediating role of the editor is, Groenland argues, inseparable from the development, form, and reception of these works."--Bloomsbury Publishing. The place of the editor in literary production is an ambiguous and often invisible one, requiring close attention to publishing history and (often inaccessible) archival resources to bring it into focus. In The Art of Editing, Tim Groenland shows that the critical tendency to overlook the activities of editors and to focus on the solitary author figure neglects important elements of how literary works are acquired, developed and disseminated. 0Focusing on selected works of fiction by Raymond Carver and David Foster Wallace, authors who represent stylistic touchstones for US fiction of recent decades, Groenland presents two case studies of editorial collaboration. Carver's early stories were integral to the emergence of the Minimalist movement in the 1980s, while Wallace's novels marked a generational shift towards a more expansive, maximal mode of narrative. The role of their respective editors, however, is often overlooked. Gordon Lish's part in shaping the form of Carver's early stories remains under-explored; analyses of Wallace's fiction, meanwhile, tend to minimise Michael Pietsch's role from the creation of Infinite Jest during the mid-1990s until the present day. 0Drawing on extensive archival research as well as interviews with editors and collaborators, Groenland illuminates the complex and often conflicting forms of agency involved in the genesis of these influential works. The energies and tensions of the editing process emerge as essential factors in the creation of fictions more commonly understood within the paradigm of solitary authorship. The mediating role of the editor is, Groenland argues, inseparable from the development, form, and reception of these works The Art Of Editing Contends That Literary Critics Frequently Fail To Consider The Activities Of Editors And Presents Two Case Studies In Order To Show How We Can Benefit From Doing So. It Focuses On Selected Works By Raymond Carver And David Foster Wallace, Two Authors Who Have Had A Profound Influence Upon American Fiction. The Role Of Their Respective Editors, However, Is Often Overlooked. Gordon Lish's Part In Shaping The Aesthetic Of Carver's Early Stories, And His Contribution To The Development And Dissemination Of A Pared-down Prose Model In American Fiction From The 1970s Onwards, Remains Under-explored. Analyses Of Wallace's Fiction, Meanwhile, Tend To Minimise The Editorial Role That Michael Pietsch Has Held From The Creation Of Infinite Jest During The Mid-1990s Until The Present Day. Tim Groenland Focuses On The Activities Of Both Editors, Drawing On Empirical Evidence To Show Their Importance To The Authors With Whom They Worked And Using Archival Material To Illuminate The Complex And Often Conflicting Forms Of Agency Involved In The Genesis Of Several Influential Works. In Lish's Case, The Analysis Highlights The Competing Aesthetic Agendas Behind The Creation Of The Distinctive Minimalist Style And Shows That The Problem Of Editorial Agency Was One With Which Carver Struggled Throughout His Career. With Regards To Pietsch, The Emphasis Is On His Central Role In Assembling And Arranging Wallace's Posthumously-published Novel The Pale King. The Energies And Tensions Of The Editing Process Emerge As Essential Factors In The Meaning And Reception Of The Works Under Scrutiny. Preface: The Art of EditingAcknowledgments1. "Stuff that editors do"2. "My only fear is that it is too thin": The Roots of the Carver Controversy3. Minimalism in Action: Making What We Talk About When We Talk About Love4. "It is His World and No Other": Gordon Lish, Authorship, and Minimalism5. "Your Devoted Editee": David Foster Wallace and Michael Pietsch6. Consider the Editor: Assembling The Pale King7. "Magical Compression": Wallace's return to Minimalism8. The Anxiety of Editorial InfluenceBibliographyIndex