j***@gmail.com
2013-01-20 00:26:39 UTC
This is a comparison between texts of the short story “The Moon-Bog” as contained in the following 2 sources:
H.P. Lovecraft, DAGON AND OTHER MACABRE TALES, ed. S.T. Joshi (Arkham House 1986) (henceforth called "Joshi").
WEIRD TALES, June 1926, as published in facsimile in H.P. Lovecraft, THE WEIRD WRITINGS OF H.P. LOVECRAFT, Vol. 2 (Girasol Collectibles: 2010). (Henceforth called "WT").
Joshi, in his "A Note of the Texts" from DAGON AND OTHER MACABRE TALES, says that "For 'The Moon-Bog' we have only the first appearance in WEIRD TALES, June 1926." This, then, is his only primary source.
Where they differ, I have also consulted the text of the Delrey/Ballantine edition of THE TOMB AND OTHER STORIES (henceforth "TOMB"), which are derived from the old Arkham House texts. The sole purpose here is to get an idea whether any changes originated with Joshi or Arkham House.
Between Joshi & WT I found 38 variations in this short 9-page story, many of which can be conveniently classified as to type: 22 spelling changes, 11 capitalization changes, and 5 word-separation changes. It is the capitalization changes (potentially trivial) that ends up producing the most-serious corruption.
[1-7] WORKERS FROM THE NORTH: The word "north" occurs 9 times in all versions of the text. Both WT and TOMB capitalize it on 7 of those occasions, all in connection with reference to Denys Barry's workers, servants and laborers, who come "from the North"; whereas the other 2 references (not capitalized) are to "the north window". Joshi removes the capitalization in all cases, presumably as part of his standardization policies as applied to compass points. But in an Irish context a reference to "the North" (capitalized) has a specific meaning. These are not merely Irish peasants from somewhere to the north of the local village. These are workers from Northern Ireland (a/k/a "the North"). Barry did not merely bring in non-locals; he brought in an a culturally distinct element, unlikely to share the sympathies and prejudices of the locals, nor listen to their "wild tales". He brought in an element that was more urban and less rural; more Protestant and less Catholic; more English and less Gaelic; more "modern" and less "superstitious". VERDICT: Joshi corruption.
[8-11] OTHER CAPITALIZATION CHANGES: In WT and TOMB the words "nature" and "gothic" each occurs twice without capitalization. Joshi capitalizes them in both cases; unnecessarily, in my opinion, but without significantly effecting meaning. VERDICT: Trivial Joshi changes.
[12-33] SPELLING CHANGES: Where WT and TOMB both have "gray", "splendor" (x2), "laborer(s)" x11, "showed", "colored", "paralyzed", "recognize", "crystallize", "demon" (x2) and "fantasms"; Joshi instead has "grey", "splendour" (x2), "labourer(s)" x11, "shewed", "coloured", "paralysed", "recognise", "crystallise", "daemon" (x2) and "phantasms". This is of course, an application of Joshi's spelling standardization policies which he applies, almost without exception, to ALL of HLP's texts. I am generally dubious of this policy. I can see some value to editorial standardization of spelling within a single work; but not as applied across multiple works. In this case, it is one of the themes of the tale that the heroes (the narrator and Denys Barry) are both modern in mindset and American in culture; leading to a clash with the "superstitious" Irish locals. How then, does it enhance the tale to remove modern American spelling, and replace them with britishisms and archaisms? Regardless of HPL's private spelling habits (which Joshi admits HPL was not consistent about), what makes Joshi so sure this was what HPL really wanted? I guess it does not do much harm, but .... VERDICT: Trival Joshi Changes.
[34-35] ARKHAM WORD DIVISION: Where WT twice has "can not", TOMB and Joshi both have "cannot". Verdict: Trivial Arkham House Changes, retained by Joshi.
[36-38] JOSHI WORD-DIVISION: Where WT and TOMB both have "man-servant", "doglike" and "half-indeterminate", Joshi instead has "manservant", "dog-like" and "half indeterminate" (no dash). Verdict: Trivial Joshi changes.
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Generally speaking, the TOMB text is rather faithful to the WT text. Its most serious corruption (with both Joshi & WT against them), is that the first of two references to "monotonous piping" is changed to "monstrous piping". Since the second reference to "monotonous piping" is retained (later it is described as "spectral piping", "shrill piping", "incessant piping" and "detestable piping"), little is gained or lost by this trivial change, except that perhaps it is wrong for the piping to be described in such negative terms so early in the tale. The only other variations I noticed, specific to TOMB, were an extra comma, and a semicolon replaced by a colon, in contexts incapable of affecting meaning.
H.P. Lovecraft, DAGON AND OTHER MACABRE TALES, ed. S.T. Joshi (Arkham House 1986) (henceforth called "Joshi").
WEIRD TALES, June 1926, as published in facsimile in H.P. Lovecraft, THE WEIRD WRITINGS OF H.P. LOVECRAFT, Vol. 2 (Girasol Collectibles: 2010). (Henceforth called "WT").
Joshi, in his "A Note of the Texts" from DAGON AND OTHER MACABRE TALES, says that "For 'The Moon-Bog' we have only the first appearance in WEIRD TALES, June 1926." This, then, is his only primary source.
Where they differ, I have also consulted the text of the Delrey/Ballantine edition of THE TOMB AND OTHER STORIES (henceforth "TOMB"), which are derived from the old Arkham House texts. The sole purpose here is to get an idea whether any changes originated with Joshi or Arkham House.
Between Joshi & WT I found 38 variations in this short 9-page story, many of which can be conveniently classified as to type: 22 spelling changes, 11 capitalization changes, and 5 word-separation changes. It is the capitalization changes (potentially trivial) that ends up producing the most-serious corruption.
[1-7] WORKERS FROM THE NORTH: The word "north" occurs 9 times in all versions of the text. Both WT and TOMB capitalize it on 7 of those occasions, all in connection with reference to Denys Barry's workers, servants and laborers, who come "from the North"; whereas the other 2 references (not capitalized) are to "the north window". Joshi removes the capitalization in all cases, presumably as part of his standardization policies as applied to compass points. But in an Irish context a reference to "the North" (capitalized) has a specific meaning. These are not merely Irish peasants from somewhere to the north of the local village. These are workers from Northern Ireland (a/k/a "the North"). Barry did not merely bring in non-locals; he brought in an a culturally distinct element, unlikely to share the sympathies and prejudices of the locals, nor listen to their "wild tales". He brought in an element that was more urban and less rural; more Protestant and less Catholic; more English and less Gaelic; more "modern" and less "superstitious". VERDICT: Joshi corruption.
[8-11] OTHER CAPITALIZATION CHANGES: In WT and TOMB the words "nature" and "gothic" each occurs twice without capitalization. Joshi capitalizes them in both cases; unnecessarily, in my opinion, but without significantly effecting meaning. VERDICT: Trivial Joshi changes.
[12-33] SPELLING CHANGES: Where WT and TOMB both have "gray", "splendor" (x2), "laborer(s)" x11, "showed", "colored", "paralyzed", "recognize", "crystallize", "demon" (x2) and "fantasms"; Joshi instead has "grey", "splendour" (x2), "labourer(s)" x11, "shewed", "coloured", "paralysed", "recognise", "crystallise", "daemon" (x2) and "phantasms". This is of course, an application of Joshi's spelling standardization policies which he applies, almost without exception, to ALL of HLP's texts. I am generally dubious of this policy. I can see some value to editorial standardization of spelling within a single work; but not as applied across multiple works. In this case, it is one of the themes of the tale that the heroes (the narrator and Denys Barry) are both modern in mindset and American in culture; leading to a clash with the "superstitious" Irish locals. How then, does it enhance the tale to remove modern American spelling, and replace them with britishisms and archaisms? Regardless of HPL's private spelling habits (which Joshi admits HPL was not consistent about), what makes Joshi so sure this was what HPL really wanted? I guess it does not do much harm, but .... VERDICT: Trival Joshi Changes.
[34-35] ARKHAM WORD DIVISION: Where WT twice has "can not", TOMB and Joshi both have "cannot". Verdict: Trivial Arkham House Changes, retained by Joshi.
[36-38] JOSHI WORD-DIVISION: Where WT and TOMB both have "man-servant", "doglike" and "half-indeterminate", Joshi instead has "manservant", "dog-like" and "half indeterminate" (no dash). Verdict: Trivial Joshi changes.
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Generally speaking, the TOMB text is rather faithful to the WT text. Its most serious corruption (with both Joshi & WT against them), is that the first of two references to "monotonous piping" is changed to "monstrous piping". Since the second reference to "monotonous piping" is retained (later it is described as "spectral piping", "shrill piping", "incessant piping" and "detestable piping"), little is gained or lost by this trivial change, except that perhaps it is wrong for the piping to be described in such negative terms so early in the tale. The only other variations I noticed, specific to TOMB, were an extra comma, and a semicolon replaced by a colon, in contexts incapable of affecting meaning.