Comments on: The Death of Editing

By: P.M.Lawrence

P.M.Lawrence — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 05:44:38 +0000

Ah, I see that their further notes are consistent with knowing about the double etymology, though they haven’t thought it through that “wreak” is itself something that brought together – back formed – the work and avenge senses, giving “wreak” as “work”. But they are on balance wrong about “wreaked havoc”, since “wrought” is the appropriate one here (like whether you should use “hanged” or “hung” as the past of “hang” – it depends on the kind of hanging).

By: P.M.Lawrence

P.M.Lawrence — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 05:37:47 +0000

They have committed a vulgar error, overlooking double etymology (the way “Mary” derives both from Hebrew “Miriam” and from its nearest Latin equivalent, “Maria”, the feminine form of “Marius”). While “wreak” can indeed derive from a word meaning “avenge”, it can also derive (as here) from a word meaning “work”, as in “wrought iron” where clearly vengeance has nothing to do with it. People who think of wreaking havoc as having something to do with vengefulness completely misunderstand havoc, no doubt from only being able to imagine themselves wreaking havoc that way. Actually, havoc could be and was a tactic applied quite rationally and dispassionately, involving damaging infrastructure to the point where the enemy had a choice of coming out to fight under unfavourable conditions or dying piecemeal later for want of what was destroyed; no vengeance is necessary.

By: Roderick

Roderick — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 17:16:55 +0000

True — but their editing service might do so as well, and at a higher price.

By: Roderick

Roderick — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 17:12:30 +0000

I've heard this denied.

By: P.M.Lawrence

P.M.Lawrence — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 01:03:59 +0000

I cringe when I read that something “wreaked” havoc. What hath Man wrought? “Wreak” is an irregular form of “work”, so if you want it regular you might as well go all the way and have “worked”.

By: MBH

MBH — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 19:20:52 +0000

Didn’t the literary world already bury the author? Tough times for them.

By: Roderick

Roderick — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 02:10:29 +0000

If it’s any comfort, the index to my anarchism anthology has separate entries for Hermann Hoppe and Hans-Hermann Hoppe.

By: Darcy G Richardson

Darcy G Richardson — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 00:39:17 +0000

I’ve cringed at that chapter heading for five-and-a-half years, hoping against hope that nobody would point it out, and then along comes Roderick…

By: Daniel Coleman

Daniel Coleman — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 21:53:09 +0000

To add to my point below, I should point out that they may well have paid a starving grad student $100 to go through it. Even something like this is often missed. You get what you pay for.

By: Daniel Coleman

Daniel Coleman — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 21:51:49 +0000

Editing is expensive, and the publishing business has only become less profitable over time as books become more plentiful and easier to produce. It can be very difficult for companies to hire copyeditors, much less full-blown editors who help shape and revise works to be published.