When Does An Editor Become The Writer?

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses Edward Aswell's impact on the world of editing through his role as editor of Thomas Wolfe's unfinished last writings after the latter's death. The writer explains the circumstances under which Aswell had to work, and how he had to seek help from Wolfe's agent and literary executor in crafting short stories from the massive manuscript and in filling in gaps. The paper concludes that it is unfair to say that these books are solely the work of Thomas Wolfe because of Edward Aswell's efforts in creating a masterpiece out of a chaos that did not even make sense to the author.

From the Paper:

"Out of Wolfe's last manuscript, Aswell created three books, The Web and the Rock, You Can't Go Home Again, and The Hills Beyond. The controversy revolving around these three pieces of work is most likely due to the fact that Aswell edited these manuscripts after Wolfe's death. The manuscript was a skeleton when it was given to Aswell. It has been described as an eight foot pile of manuscript that was unfinished and disorganized. Thomas Wolfe was hesitant to hand over his manuscript to his new editor. Richard Kennedy says that in a letter Wolfe wrote: 'I don't know whether it would be a good idea to let him read it now or not,' he wrote to his agent, Elizabeth Nowell. 'I know where I stand, but it is like presenting someone with the bones of some great prehistoric animal he has never seen before he might get bewildered.' (Kennedy 185)"

Sample of Sources Used:

• Halberstadt, John. "Who Wrote Thomas Wolfe's Last Novels?." The New York Review of Books Vol 28. No 40. 3-19-1981 Web: 1-3
• Inge, M. Thomas. "Collaboration and Concepts of Authorship." PMLA 116(2001) Web: 623-630.
• Kennedy, Richard S. "Thomas Wolfe's Don Quixote." College English 23(1961) Web: 185-191.
• Wyatt-Brown, Bertram . "Who's Afraid of Thomas Wolfe?." Reviews in American History 16(1988) Web: 93-98.

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