Bref: The Art of Abridgement
The purpose of the following essay is to show that any abridgment of any given literary work emerges from an interpretation of such literary work and is in the end just that: an interpretation. However, not all scholars were in agreement with the aforementioned statement. Jonathan Swift has been one of the harshest critics of this trend and of the books of loci communes. On the other hand, Isaac D’Israeli has brought arguments in favor of the utility of such works. Both, however, have overlooked the fact that any abridgement is an attempt (endeavor) to interpret the work that is being presented in a concise manner.
Keywords: abridgement, literary interpretation, meaning, Jonathan Swift, Isaac D’Israeli.