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Showing posts from February, 2020

Are abridged texts really that bad?

I've heard of translated before, but the term "abridged" I haven't in my years of reading. I was so proud of myself I thought I was finally on the verge of crossing off number two on my bucket list: "To complete a thick classic lit." It was on page 142 of "The Count of Monte Cristo" when I closed the book and analyzed the front cover more thoroughly. "Translated and abridged by Lowell Bair," it read. I've heard of translated before, but the term "abridged" I haven't in my years of reading. Just like any other average person who doesn’t know the answer to a random question, I turned to Google. Abridged is by definition “to shorten by omissions while retaining the basic contents,” according to Dictionary.com. Omissions? Basic contents? My self-satisfaction turned into a feeling of self-disappointment. I wasn’t reading the original version of “The Count of Monte Cristo,” but rather a shortened one with “basic cont