As it was published in 1935, Mules and Men, Zora Neale Hurston's landmark collection of folktales, may not have been the book that its author first had in mind. In this anthropological study, Hurston describes in detail the people who tell the stories, often even inserting herself into the storytelling scene. Evidently, however, Hurston had prepared another version, a manuscript that was recently discovered and published after having been forgotten since 1929. This version differs from Mules and Men in that it simply records stories, with no descriptive or interpretive information.
While we cannot know for certain why Hurston’s original manuscript went unpublished during her lifetime, it may have been because publishers wanted something more than a transcription of tales. Contemporary novelist and critic John Edgar Wideman has described Black literature as the history of a writing that sought to escape its frame, in other words, as the effort of Black writers to present the stories of Black people without having to have a mediating voice to explain the stories to a non-Black audience. In this, Hurston may have been ahead of her time.
文章解析
第一句话：
As it was published in 1935, Mules and Men, Zora Neale Hurston's landmark collection of folktales, may not have been the book that its author first had in mind.
白话版讲解：
1935年，Zora Neale Hurston这个人出了一本书名为《骡子与人》的民间故事集，这本书在民间故事类图书发展史上具有里程碑式的意义（landmark）。这本书1935年出版时候的样子，可能并不是Hurston本来想写成的样子。
第二句话：
In this anthropological study, Hurston describes in detail the people who tell the stories, often even inserting herself into the storytelling scene.
白话版讲解：
《骡子与人》这本民间故事集也是一本人类学研究著作。在这本书1935年出版的那个版本中，Hurston详细描述了那些讲述故事的人，在描述这些人时把她自己也插到讲故事的场景里去了（书里不仅仅是一个一个的民间故事，而是把作者Hurston把自己采访这些讲民间故事的人，听这些人讲故事时，彼此交谈的场景也写出来了）。
第三句话：
Evidently, however, Hurston had prepared another version, a manuscript that was recently discovered and published after having been forgotten since 1929.
白话版讲解：
Hurston显然还准备过另一个版本。为什么说显然呢，因为最近发现了另一个版本的手稿，还出版了。这个手稿版是1929年写的，从1929年到最近，这个手稿版都是处于一种被人们遗忘的状态。
第四句话：
This version differs from Mules and Men in that it simply records stories, with no descriptive or interpretive information.
白话版讲解：
最近出版的这另一个版本和1935年就出版的版本不同之处就在于，它只记录民间故事本身，不描述讲故事的人，也不包含对故事的解读。
第五句话：
While we cannot know for certain why Hurston’s original manuscript went unpublished during her lifetime, it may have been because publishers wanted something more than a transcription of tales.
白话版讲解：
在Hurston生前，这个原版手稿版一直没有被出版（只在1935年出了《骡子与人》那个版本）。尽管我们不确定这是为什么，但（我们估计）原因可能是出版商希望书出出来不要只是记录民间故事，是出版商要求Hurston添了些东西（才出成了《骡子与人》那个样子）。
第六句话：
Contemporary novelist and critic John Edgar Wideman has described Black literature as the history of a writing that sought to escape its frame, in other words, as the effort of Black writers to present the stories of Black people without having to have a mediating voice to explain the stories to a non-Black audience.
白话版讲解：
当代小说家、批评家John Edgar Wideman曾经说过，“黑人文学史是一个寻求逃离（自身固有）框架的历史”。所谓“框架”，就是说黑人作家在写小说展示黑人的故事时，把这些故事讲给非黑人的听众听时，还总是不得不通过一个居间起连接作用的声音来讲述（即，不可以是纯民间故事的记录，多多少少要加点儿东西，即出版商要求的something more than a transcription of tales，即把采访者采访这些讲民间故事的人，听这些人讲故事时，彼此交谈的场景也写出来）。
第七句话：
In this, Hurston may have been ahead of her time.
白话版讲解：
在逃离“框架”这件事上（即，去掉框架，去掉居中连接的声音，写纯民间故事的这种做法），Hurston（写了一个不添加额外内容的纯故事记录的original版本的做法）可能领先了他的时代。
题目解析
1. Select the sentence that suggests a possible reason why Hurston wrote the version of Mules and Men that was published in 1935.白话版讲解：
文章中有一句话暗示了为什么Hurston写了1935年出版的《骡子与人》那个版本，请问是哪一句话？
文章第二句话提到《骡子与人》里面有often even inserting herself into the storytelling scene，说明这个版本给folktales掺了些东西，那为什么Hurston要往里掺东西呢？第五句话给出了解释，因为可能是因为publishers wanted something more than a transcription of tales.作者Hurston就按出版商的要求做了。所以答案是第五句话。
2.The passage suggests that Hurston may have done which of the following in preparing her original version?
A. Discussed her mode of presentation with her publisher before writing the first draft, in order to reduce the possibility of misunderstanding.
B. Shortened her presentation of the stories to the bare minimum in order to be able to present more folklore material.
C. Put it aside for several decades in order to maximize its potential audience when it was published.
D. Reluctantly agreed to reshape it in order to take out various elements with which her publisher had been dissatisfied.
E. Chose not to include editorial commentary, in order to present the stories on their own terms.
白话版讲解：
问Hurston写1935年那个手稿版的时候，可能做了什么事？
A）Hurston为了减少误会的可能性，在写第一稿之前和出版商商量了应该采用哪种表现形式。1935年那个版本和出版商商量了，1929年那个版本应该是没商量。
B）（因为书的总篇幅有限），Hurston为了在书中装进去更多数量的民间故事，把每个故事的篇幅都尽可能压缩。假如这个选项是对的，那就好像是在说1929年手稿版里面的民间故事比1935年版本多。文章没有提到。
C）为了出版时获得最大数量的读者，Hurston故意写完以后把稿子雪藏了几十年再出版。文章中没有提到。
D）出版商对书中有些地方不满意，Hurston不大情愿地把这些地方删除了。出版商是要Hurston加东西，不是要她删东西。
E）选择不给故事加编辑注释，按照这些故事（讲述者）自己的意愿呈现这些故事。根据第四句话，1929年那个版本是原始不带编者的interpretation的。所以E选项正确。
注释：
commentary n.（一组）注释（或评注）；集注
a set of explanatory or critical notes on a text
on one’s own terms以自己喜欢的方式
in accordance with one's wishes : in one's own way
例句：He prefers to live on his own terms.
他更喜欢按自己的方式生活。
作者在这里对on one’s own terms的使用不太规范。
on one’s own terms的意思是“以自己的方式”，其中terms的意思是“stipulations ”or provisions”，即“按自己的条款”。照理说，根据《韦氏词典》给的例句，我们也可以看出来，一般不能说stories会on their own terms，而应该用storytellers更好一些。但作者这样用了，我们就接受吧。
此外，另外有一个短语和on one’s own terms的意思完全不同。这个短语就是in one's own terms或in someone’s terms，其意思是“用某人自己的话”、“用某人的话”，其中terms的意思是language。
