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Could anyone tell me what the part in the bracket means?

The following narrative is given from the pen, so far as memory permits, in the same character in which it was presented to the author's ear; (nor has he claim to further praise, or to be more deeply censured, than in proportion to the good or bad judgment which he has employed in selecting his materials, as he has studiously avoided any attempt at ornament which might interfere with the simplicity of the tale).

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  • Please always cite the source!
    – TypeIA
    Commented Sep 25, 2020 at 10:35
  • 2
    This passage comes from an almost 200-year-old story. It's difficult even for native speakers to read and understand very old material like this. You'll need a very advanced EFL skill level to have any hope of understanding it. If you are this advanced, can you narrow down your question to specific aspect(s) of the phrase which are causing you trouble? If not, I feel this is almost a request for translation and is therefore too broad for ELL.
    – TypeIA
    Commented Sep 25, 2020 at 10:40
  • This paragraph is old-timey for "I'm just the messenger, relaying this story as I heard it".
    – mjjf
    Commented Mar 3, 2021 at 4:00

1 Answer 1

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Let's break it down for you:

nor has he claim to further praise,

He also does not deserve ("have claim to") more praise

or to be more deeply censured

or deserve to be disapproved of/reprimanded ("censured")

than in proportion to the good or bad judgment which he has employed in selecting his materials

except for ("than") what is directed at ("in proportion to") his judgment in choosing materials

as he has studiously avoided any attempt at ornament

because he has been careful ("studious") to avoid adding anything ("to ornament")

which might interfere with the simplicity of the tale

..which might interfere with the simplicity of the tale.

It's a bit of a long-winded sentence, but if you break it down and look up some of the words you don't know you can begin to unravel it.

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