what goes where

[DaSwede]

Here's a quote I found on the internet. My question is whether or not the first comma is correctly placed. It looks quite clumsy to me to put it within the quotation marks:

A Healing Dream can never be completely "interpreted," or fully understood. Healing Dreams want us to stop making sense; not just to crack the case, but to enter the mystery.

If indeed the comma is correctly placed, then I suppose it's also correct to end a sentence "like this." Which looks nice. But raises a new question:

Should the same principle not be applied to parentheses? It seems to me the full stop is generally placed outside the brackets (like this).

There, I've confused myself now.

BTW the quote is from Marc Ian Barasch.

[Quizmonster]

In British English, punctuation is put within the speech marks if it belongs there. I believe the Americans do it differently.
For example, if I wanted to ask the following question: When did Jack Kennedy say 'Ich bin ein Berliner'? I would put the question-mark outside the internal single quotation marks. Why? Because the question is mine and not Jack Kennedy's! As I understand it, the Yanks would put it inside. which strikes me as absurd...he wasn't asking a question.

At best, the same applies in the example you offer except that I myself would not dream of putting a comma there at all in any case!

[crunshiepunc]

oh dear get a life.

[Quizmonster]

I should perhaps explain, Crunshiepunc that DaSwede is precisely what his user-name suggests...namely, not a native speaker of English and one who often appears here on AnswerBank with queries about the small details of how the language works.
Some of us are pleased to offer the help requested. If you're not, perhaps you should just stay away from such threads in future.

[DaSwede]

Hi Quizmonster, this little old damsel in distress thanks you for your answer as well as for your chivalry, both of them much appreciated.

Your berlinerexample is clear to me and I agree in every way with what you say, but how do I apply it to this case? (And others like it.) I too ward as many commas as possible off when I write, but this guy seems to like them and I don't want to change his style when quoting him, I just want to put the comma - the first one - where it belongs. It's not obvious to me from your example where that would be, in this case.

[jno]

the comma should go outside the quote marks, imho.

One proviso: If I'm quoting someone else in print, I usually leave what they wrote untouched - otherwise, for better or worse, the quotation isn't entirely accurate.

[B00]

Oh do get a life DaSwede......

And while your at it, will you get one for me? ;-)

[DaSwede]

Hold that musket, Quizmonster, B00's a friend!

You're quite right, jno, and I should have explained: I found the quote on the internet, so I'm not sure it's correctly quoted in the first place (and I want to use it, but preferably without buying the book.)

Why do I have to have a life when not even kids do

[jno]

you can have mine, B00, I have decided to apply to the authorities for a new one on the grounds that the old one has too many sudokus in it.

[Quizmonster]

As I suggested in the final sentence of my earlier answer, there is absolutely no need for a comma in that place at all. The words "interpreted or fully understood" is really a unity, with no case for splitting it up in the middle. As 'or' is a conjunction - ie a link - there is, generally speaking, no call to put a 'break' punctuation-matk alongside it.
Of course, as has already been said, a quotation is a quotation and - if that is how it originally appeared, you are just saddled with it. There should not be a comma there, either inside or outside the quote-marks. Who would pause at such a point?

Finally, my apologies for having misconceived your gender for such a long time, ma'am!

[DaSwede]

That's okay, Quizmonster, you are forgiven for not having picked up the scent of my perfume ;-)

This quote was really just an example. I could construct another example - where the comma cannot be removed - but so could you, I know, so I'll just skip that step and be observant of whether different writers place the comma inside or outside the quote marks. It may turn out that praxis differs simply depending on whether the writer is American or English, as you suggested in your first reply.

In my own writing I will until further notice place the comma outside, jno will be pleased to hear (and crunshiepunc will be tickled pink, no doubt.) Your knowledge is highly regarded "in my book", Quizmonster, so I really do suspect the answer could lie in the American/English abyss, just as you say.

Thanks, all!