Changing Mark Twain

fitdeb

Cathlete
Just saw a news blurb that Huck Finn will become politically correct. In an effort to make some readers more comfortable, certain words will be changed. For example "the n" word will now become slave and I suspect Injun Joe will be called Indigenous American Joe.

What do you think?

I DO find all racial, gender and ethnic "slurs" to be extremely offensive, however I am quite against changing classic literature to fit today's "correctness". One of the reasons these books are classics is because the offer such an open door into the characters lives. If we edit how they speak and how they view the world aren't we in really editing history?

Makes me wonder where this might lead. Time to stock up on blue pencils.

Debbie Russo
 
I think it's wrong. The words are a reflection of the time the book was written. If you change that, like you said, you're changing history. Aren't we supposed to learn from books how things were so we can change how we are now or not to repeat same mistakes?

Marcy
 
Its akin to book burning to me, you can't change history by re-writing it.

I hear that word continually in music today, seems that would be the place to make a change.
 
Its akin to book burning to me, you can't change history by re-writing it.

I hear that word continually in music today, seems that would be the place to make a change.

ITA! and ITA again, so that I have enough written to post ;)
 
It's a shame Twain is not here to protect his work. The whole point of those words being used in the book is to illustrate just how wrong and immoral racisim and slavery are, it is SUPPOSED to be offensive.....to change them lessens the effect of the whole story....and it's an insult to Mark Twain. I hope teachers boycott this edition and continue to use the original.
 
It's a shame Twain is not here to protect his work. The whole point of those words being used in the book is to illustrate just how wrong and immoral racisim and slavery are, it is SUPPOSED to be offensive.....to change them lessens the effect of the whole story....and it's an insult to Mark Twain. I hope teachers boycott this edition and continue to use the original.

What JanetP so eloquently said!! I could not have said it better, so I won't. ;)
Paula
 
I agree, the way he wrote signified a sign of those times and illustrates how people were during that time period. Changing it doesn't show future generations how people acted and continue to act in this world.

It will probably lead to other book being changed as well.
 
I'm on the fence with this. I remember reading it when I was young and being a bit taken aback by it, but I LOVE that book! One side of me is more offended by them changing it because it's such a classic and Twain was reflecting the times and how Joe and Jim were thought of back then, but it was irrelevant to the friendship that developed between Jim and Huck.

The other side is thinking.... change it for the school versions so that more students can experience the joy of a Mark Twain story (one of my favorite authors) and when they're older and more mature, they can read the real version.

Personally, when my daughter is old enough to read Huckleberry Finn, I want her to read the original. She already knows the word is offensive and why. I think it's actually sort of important for people to remember how far our country has come and this book illustrates that.
 
Gosh, I haven't posted in a while, but this thread got me going. :D

As a professional writer, and as a person who simply loves books and respects the talents of writers, I find it professionally and morally offensive to edit the works of any author. It's sort of like plagarism - stealing another's work to make it your own.
 
I DO find all racial, gender and ethnic "slurs" to be extremely offensive, however I am quite against changing classic literature to fit today's "correctness". One of the reasons these books are classics is because the offer such an open door into the characters lives. If we edit how they speak and how they view the world aren't we in really editing history?

I feel the same way. I think it's BS.
 
A couple of weeks ago, I tried to listen to Huck Finn on audio book. I just was so disturbed by the racism that I had to stop very quickly. I don't think it should be changed for everyone for all time, but it might be nice to have the option of listening to a less racist version. I get how it fits into the culture of the time and all that and I think Twain was a genius and I quite enjoy his other work, but I just couldn't take this one as is.
 
It's a shame Twain is not here to protect his work. The whole point of those words being used in the book is to illustrate just how wrong and immoral racisim and slavery are, it is SUPPOSED to be offensive.....to change them lessens the effect of the whole story....and it's an insult to Mark Twain. I hope teachers boycott this edition and continue to use the original.

Actually, if you read the full story, the reason it's being changed is b/c teachers are already boycotting the book. There are school districts across the country that have stopped using it b/c of the "N" word (they're also supposedly changing "Injun Joe" to just Joe, I believe).

So I think the question is: is it better to butcher one of the greatest works of American lit so that the butchered version will be taught, or should we just let it alone & allow school districts to continue to not use the book?

I find it very sad that those teachers refusing to use the book can't find a way to use the offensive language to teach historical context & cultural sensitivity. But I don't know that changing classic American lit (and god knows we don't have enough of it) is the answer. I don't know what the answer is, & I'm afraid it'll open the door to slicing & dicing other classics, including movies. Like, what would happen to GWTW? Both the book and the movie? :eek:
 
When I was an undergrad, we read "Classic Larousse" versions of French novels in some of my classes. I didn't know they were expurgated versions until I got to grad school, and discovered that the reason the tutor in "La Nouvelle Héloise" was fired is because he got the girl pregnant (there was just flirting going on, and the risk of more, in the version I read) and that in "Candide", to survive harsh conditions, a group of people cut off a woman's butt cheek and ate it (she was still alive and ate as well).
 
When I was an undergrad, we read "Classic Larousse" versions of French novels in some of my classes. I didn't know they were expurgated versions until I got to grad school, and discovered that the reason the tutor in "La Nouvelle Héloise" was fired is because he got the girl pregnant (there was just flirting going on, and the risk of more, in the version I read) and that in "Candide", to survive harsh conditions, a group of people cut off a woman's butt cheek and ate it (she was still alive and ate as well).

So is that for or against changing it?
 
I think it's best to read the original masterpiece and learn from it so that we don't repeat mistakes of the past. We can't learn from history if we try to erase it.
 
Some words just turn my stomach & that's one of them.

I actually am okay w/ the idea of "sanitizing" it so teachers WILL use it to teach the lessons it brings. Those of you who think that kids can be taught to understand the context of this kind of language perhaps haven't been around a middle or high school lately? No, that's not how most kids think or act. Sadly, many will take that word & run w/ it if they aren't already using it. ("I learned it at school--it can't be bad!")

I refuse to let my kids watch Blazing Saddles for the same reason.

Would you allow your school aged child to read a book at school that referred to all women in it by using the "c-word"--"if it were used in context and as a sign of the horrible treatment of the female gender?" To me, it's the same thing.

Does your church minister read aloud the bible passages re: it's okay to beat your wife or child? Probably not. They are "sanitized" as it's no longer viewed as acceptable teaching.

Language evolves w/ time. Books are part of language. I'd rather kids learned the lessons of Huckleberry Finn rather than not at all.

JMHO.
 
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