Making Twain less dangerous

[cyrano]

Apparently, a new edition of Huckleberry Finn is being released, without that uncomfortable N word, or the I word.

Unsurprisingly, there are already those who are yelling “Censorship!” as well as others with thesauruses yelling “Bowdlerization!” and “Comstockery!”

Or, as Will Shetterly puts it, Huckleberry Finn is about a white boy learning what lies under words like "nigger" and "injun". Take those words away, and you gut its profoundly antiracist meaning.

Comments

[kirbyk.livejournal.com]

The one sensible counterargument I've read is this: Nigger is a much different word in 2011 than when Twain wrote the books. It doesn't mean the same thing. Changing it to 'Slave Jim' is closer to the actual impact that the author intended, especially for younger readers who aren't good at context.

I sort of half agree with that take on it.

The other sensible counterargument is: Look, it's either this or we can't teach it in school at all. Parents are what they are, we fought the battle, and we lost resoundingly.

That argument, yeah, I concede. I'd rather kids read a bowdlerized Finn than not read it at all, especially done in the spirit of trying to recontextualize based on an unforseen language shift, rather than trying to hide those dirty words from kids. And that really is the choice, censored or not at all. (Or at least, not before college.)

[orchidsofdesire.livejournal.com]

How do kids know the impact of such a dirty word without the book to lead the argument? Parents don't talk to them about it, MTV's Real World does. That's not where kids should be learning it.

Not arguing against you, I understand your points, I just hate censorship.

intelligent discussion

[miss-friday.livejournal.com]

To read literate and thoughtful adults debate the topic go here