Modern sensibilities

[gsh]

Saying they want to publish a version that won't be banned from some schools because of its language, two scholars are editing Mark Twain's classic Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to eliminate uses of the "N" word and replace it with "slave," Publishers Weekly writes.


But wouldn't that be a whitewashing of history?

Comments

[grail76.livejournal.com]

This happens about every 5 years. In the 70s someone decided to re-do Huckleberry Finn replacing the "N" word with "Jim" everywhere it was found. It kind of works.

It's a constant trend among people who do allow that it's a great work but who are offended by it's directness.

By cousins of the people who talk about the Unpleasantness between the States.

[gsh]

I was mostly making a "white washing" joke, although that was actually Tom Sawyer, not Huck Finn.

[sihaya09.livejournal.com]

Yeah. Really, really is. The book needs the word because it's important and harrowing cultural context. It's not like the word was used for some kind of surface effect.

[gsh]

I can understand dropping it from manditory reading lists, but I'd much rather it be read as written by a smaller number, than read in larger numbers in an altered version. But I don't have THAT strong of an opinion on the issue.

[soubrettic.livejournal.com]

But I don't have THAT strong of an opinion on the issue.

I do.

To my way of thinking, the word 'scholar' has absolutely NO business in that sentence at all.

[galestorm.livejournal.com]

Yow.