Thread: Censorship in America

According to Publishers Weekly NewSouth Books plans to release a version of the American classic "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" which replaces the "N" word with the word "slave" and the slur "injun" with Native American. Of course, the original version will still be printed and readily available.

Comments?

Well.. I never saw the point of sensoring art.. Huck Finn is set in that time period so it makes sense those words are there..

That's just weird, but I'm not actually surprised. One really smart writer on education, Diane Ravich, wrote a book about the rules book writers must follow regarding language: The Language Police: How Pressure Groups Restrict What Students Learn. She gives lists of terms various publishers won't allow in various sorts of books, mostly associated with education (Huck Finn would qualify, since it's a book studied frequently in American schools). It's not such a long drop from altering the content of current writing to altering the content of writers from the past. Funny thing: in literature studies, the 'transmission of texts' (making sure the version we read is the one the author intended) is sacrosanct. Altering the text is a desecration.

Huckleberry Finn is also one of the most banned books in American history, going back to its original publication. The high watermark came in the 1980's when the book was banned from Mark Twain Jr./Sr. High School in Fairfax, Virginia. The school board's objection was the 'N' word.

Originally Posted by Dark Lion

I don't like this idea. Huck Finn was set in a time period when language like that was commonplace. While abhorrent, the language paints an accurate picture of the time and place. It's authentic. I think it's a bad precedent to set when we start changing language, even if copies of the original are still printed and available.

I tend to agree with you on this.

I was upset till i read its just 1 man and a publishing house, not a mandatory switch.

Originally Posted by Dark Lion

But for how long? How long before publishers decide the politically correct version is the better one, and the authentic version becomes a footnote in literary history?

I wouldn't worry, look at it this way..theres a dozen or more versions of the Bible to choose from, the words are different but the story is the same. Same with this Huck Finn version, people are worried about censorship but forget, this isn;t 1940 meaning between tv, sat and internet we get so many ways to read, hear and publish that censorship is almost impossible in America and many industrial nations.

People who would alter The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in this way are completely missing the point of the book.