There was a recent report in Publishers Weekly regarding adjustments being made to the Mark Twain classic Huckleberry Finn.
It seems offensive words will now be omitted or replaced in order to make the book more acceptable to today's young and/or sensitive readers.
Some folks were in an uproar.
Frankly, I'm not bothered by it.
The book was written 125 years ago.
I accept that some social views have changed.
I have read and love most of Twain's work including Huck Finn.
It's because I love his work so much that I encourage this "censorship".
People who found the original version of Huckleberry Finn offensive can now enjoy this alternative version.
And they in-turn will hopefully encourage others to do the same.
Anything that gets us to read more of the classics gets my thumbs-up.
Now, if ALL Huck Finn books were going to be published without the original text, then I would be furious.
The fact that, in addition to the publishing of books containing the original wording, there will also be tamer versions for younger or more sensitive readers is fine.
If you haven't read Huckleberry Finn, I encourage you to do so...and if you're old enough to buy the book without asking an adult's permission, I suggest you read the book in it's original untamed form.
No comments:
Post a Comment