Have you heard the news? Apparently, Mark Twain’s novels ‘Tom Sawyer’ and ‘Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’ are in need of a re-write! You heard me right. According to “Twain Scholar” Alan Gribben, who is currently working with NewSouth Books of Alabama to publish a combined volume of his books, they are in need of some revisions; namely, to remove the N-word from the novels replacing it with the word “slave.” He believes the word is in danger of putting the classics into a list of books that “people praise and don’t read.”
Well, get over yourself Sir. I read them. My son has read them. My daughter will as well. I would recommend them to everyone. I will not, nor will my kids, read your “P.C.” new editions, nor would I ever recommend them. If the new crowd of today doesn’t like the word, well, put down the book.
Mark Twain once wrote that “the difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter.” This, however, is now being used by Mr. Gribben as a his reasoning instead of what it really means. I would be sure, that even if these classics were in danger of not being read because of the use of certain words, Twain himself wouldn’t change a thing.
‘Tom Sawyer’ and ‘Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’ are essentially historical pieces. Just because society may not care for our historical past doesn’t mean it should be changed to make people more comfortable. History, well, had some pretty nasty moments. Are we going to go through all historical documents and censor anything some may not like? Just erase it like it didn’t happen? (Wish I could do that!)
In addition to replacing the N-word, Gribben changes the villain in “Tom Sawyer” from “Injun Joe” to “Indian Joe” and “half-breed” becomes “half-blood.” Why change the Injun to Indian? Shouldn’t that be “Native American Joe” Mr. Gribben?
What’s next? A re-write of Salinger? Steinbeck? Henry Miller? Oh I know, how about Harry Potter! I am not too fond of being referred to as a Muggle. Fix that would ya?
Thoughts? Will you read it if the language gets changed? Will you read it if it doesn’t? Have you read it at all? Let us know below or in the FORUM.