Huck will now only call Jim a "slave."

[Unknown User]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 4:38pm

Twain scholar Alan Gribben and NewSouth Books plan to release a version of Huckleberry Finn, in a single volume with The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, that does away with the "n" word (as well as the "in" word, "Injun") by replacing it with the word "slave."

"This is not an effort to render Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn colorblind," said Gribben, speaking from his office at Auburn University at Montgomery, where he's spent most of the past 20 years heading the English department. "Race matters in these books. It's a matter of how you express that in the 21st century."

The idea of a more politically correct Finn came to the 69-year-old English professor over years of teaching and outreach, during which he habitually replaced the word with "slave" when reading aloud. Gribben grew up without ever hearing the "n" word ("My mother said it's only useful to identify [those who use it as] the wrong kind of people") and became increasingly aware of its jarring effect as he moved South and started a family. "My daughter went to a magnet school and one of her best friends was an African-American girl. She loathed the book, could barely read it."

Including the table of contents, the slur appears 219 times in Finn. What finally convinced Gribben to turn his back on grad school training and academic tradition, in which allegiance to the author's intent is sacrosanct, was his involvement with the National Endowment for the Arts' Big Read Alabama.
Upcoming NewSouth 'Huck Finn' Eliminates the 'N' Word

[Gothampc]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 4:43pm

It's wrong to rewrite books. This is a very slippery slope that has no upside. Let the books stand as they are.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 4:50pm

Well my new version of The Bible comes out this summer. I've done away with the "G" word and now refer to God as "Miss Thing" and Mary will be known as Carrie Bradshaw.

[jasonf]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 4:51pm

For quite possibly the first time ever, I agree 100% with Goth. The writer's intention may be to expose more kids to Huck Finn, but are you REALLY exposing them to the book if it's a watered down version that dilutes Twain's meaning? As Goth said, this is a VERY slippery slope leading into a scary Orwellian world.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 4:53pm

Misguided.

I wonder what Twain would have had to say about this...

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 4:56pm

It's wrong to rewrite books.

Tell that to the Christians.

Language is fluid and evolutionary. Words change, spelling changes (even the structure of the letters themselves), and slang has always been a part of speech. The n-word is not necessary to enjoy the book or to understand its setting.

[strummergirl]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 4:59pm

This so-called 'Twain scholar' should have that title disassociated with his name forever. I loved how he still managed to include, 'well, my daughter had this African-American friend...' as his reasons.

[Weez]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 5:06pm

So when are biologists going to get Moby-Dick fixed? The sheer number of marine mammals being classified as fish by Melville is making me want to die a little.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 5:14pm

Call Lary Kramer and ask him if he wants to change the title of his 1978 book because that word isn't used anymore.

[Almira]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 6:19pm

Twain is LONG dead. The books are public domain. Anyone can do anything they want with them.

The original versions will always be available and will always outnumber this "new" version in printed copies.

There is NO danger of Twain's original work being usurped.

This reminds me of when black and white films where being computer colorized. The cries of bastardization of artistic intent and such where everywhere. Yet, computer colorization is largely a thing of the past and the original works are shown in original B&W 99% of the time.

I'm guessing the same will happen with this new "slave" version of the Twain novels.

Updated On: 1/4/11 at 06:19 PM

[Unknown User]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 6:27pm

PLEASE Weez! The name of that book makes me SO uncomfortable! Can't you call it Moby Penis or Moby Boyparts?

[Almira]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 6:32pm

Do any of the stage or screen adaptations use the word "n*" as frequently as the novel does?

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 6:38pm

Not as frequently as Dollypop does on a daily basis.

[strummergirl]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 6:43pm

Cannot really think of any but then again I can only remember that one with Elijah Wood and that other one with Brad Renfro and Jonathan Taylor Thomas.

[wexy]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 8:14pm

How will they deal with 'Come back to raft Huck Honey"?

[Almira]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 8:19pm

Apparently it will cost $24.95 to find out.

Can any publisher's answer this question? Does this mean NewSouth now has a copyright on the two novels?

[PalJoey]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 8:38pm

You people defending this idiot don't understand the larger point about racism.

Elon James White (who is not white) explains on salon.com today that censoring the word is merely a cowardly attempt by a white man to relieve the discomfort felt by other white people.

Twain wrote his book ABOUT racism. That was a courageous literary act. By writing his book--and using the word--Twain made a statement that racism was part of the American experience and had to be confronted head-on.

"White-washing" the word is a cowardly act of literary defacement.

Read the blog. The writer makes the case that what is being done here is like Photoshopping Huck Finn, so that white kids won't see it and white people won't have to talk about it.
salon.com: This Week in Blackness: The N-word belongs in "Huckleberry Finn"

[sabrelady]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 8:53pm

Sigh. The book, though a novel is a relatively accurate account of the society of the time esp as it dealt w people of colour ( really any colour as the descrition of Injun Joe shows) But if u dhown lak it wall jew can jus white it out. And eventually -if enough people go along- this is the version that will be remembered.
The Nazi's were already rewriting history- they just happened to lose so their version failed ( well mostly unless you count Holocaust deniers) Th PC version may eventually evolve into the only version- the original relegated to rare book libraries only accesible to "appropriate" scholars.
It's censorship and a pretty nifty grab for $$ for a new acceptable version.

[Almira]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 8:56pm

P.J. thanks for sharing that article.

I personally agree with everything it says.

I sincerely hope my post doesn't read as "defending" the NewSouth edition. I was just pointing out that public domain is public domain and the guy gets to whatever he wants with the text. When the copyrite on FAGGOTS expires and Larry Kramer is dead over a hundred years.. anyone will be able to play around with the text anyway they want. Those are just the rules (Unless you are Disney.. but that is another issue).

Also, I predict that the NewSouth edition will do next to nothing to usurp the original text. If anything, it will prompt people to seek out the original to find out what the big deal is about. Twain's original text will do the great and controversial work it has always done.

My suspicion is that movie and stage adaptations that don't use the word as frequently as in the novel have done the real "white washing."

Updated On: 1/4/11 at 08:56 PM

[strummergirl]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 9:04pm

Bravo to Mr. White. The book dealt with race, society, and class. The way Twain wrote this book and Tom Sawyer, especially in the dialogue, in such a colloquial way, was done with a purpose. I am still baffled a Twain scholar, considering Twain's many fictional, though very intelligent writings on race could think removing the word makes the book more accessible.

[jasonf]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 9:44pm

I don't think there's a question that the original is still going to be the book of record, but read your "1984." There was an entire department (if I remember right at the Ministry of Truth) designed to do EXACTLY this - go through books and rewrite them to meet Big Brother's standards - in other words, what was officially PC.

True, this isn't REPLACING the original in that the original is still available, but let's say for a moment a teacher in Alabama suddenly can teach Huck Finn with this edition. You think that any of the kids in that class are going to know what was being replaced? And say they did know - doesn't that completely erase the whole point of the words being there in the first place? Even worse, what if a board or a county now says THIS is the acceptable version to teach. So now we're PURPOSELY giving kids a censored book? This is DANGEROUS.

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 10:26pm

This is just beyond idiotic.

[Almira]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 11:10pm

jasonf, I believe that is a very likely scenario... thus causing media attention, thus causing debate, thus rooting out the secret(or not so secret racists) who teach our children, thus bringing national attention to the issue of race in this country... on and on.

It even chisels away at any conservative bellowing of "free" speech. Cause lets face it.. I'm pretty sure it will the conservative "southern pride" lot who will be snatching up copies.

I promise you any child in the public (or even private) education system required to read that version of the the book will eventually discover that they are being feed an expunged version. They will never "not" know their their teachers and caretakers are trying to whitewash history in the name of "protecting" their minds.

This entire debate has proven once again the unyielding power of those great books. Twain's just published autobiography and this whitewashed edition should have Twain rolling with laughter at the stupidity of the racist population and a bit teary at how much things stay the same.

Also, the price of the book will be cost prohibitive (at least for now) for most schools, when you can buy an original edition for $3.00 just about anywhere.

This is not something to fear this is when we progressives should embrace with our brightest thinkers saying "bring it on."

Even from the grave Mark Twain is America's greatest writer. Amazing.

Updated On: 1/4/11 at 11:10 PM

[Roscoe]

Posted: 1/5/11 at 9:33am

It has come to this. We have become a nation that has to water down HUCKLEBERRY FINN. Burning and banning seem so much more noble somehow, at least that seems to respect the power of the novel, rather than seeking to dilute it.

A nation that expurgates Mark Twain is a nation that does not deserve Mark Twain. Pathetic.

Change one word in the novel and it ceases to be Twain's novel.
It amounts to false advertising to have Twain's name on this abortion novel at all.

[Q]

Posted: 1/5/11 at 9:42am

"The n-word is not necessary to enjoy the book or to understand its setting."

I would argue that the choice to use "n-word" is a perfect example of the distinct power the word holds, and why it is necessary to understand the setting.

I agree with the idea that it shouldn't have Twain's name on it - it's simply not what he wrote. And I, too, would love to hear what he would say about it!