Even Augustus Gloop ain't safe (Dahl being censored)

[Werewolf]

I'm glad Puffin books resisted and left the books in tact.

Morally people have no right to change other peoples works. If they don't like it then just ban it. But we know they won't ban it because they know the reaction.

This whole mind set is the same as those that think talking to someone they consider racist, xenophobe (any other ism or phobe) etc person means that you automatically will be seduced by their opinions. It's a very weak mentality that is being taught. It's teaching kids to be victims, and infantilizing the rest of us adults.

I suspect this was always the plan.

It gave them a massive amount of free publicity for the upcoming "classic" Dahl books....

If that "classic collection" comes out in time for Christmas you can be fairly certain it was planned from the start, as the current lead time for new editions is about 6-9 months from what I understand.

 

[Pawnless Endgame]

Regarding the 2 book versions, what I think Puffin should have done is kept the original book wording, and then include an appendix at the back explaining which words may cause offence, citing the page number of each 'offending' word.

I have better ways to use my time than venting at offensive words. E.g. the usage of fat and ugly, and that's coming from a fat person myself. People become fat because they eat too much and don't move enough, no matter what the mysterious salad-nibblers say when they weigh 18 stones due to 'genetics'.

I think the only word / phrase that did merit an edit was "a weird African language". Puffin could have just put "a weird language" and leave the ethnicity out of it. Alternatively "an African language" if the African bit was relevant.

 

[dlockers]

All the alt right mouth frothers will be stockpiling them. lol.

 

[Uther]

All the alt right mouth frothers will be stockpiling them. lol.

I assume you read it/had it read to you when young, and it doesn't seem to have turned you into a horrible racist.
I remember reading the originals to my son and he doesn't have a racist bone in his body.

 

[dlockers]

I assume you read it/had it read to you when young, and it doesn't seem to have turned you into a horrible racist.
I remember reading the originals to my son and he doesn't have a racist bone in his body.

I don't remember them all too well tbh but reading was never my thing. The bits I've seen that they're revising makes total sense for the youngest audience tho. It's a bit like the Julia Donaldson books, there are 2 or 3 versions depending on age.

 

[One More Solo]

I'm glad Puffin books resisted and left the books in tact.

Morally people have no right to change other peoples works. If they don't like it then just ban it. But we know they won't ban it because they know the reaction.

This will come as a shock to editors around the world.

 

[Freefaller]

The thing that surprises me is that the word ugly and fat are offensive. I call people that on a daily basis!

 

[CapitalOne]

The thing that surprises me is that the word ugly and fat are offensive. I call people that on a daily basis!

Well you did insist on marrying her

Separate point, are we all over the faux outrage yet?

 

[Freefaller]

Well you did insist on marrying her

Separate point, are we all over the faux outrage yet?

Hahaha! Right back at me! well the safari park were looking for foster carers.

Personally I was never outraged I just felt it was a complete waste of time and totally unnecessary. It also felt like it was just a ploy to make extra money but some sort of virtuous propaganda to make it seem like something else.

 

[CapitalOne]

Agree! And I wasn’t pointing at you with the faux outrage comment.

 

[Freakbro]

I assume you read it/had it read to you when young, and it doesn't seem to have turned you into a horrible racist.
I remember reading the originals to my son and he doesn't have a racist bone in his body.

Don't think I've ever read any and I was an avid reader as a kid. Was more into The Famous Five and then the 'Adventure' series by Willard Price - fantastic set of 14 stories.

But as for shaping people into racists, not sure it works that easily though! I was brought up in a terribly racist household but even at a young age I knew it was wrong and told my parents so. So even with that kind of upbringing I didn't turn into one.

 

[Nitefly]

Ha… here’s a funny one. What about George’s Marvellous Medicine?

The basic premise of this Roald Dhal classic is that a child mixed together everything he can find to make a magical potion.

I would say that I was generally pretty smart as a kid… but did I raid under the kitchen sink to make my own medicine when I was 5 years old? Yes I did thankfully, I was sensible enough to not drink it!

That is one damn irresponsible book!

 

[Uther]

The thing that surprises me is that the word ugly and fat are offensive. I call people that on a daily basis!

Someone, somewhere, is always ready to be outraged about something.

 

[Chris Wilson]

Someone, somewhere, is always ready to be outraged about something.

To some it seems to be an avowed profession

 

[Freefaller]

Someone, somewhere, is always ready to be outraged about something.

I'm offended by this. Reported.

 

[Uther]

To some it seems to be an avowed profession

Only online I find.

 

[esmozz]

Don't think I've ever read any and I was an avid reader as a kid. Was more into The Famous Five and then the 'Adventure' series by Willard Price - fantastic set of 14 stories......

I'm pretty sure Enid Blyton is consider pretty ropey too. I'm not sure if those have been re-written though. I seem to remember the controversy over them blowing up and then vanishing a few years ago.

 

[One More Solo]

The thing that surprises me is that the word ugly and fat are offensive. I call people that on a daily basis!

Are you a British Swimming coach by any chance?

 

[PlacidCasual]

I'm pretty sure Enid Blyton is consider pretty ropey too. I'm not sure if those have been re-written though. I seem to remember the controversy over them blowing up and then vanishing a few years ago.

They were definitely adjusted where names that were normal and now have a degree of innuendo were changed for less smirkish equivalents. I read the Faraway Tree books as a child and then bought them recently to read to my kids. So Fanny is Frannie and Dick is Rick. If there were other changes I don't remember them. Enid Blyton of course is more basic writing and much less stylised than Dahl.

 

[Freakbro]

I'm pretty sure Enid Blyton is consider pretty ropey too. I'm not sure if those have been re-written though. I seem to remember the controversy over them blowing up and then vanishing a few years ago.

Yea, I mentioned the EB changes earlier in the thread.

Language changes, attitudes change and with it so do cultural references. Always has happened, always will.

I remember the last lot of moral outrage when Enid Blyton got rinsed through the modern (at the time) lens of linguistic changes.

The words Gay (happy) and Queer (strange) were dropped, the characters Dick and Fanny had their names changed.

Her Gollywog books have all but disappeared, with the characters Golly, Woggy and ****** striding along singing their favourite song "Ten little ****** boys"

Think I only read her Famous Five series though.