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Monday January 3, 2011 10:44 pm

Twain’s Huck Finn the Target of Censorship … Yes, Again




Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories:

History really does repeat itself.

Once again, Mark Twain’s masterpiece Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is being censored … and, again, it’s because of some of the offensive words Twain used within the story.

And one in particular. Most are aware, even those who have never read the book, that the character Jim is referred to as the “N-word” Jim throughout the story. The word -- long considered the worst of offensive slurs -- has made the book a frequent target of public burnings, bans and controversy. Many school boards in many states have been asked to remove the book from student curriculum, though the book staunchly remains as required reading in many United States classrooms.

NewSouth Books is, perhaps, attempting to squash all that by simply editing the book. In their version of the story, all instances of the hated word will be removed, along with the word “Injun,” which is used to refer to Native Americans.

Read More | Entertainment Weekly

“Race matters in these books,” Mark Twain expert Alan Gribben commented. “It’s a matter of how you express that in the 21st century.”

We humbly disagree. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn isn’t about the 21st century. Entertainment Weekly argues that the censored version of the book could make the story more widely available, comparing the changes to the same sort one might find on an R-rated movie being aired on cable (“I’m not a casserole, you’re the casserole!”). Many purists, however, are enraged at the idea.

The fact is, Mark Twain didn’t live in today’s frighteningly over-the-top, PC world. Maybe we shouldn’t try to erase all reminders that his era ever existed. The world of Huck Finn serves as a living reminder of where we’ve been. Sometimes, it’s ugly. But it’s still just a story, and somehow we don’t think Twain would like having any of his words changed because his book makes people uncomfortable.

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