The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are widely viewed as an American classic. However, the editors of NewSouth Books have decided that they need to do some editing. The editors have decided to remove the “n” word from the book and replace it with “slave.” The editing of a classic raises very troubling questions from the right of an author to have his works remain unchanged to the integrity of literary and historical works. Like all great works, the book must be read with an understanding of the mores and lexicon of its time.
This offense against the original work is being lead by Alan Gribben, who insists that he is merely updating the work. Classic works, however, do not need updating. Gribben decision to improve on Twain’s work for contemporary readers is a breathtaking act of hubris. A vast array of classic and contemporary works use the n-word and other offensive language. If Gribben wants a work without offensive language, he should write The Adventures of Alan Gribben.
Gribben appears to think the following quote from Huckleberry Finn was something of an invitation by Twain:
“Please take it,” says I, “and don’t ask me nothing – then I won’t have to tell no lies.”
Replacing this word with “slave” can change the meaning and certainly the intent of Twain. Consider the following line:
“Oh, yes, this is a wonderful govment, wonderful. Why, looky here. There was a free nigger slave there from Ohio – a mulatter, most as white as a white man. He had the whitest shirt on you ever see…
The difference may be subtle but Twain clearly could have used slave. The word existed at the time. Twain chose the n-word to convey something beyond captive status. It was a word used widely. It is still used in literary works to say something about the people who use it.
Other authors like William Faulkner used this word in capturing the culture of the South. Consider the following passage from Go Down, Moses (1940):
This delta, he thought: This Delta. This land which man has deswamped and denuded and derivered in two generations so that white men can own plantations and commute every night to Memphis and black men own plantations and ride in jim crow cars to Chicago to live in millionaires’ mansions on Lakeshore Drive, where white men rent farms and live like niggers and niggers crop on shares and live like animals, where cotton is planted and grows man-tall in the very cracks of the sidewalks, and ursury and mortgage and bankcruptcy and measureless wealth, Chinese and African and Aryan and Jew, all breed and spawn together until no man has time to say which is which nor cares…. No wonder the ruined woods I used to know don’t cry for retribution! He thought: The people who have destroyed it will accomplish its revenge.
Would we rewrite Faulkner as well? How about all of the modern movies and books using this term as part of modern urban speech? Authors write to capture characters who are often racist or living in racist times. This publisher may billed itself as the “NewSouth” but this book was written about the Old South. To sanitize history or literature is an act of violence against the artistic work of these authors.
I find the editing of a great literary work to be nothing short of shameful and shocking, but views can differ on such a question. I would be interested in the views of others on the blog.
Jonathan Turley
Maaarrghk!,
My father-in-law served with many Englishmen in combat during WWII. He always referred to them as Limey’s but with the utmost respect in his voice and attitude. “The (blank space for political correctness especially at this time) were dirty and cowards but the Limey’s, they were great soldiers and fighters. I’d go into battle with a Limey anytime, anywhere.”
He served in North Africa and then Italy.
Hi Blouise.
Sorry for the late reply.
Pom (or Pommie) is a term used by the Australians when refering to the English. It’s a derogatory term, but a good natured one and both we and the Aussies are comfortable with that.
The historic word is actually POHM, which stands for Prisoner Of His Majesty and comes from the time when Australia served as a penal colony for the UK. The convicts had the letters sewn onto the backs of their prison uniforms.
Eventually, transportation to Australia became not so feared as a punishment after one of the more progressive Govenors started doling out 2 acre plots of decent farming land to those who had served their sentences and fancied starting a new life. These were the descendents of many modern white Australians.
I guess Pommie is used in much the same way as we use the term Yanks when refering to you lot. Not altogether complimentary, but we don’t expect you to get mad about it and to your credit you even write quite stirring songs when “The Yanks Are Coming”.
East Texas! Ain’t that where they drag em from behind the ratty old truck?
I am surprised you recognized your own. My hand and imagination tire I am pleased you’re on board.
Spanking,
Sorry. I’m not your type. Although I support your right to serve in the military, marry, and all the other rights you are Constitutionally due under the 14th Amendment (despite what that neocon troll Scalia says).
Now grow up.
I teach school in a rural area of deep East Texas and it’s far more common to hear African-Americans use the “n” word than it is among whites. Richard Pryor – one of the worst offenders – finally came to understand that as long as some people continue to use the word it is unresonable to expect others to stop. However, this is just ridiculous. One cannot eliminate the past by editing it out.
I’ll admit that Spanking the Bishop is probably a more appropriate name choice for you.
eniobob,
My thoughts exactly.
Man, do I miss Richard and George . . .
The names says it all. But I could be paying attention to the bishop just as easy, ergo, spanking the bishop.
Wouldn’t leaving the word in with a simple explanatory historical footnote be better?
When I sees ah Niger I hides my stuff. You can usually smell em first. But that depends on which way the wind blows. But in all my years I have smelled worse white nigers than ones if colour. So teach, teach your children well.
I want to add that I know people (avid readers) who are so uncomfortable about the word ‘nigger’ that they’ve never read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, just for the reason of the frequency of the word in the book. Dashes, over replacement, would of course solve this particular problem.
The whole point to public domain is that the works no longer belong to anyone. As long as the original isn’t destroyed, why not have a few alternate versions. Heck, I like Disney’s Snow White in a way that’s completely different from the German version. Probably the biggest rewrites (politically anyway) have been versions of the Bible, and once you mess with the word of God..
Mahtso,
Choosing what you teach based on what’s not offensive is a loosing game. It gets you abstinence only education, it gets you science teachers forced to “teach the controversy,” it gets you watered down versions of classics. Reality doesn’t change because somebody finds it offensive, and we do our children (and selves) a disservice by acting like it does.
Also, you can teach Twain without teaching the whole of Huckleberry Finn. The kid’s probably be better off for it. I’d love to see time spent on his essays and short stories. That’s where he REALLY shone.
Here’s my suggestion for you: Go find a copy of his Dairies of Adam and Eve. I think they’re up on that Gutenberg website I linked to earlier. I’ve yet to read a more bitter sweat ending than the one of Adam’s Diary.
Blouise:
Thanks. I’m a fast commenter but a Slow Blogger, as you’ll see if you click my name above–which, btw, is actually an element of my formal rejoinder.
Gyges,
Society does change and, based on my own understanding that books are being excluded from schools because of a change related to the acceptance of the use of the word nigger (by anyone who is not a person of color), I believe that Frank provided a valid argument for altering the book. I understood that argument to be that removing the offending word would expose more students to books that have been considered classics.
I fully acknowledge that on the whole, it may not be a good idea to teach from a Bowdlerized text. But I also assume that people who think that Twain’s work is genius would not find that that genius is based solely on his use of the word nigger and, consequently, the benefits of teaching with the Bowdlerized text might outweigh not teaching Twain at all.
Maaarrghk!
1, January 5, 2011 at 2:08 am
“…
Why? It’s only an abreviation. Like Brit. I promise I will not take offence if any of you call me a Brit. Or even a Limey. Or a Pom. …”
=========================================================
What’s a Pom?
gbk
To the best of my recollection, I’ve never finished a book by Twain.
As to the choice between a Bowdlerized version or not: the thread was about Bowdlerizing a work, so my main comment was directed to that end (and was following up on similar comments made by others); the parenthetical was intended to be a full disclosure, on the off chance that anyone actually cared to know. If I was planning to read a book by Twain, I’d choose an available version that most closely matches the original version. Let me know if further clarification would be helpful.
I don’t understand your comment about the public domain: if a work is in the public domain, then we are all free to use it as we see fit (absent a moral-rights law). If you choose to use a public domain work in a way that I don’t like, that is too bad for me, and the author has lost his right to prohibit you from doing so. (Compare this issue (public domain work) to the injunction prohibiting a book about Holden Caufield (character protected by copyright).)
Mike A.,
I hear you. I have 42 constantly viewed sesame street videos and muppet movies … my 2 year old granddaughter would certainly want to add “Lady Chatterley’s Lover Lives on Sesame Street” to the collection.