Huckleberry Finn censored.

[chuckskull]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12126700

A new edition of Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is causing controversy because of the removal of a racially offensive word.

Twain scholar Alan Gribben says the use of the word "******" had prompted many US schools to stop teaching the classic.

In his edition, Professor Gribben replaces the word with "slave" and also changes "injun" to "Indian".

But the publisher says hundreds of people have complained about the edits.

First published in 1884, Huckleberry Finn is considered one of the great American novels.

While telling the story of a boy's journey down the Mississippi River some time between 1835 and 1845, the novel satirises Southern attitudes on race and slavery.

Sometimes I just want to pull my hair out at this kind of thing. Yes it says ******, which is a deeply offensive word, but that's the bloody point! It's a book about racism, set in the deep south in the 1830's FFS. It's supposed to make you squirm.

"the difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter" - Mark Twain.

What an utter moron. 'Twain scholar' my white hairy rear. Ugh.

[father smurf]

Sounds like they've got their own Winston Smith on the job of rewriting history.

[Bluecube]

Why is the word "******" censored" here? Sure it's offensive but in this context it shouldn't be censored. Certainly it shouldn't be censored in a classic book such as Huckleberry Finn where anyone with half a braincell would understand the context of the word usage - ie the deep south in the early 19th century.

[jim]

Probably because it's easier to censor it than constantly police the forum to only remove it when it's posted in the wrong context.

[format]

[Agent]

Why is the word "******" censored" here? Sure it's offensive but in this context it shouldn't be censored.

It's an auto filter. It has no concept of 'context' which is purely a human perception.

[santa claus]

The word also cropped up in the film "The Dam Busters". It was the name of Wing Commander Guy Gibson's black labrador. The word was broadcast in the British TV version but some tinkering with censorship did occur.

It will be interesting to see if this little bit of history is rewritten in the remake of the film.