the "N" word to be removed from Huck Finn

The scholar isn't "them".
He doesn't want to ban the word from existence.
He has explained why he has changed the wording.
I presume with full acceptance from the Mark Twain estate.
So "they" are part of another debate not this one.

Fair enough.

 

You make so many assumptions in order to write off the potential danger.
The corrections will be explained in the forward. People will know this is a sanitized version of the original.
The older version will still be in print
This version is accepted by the Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) estate.

Fine - then I assume all your assumptions are bas-ackwards.

This is not a good precedent for future readers and generations.
I can't understand your total lack of concern for potential negative consequences. We can trust our government and our corporations to do what is right for us. It's just not true. They do what is best for them.

 

Do you have ANY facts to back this up?

I hadn't seen anything that mentioned the Mark Twain estate being okay with this... or against it for that matter... So after reading this, I went seraching... and I couldn't find ANYTHING that said the estate had accepted it...

However... even if they had.. .the Mark Twain estate, is NOT Mark Twain...

You can't ask Mark Twain if it was okay... however, even though this controversy started WHILE HE WAS STILL ALIVE, he chose to leave it as written.

Now that he is dead though, the vultures see an opportunity to make money without putting any actual effort out, based on someone else's name and work.

Of course.. none of this matters to you does it Odon... because you didn't write that book... I would compare it to other things that you have created that someone could change... but I have never seen evidence that you have created anything...

Mark Twains words, are HIS words... If you want to change them... don't hang the result around his neck and say it was his work...

This book was published as he wanted it to be published... if authors don't have any rights, then I guess you should never again bitch and whine about piracy.

 

:rockon: Chronic Tom

 

Why do you presume? Do you have any links to support your presumption?

Seems the same guy who is removing "******" has other censorship plans. Who is he to go about changing these things?

I found this article, I won't post the whole thing here as it is somewhat long. Here's the end of it and the link;

I think you know I was being sarcastic.

 

Odon, your posts are sensible, intelligent and spot-on.

 

There's something you don't hear everyday ^^ LOLZ

 

That statement has me confused, if someone is so passionate about something, why would they want to turn it into something different?

 

It's pretty obvious that not everyone posting in this thread read the original story.

 

Have you read the original story? Do you think it will have the same impact if "******" is replaced with "slave"?

Or were you referring to the original post about changing the word?

 

I've already posted my thoughts in this thread. My opinion has not changed.

 

These books were written as cautionary tales. Whether or not they are occuring is debatable, but nevertheless these books were intended to be heeded as warnings. Assuming a nonchalant stance on issues such as censorship is exactly what allows the events that occured in those two books to occur in real life.

I agree. Anyone with a passion for Huck Finn would understand why Twain's word choice is so important to the overall theme of the book.

 

If we're going to remove the "n-word" from Huck Finn, are gangsta rappers going to do the same with their rap songs?

 

The Daily Show had a great segment on this.

 

SNL covered it as well. Seth Meyers joked that "******" was going to be replaced with "homie" lol

 

The Daily Show skit was awesome
"Jon, just say the word already"
"BUT IT'S SO UNCOMFORTABLE"

 

That's just flat-out ridiculous! Seriously.

 

The new version has gone to print so I presumed the "Mark Twain Estate" hadn't raised any objections.
I now appreciate there isn't such a thing as the "Mark Twain Estate" (oops).
I thought he would have an "estate" that looked after his work and allowed new versions or banned new versions from going to print if they didn't approve.

What Mark Twain himself published, or anything of his that others published posthumously before the year 1923, is in the public domain and may be quoted or reproduced in its entirety without permission. Mark Twain writings of any kind, whether literary manuscripts, notebooks, marginalia, or letters which came to light after 2001 and which were not published in the Microfilm Editions or elsewhere before the end of 2002 are likewise in the public domain.

http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/MTP/access.html

The new version:
With the exception of the changes in racial denotations (and in two archaic references to skin color) and the insertion of the raftsmen passage, the texts of both novels otherwise follow the wording of the first American edition.

http://www.newsouthbooks.com/twain/...m-sawyer-huckleberry-finn-newsouth-books.html

So there isn't any copyright infringement.
Anybody can print a new version of his work.
The copyright issue only seems to come into it if a publisher is wishing to reprint another publishers version or new material contained in already published work (foreword etc).

http://www.marktwainproject.org/ , Penguin Classics and other publishers will continue to print and have on record the older version.
You could reprint the original if you really wanted to.
Obviously I can't gaurantee his original work will still be in print in another 200 years, but I can gaurantee his original version will be in print for a considerable amount of time.

It isn't a precedent. The "N" word has been removed from his work many many times. Instead of replacing the word publishers just completely remove any portion of the work where it appears.

What has this to do with this issue?

I know.
To be brutally honest, it's tough shit.
There have been many versions of his work that have bastardised his work far more than this new version.
The new version is infact a more complete version than previous versions (read the publishers website posted further up).

The truth is, this is another version of one particular book amongst a plethora of other versions of books by other writers more significant than Mark Twain.
To a certain degree you just have to accept that, ignore the new version and enjoy the mountain of versions where your precious "******" is preserved.

His work is in the public domain now.
Living authors have rights.
I now find this particular work is out of copyright and therefore the "piracy" issue is a red-herring.
If he was alive now and had issue with this new version then I would respect his decision if he decided he didn't want this new version published.
I would also hope copyright law was upheld.
Mark Twain no longer has "rights" regarding his work.

Thank You.

http://www.newsouthbooks.com/twain/...m-sawyer-huckleberry-finn-newsouth-books.html

I'm happy both versions can be enjoyed...albeit by different readers.

 

Screw censorship, it's a violation of what the United States is supposed to stand for. The word is not derogatorily aimed at the reader, and therefore it is not senselessly used solely to offend. It represents the mindset of the time period. People use the "n word" and variations thereof on a daily basis in reference to one another and it's, more or less, completley acceptible in our culture and everyday society. This book should not have been banned nor altered to appease anyone.

 

really?

please tell us how you use the word on a "daily basis"