Why? Why are Roald Dahl's books being rewritten??
I'm a woke lib, I admit it, π¨ββ€οΈβπ¨π©ββ€οΈβπ©π but this is going too far. Roald Dahl's beloved books are now being rewritten in places to remove remove language deemed offensive by the publisher, Puffin.
They have apparently hired "sensitivity readers" to rewrite chunks of the authorβs text to make sure the books βcan continue to be enjoyed by all today.β
These "small and carefully considered changes" are nothing of the sort; these changes will extensive across his entire work.
Such as:
The word βfatβ has been cut from every new edition of relevant books, while the word βuglyβ has also been culled. Augustus Gloop in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is now described as βenormousβ. In The Twits, Mrs Twit is no longer βugly and beastlyβ but just βbeastlyβ.
In The Witches, a paragraph explaining that witches are bald beneath their wigs ends with the new line: βThere are plenty of other reasons why women might wear wigs and there is certainly nothing wrong with that.β Oh, and the Witches can also be "top scientists or CEOs of multinational companies" rather than "cashiers in a supermarket" or "typing letters for a businessman"
In previous editions of James and the Giant Peach, the Centipede sings: βAunt Sponge was terrifically fat / And tremendously flabby at that,β and, βAunt Spiker was thin as a wire / And dry as a bone, only drier.β
Both verses have been removed, and in their place are the rhymes: βAunt Sponge was a nasty old brute / And deserved to be squashed by the fruit,β and, βAunt Spiker was much of the same / And deserves half of the blame.β
References to βfemaleβ characters have disappeared. Miss Trunchbull in Matilda, once a βmost formidable femaleβ, is now a βmost formidable womanβ.
Gender-neutral terms have been added in places β where Charlie and the Chocolate Factoryβs Oompa Loompas were βsmall menβ, they are now βsmall peopleβ. The Cloud-Men in James and the Giant Peach have become Cloud-People.
Oh, and I think worst of all, the tractors in Fantastic Mr Fox are no longer "[i]black, murderous, brutal-looking monstersβ[/i]. Yup, you guessed it! They are now merely "murderous brutal-looking monsters..."
No wonder Puffin haven't "immediately responded to requests for comment"
Now I know Roald Dahl was far from being an angel - he was anti-Semitic for one - but.. come on!!!
So, I need to ask, was anyone actually offended by any of Dahl's books (from an inclusive perpective), and if so, why? Truly I'd be interested to know!
They have apparently hired "sensitivity readers" to rewrite chunks of the authorβs text to make sure the books βcan continue to be enjoyed by all today.β
These "small and carefully considered changes" are nothing of the sort; these changes will extensive across his entire work.
Such as:
The word βfatβ has been cut from every new edition of relevant books, while the word βuglyβ has also been culled. Augustus Gloop in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is now described as βenormousβ. In The Twits, Mrs Twit is no longer βugly and beastlyβ but just βbeastlyβ.
In The Witches, a paragraph explaining that witches are bald beneath their wigs ends with the new line: βThere are plenty of other reasons why women might wear wigs and there is certainly nothing wrong with that.β Oh, and the Witches can also be "top scientists or CEOs of multinational companies" rather than "cashiers in a supermarket" or "typing letters for a businessman"
In previous editions of James and the Giant Peach, the Centipede sings: βAunt Sponge was terrifically fat / And tremendously flabby at that,β and, βAunt Spiker was thin as a wire / And dry as a bone, only drier.β
Both verses have been removed, and in their place are the rhymes: βAunt Sponge was a nasty old brute / And deserved to be squashed by the fruit,β and, βAunt Spiker was much of the same / And deserves half of the blame.β
References to βfemaleβ characters have disappeared. Miss Trunchbull in Matilda, once a βmost formidable femaleβ, is now a βmost formidable womanβ.
Gender-neutral terms have been added in places β where Charlie and the Chocolate Factoryβs Oompa Loompas were βsmall menβ, they are now βsmall peopleβ. The Cloud-Men in James and the Giant Peach have become Cloud-People.
Oh, and I think worst of all, the tractors in Fantastic Mr Fox are no longer "[i]black, murderous, brutal-looking monstersβ[/i]. Yup, you guessed it! They are now merely "murderous brutal-looking monsters..."
No wonder Puffin haven't "immediately responded to requests for comment"
Now I know Roald Dahl was far from being an angel - he was anti-Semitic for one - but.. come on!!!
So, I need to ask, was anyone actually offended by any of Dahl's books (from an inclusive perpective), and if so, why? Truly I'd be interested to know!