I suppose, if nothing else, it will make for some good classroom
discussions... particularly for those of us teaching Huck Finn this
semester.  Effectively, I have several pre-fab discussions ready to rock.

In related matters:
Does anyone know why they chose "Indian" instead of "Native American" or
"Amerindian"?

I was a little surprised to open Where the Sidewalk Ends randomly at a book
store and to find that Shel Silverstein's work has also been edited (though,
with little fanfare).  His poem "The gypsies are coming" has been changed to
"The googies are coming".  Weird.

I will admit to being made uncomfortable by the n-word in Huck Finn, but
that uncomfortableness just makes it that much more challenging to teach,
and to ensure that we have thoughtful discussions about language, rhetoric,
and the like.  Of course, I'm not teaching the novel at a high school level,
so I can't vouch for how successful it is in that setting.

In either case, thanks for all the material and the lively discussion.  I've
enjoyed it.

Michael MacBride
English/Humanities
Minnesota State University, Mankato


On Thu, Jan 6, 2011 at 12:27 AM, <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> I am pleased to learn that you gave up on the Politically Correct (but Wre=
> cked) version.  The snippet you have given makes it clear that your transl=
> ation goes from the unforgettable to the unreadable.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Kent_Rasmussen <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Sent: Wed, Jan 5, 2011 10:33 am
> Subject: Re: a new Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
>
>
> Like that of many others posting on this subject, my first reaction to thi=
> s
> news was one of astonishment. However, after giving the matter further
> thought, I wonder if it wouldn=E2=80=99t be better to carry the revision=
>  of
> _Huckleberry Finn_ even further. And, I=E2=80=99m happy to report, I=E2=80=
> =99m ready to
> help. About sixteen years ago, just for fun, I started to rewrite the book
> myself, with the idea of publishing it as _The Politically Correct (but
> Wrecked) Adventures of Huckleberry Finn_. To provide some of the flavor of
> my 100% non-offensive text, here=E2=80=99s my version of Pap=E2=80=99s dru=
> nken diatribe.
> (Note, by the way, how neatly it handles the uncomfortable matter of
> substituting =E2=80=9Cslave=E2=80=9D for the uncomfortable word that begin=
> s with the letter
> following M in the alphabet.)
>
> "Oh, yes, we have wonderful institutions! How's this for an example: I hea=
> rd
> of a free African American from Ohio who dressed better than any European
> American in town. He even had a gold watch and chain and silver-headed can=
> e.
> Oh yes, he was quite the dandy. What's more, they said he was a multilingu=
> al
> college professor with a vast repertoire of knowledge. That was bad enough=
> .
> When they said he could vote in his home state, that was too much. What,=
>  I
> wondered, is our country coming to? Well, it happened to be election day=
>  and
> I would have gone to vote myself, if I been in a condition to get there
> safely, but when I heard that there's a state which actually lets a person
> of color vote, I stopped and said that I would never vote again. Those are
> my exact words--everyone heard me. Why, the country can founder for all I
> care. And to think of the presumption of that man--why, he wouldn't have
> conceded my right-of-way unless I pushed him aside! When I asked why he
> wasn't sold back into involuntary servitude, do you know what people said?
> That he couldn't be sold unless he spent six months in the state. How's th=
> at
> for an example of our government institutions? Pretty sad, if you ask me."=
> =20
>                                =20
>
> =20
>