In response to David Fears: as a matter of fact, Livy did read HF in
manuscript (see Ron Powers 488).  That the offending term remains
suggests that she was not offended by it nor did she expect other folks
to be offended by it.  Early critics of HF were more likely to be
offended by their perception of the novel's moral relativity, its attack
on Christianity, and its bad grammar than its use of contemporary (and
more or less accepted) racial terminology.

Jeff Miller
Gonzaga University