The snow has been falling for 2 days, but the magical nature of this world means that most of it has vanished before lunch. The weather has been most peculiar of late and I’m wondering if that is a sign of something to come. A message from Siobhan, the shopkeeper, alerted me that my spectacles were ready. We ventured into the snow to get them. The blue and bronze color frames suit me, as these are also Ravenclaw colors.
While I do not condone J. K. Rowling and her antics, I am and always will be a Ravenclaw. Not to mention the books themselves are something I am a fan of. Similarly, I do not condone the actions of Charles Dickens, but I enjoy reading and/or watching A Christmas Carol every year.
Changing Roald Dahl’s Words
Speaking of literature, there has been a great deal made of Roald Dahl and his books this week. The controversy started when Puffin, the publisher of Roald Dahl’s work and an imprint of Penguin Random House, announced they would reedit Dahl’s children’s books to remove anything they deemed offensive to a modern audience. For example, in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory they changed the description of Augustus Gloop from “fat” to “enormous”. I’m not sure referring to a kid as “enormous” is any better than saying he’s fat. Both words will trigger people who have issues about weight and personally, I think being called enormous is worse.
Inclusivity as an Afterthought
Another problem is that they attempted to make the books more inclusive by adding inclusive language. In Dahl’s book, The Witches, they added language about how there are several reasons someone might wear a wig and that it’s ok. While I can appreciate the attempt they are making to be inclusive, there are several issues with this line. In the story, wearing a wig is something that identifies the witches. By stating that anyone could wear a wig for any reason, it nullifies the wigs as a clue.
I also find it interesting that they went over and above to remove any association between being bald or wearing a wig with being a “bad guy” but chose not to do the same for the witches themselves. The religion of Wicca refers to his members as witches. Why is one thing worth changing Dahl’s words for and the other not?
Roald Dahl published his first book in 1943 and continued to publish through the 1980s. By significantly changing the wording in these books, it’s erasing their contribution to the culture of the time. And in all honesty, is anyone really offended that an obnoxious and ill-mannered child learned a lesson about gluttony, his size not withstanding? The bigger question is, how is this any different from the book bans on the news over the last few days?
Banning Books
Several states are banning books, and Florida has made it a felony for teachers to have any books regarding race, racism, gender, or sexual orientation. In Florida, the ban is part of a new law referred to as the “Stop WOKE Act”. This is the same law that caused African American Studies to be dropped or radically changed in AP classes at high schools.
If you are curious about what books they have banned, PEN America has a full list.
I have never been a fan of book bans. I own an unabridged copy of The Complete Tales of Uncle Remus. When I read it with my children, we talked about the themes in the books. Those books helped me teach the kids how to understand a story. Controversial books give parents, teachers, and the kids themselves a way to discuss the issues in these books. Holding books to a modern standard makes no more sense than banning every movie in which a character smokes because smoking is not socially acceptable. Sadly, there are people out there who are doing just that. They don’t want their children to learn, they only want them to follow blindly.