New Version of 'Huckleberry Finn' Eliminates N-Word

By Jett Wells Posted Jan 4th 2011 01:49PM

New Version of 'Huck Finn' to Eliminate the 'N-Word'

Mark Twain's classic 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' is a piece of literary history, but publishing company NewSouth is electing to update the story for modern times by getting rid of the N-word. Publishers Weekly reports a new version of the novel along with 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer' will switch out the ever-controversial N-word for "slave."

"This is not an effort to render Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn colorblind," said Twain scholar Alan Gribben. "Race matters in these books. It's a matter of how you express that in the 21st century."

The project led by Gribben, a 69-year old English professor tapped to write the introduction for the edition, began when he read the book out loud to his students over the years and consciously replaced the word with "slave." After several local teachers reached out to him about the same concerns, Gribben felt a change was desperately needed in order for Twain to keep his place in today's classrooms.

'Huckleberry Finn' is still largely considered one of the most controversial novels directly because of its context with slavery, and has been threatened to be removed from classrooms for decades.

"After a number of talks, I was sought out by local teachers, and to a person they said we would love to teach this novel, and Huckleberry Finn, but we feel we can't do it anymore. In the new classroom, it's really not acceptable," Gribben said.

The N-word appears 219 times, and Gribben knows making the change won't be smooth.

"I'm hoping that people will welcome this new option, but I suspect that textual purists will be horrified," he said. "Already, one professor told me that he is very disappointed that I was involved in this."

The new edition, 'Mark Twain's Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn: The NewSouth Edition,' is set for release in February.

Is 'Huck Finn' better without the word, or do the changes tarnish Twain's work? Tell us in the comments.

Tags: Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Comments

(50)

Tuesday 04 January

By Rod

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I've always hated getting things "sanitized" in a literary sense as a child. Has "Huckleberry Finn" outgrown the grade schools? I think this book reflected the times when it was made, that is important to know too.

By Phillip Butler

How nice, now can we get the dreaded "N-word" banned from the pounding car sound systems that I always seem to end up next to? You know, the ones that don't take opening a book to see but are carried at 200 decibels all over the city. Now that is offensive.

By JohnRL

AMEN!!!

By kmsc2c

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Two wrongs don't make a right.

By Bob

Next they will want to re-write Shakespeare. The best thing to do would be don't buy the book. Let the publisher go down in flames on this effort.

By ConcreteNeil

This is great! Lets edit other works so they aren't as offensive too. A short list, just to get us started:
The Bible (A whole bunch of offensive stuff happening here)
A Tale of Two Cities (Why does the shop keeper's wife have to be "Fat"?)
The Fountianhead (A rape scene, and Mr. Toohey is just plain wrong)
Any biography of FDR (This socialist clown called "Great"?)
The Travis McGee series (This guy just refuses to join mainstream society)

While we're at it, lets edit some movies too:
Blazing Saddles (The sheriff is near)
Airplane (Pederasty anyone?)
The Horse Whisperer (Isn't animal cruelty romantic?)

Or a better idea: Keep lessons age appropriate? Use the arts to teach history? Leave the writings of your betters alone?

By Heather

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LOL LOVE Blazing Saddles! My parents used to let me watch it in my teenage years, but it was made clear that the N-word was never to be said in a hateful way, meant to hurt someone, just like redneck was a word we didnt use to describe people. It's a MOVIE, and I don't believe that people who die in films die in real life. "Erasing the past" sounds like a slippery slope to be on. I'd rather we just recognize that racism is ignorant, practiced by ignorant people. That being said, I was shocked when I learned Kanye West's mom was so well educated... why would she ever let her child use that word so casually? He should be smarter than that. Or is it that we just need to take the sting out of that word?

By jef

That book the way it was written ,right of wrong is a picture of another time period and should not be changed.
I swear this world is going down hill fast.

By ks

Absolutely ridiculous. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn are works of literature from a time when the N word was used. These books are part of history and should be left as is. Stop trying to white wash the history of this country.

By acemakr6

I guess rappers won't be starring in the movie?

By swimjunkie22z

Maybe we should censor all books and take out anything that anyone might feel is offending. Wait no then we wouldnt have any books.

By jazbo rizz

as an author, i vote NO on the change to this--or any other--book, for this is nothing more than censorship under the guise of political correctness and appears without the author's approval; a clear violation of copyright. but, hey, let's forget all about the rule of law and the constitution under the obama regime...

By Uncle Eddy

There are 2 books all boys (9-13) should read 1 is Mark Twain's "Tom Sawyer" and the other is Robert Louis Stevenson's "Kidnapped"

By murray silver

while you're at it, let's change the word "Huckleberry" to "Blueberry," as I am offended by the use of Huckleberry as a demeaning reference to southern rural whites...

By Curtis Smith

Absurd. A piece of literature should be left alone. Period.

By doneldathomas

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AMEN!!!!

By lawrence

Don't ban the word................Ban the book!

BAND BOOKS ARE YOU NUTS! DONT READ IT.

By Rahma

There is no such thing as an AFRICAN-AMERICAN. if you're african then go back, if you're American stay here if you want, but until they get away from terms like african/american,asian /american, etc. I'm still calling them as I see them. You have only 1 citizenship or loyalty to 1 country and not a continent. also not all blacks are africians.

By Jodie

Ok let's see ARE THEY NOW TRYING TO WHITE WASH HISTORY?
My God.What in the hell are we going to let these people do next?
This BS would not have happened in the 60's ! Why? Because, We Americans would NOT HAVE LET IT GET THIS FAR. IT IS TIME TO STEP UP PEOPLE! YOU ARE GOING TO WAIT TOO LONG!

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