Why Change a Good Thing?

I hate to get controversial here, but as a librarian, I dislike the fact that a Twain scholar recently changed the language in Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

If you’ve been following the news lately, you might have heard that NewSouth Books has partnered with Alan Gribben to create a new version of Huckleberry Finn that doesn’t include the “N” word. The word “slave” will now replace it.

Here’s a little background information from CBS News: https://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/01/04/entertainment/main7212343.shtml

Media attention in the literary world is not new, but changing literature to sell books is not commonly done. Discussions about this new book have exploded all over the Internet, and I’m wondering if this media attention has generated book sales from those who are most curious about this latest publishing. 

Twain published Huck Finn in 1885 when slaves were often referred to by that term. Changing his language now does not allow readers to accurately see the culture during that time period.  

In my opinion, censorship is never a good idea. We learn and grow from what we read, whether we agree with what is being said or not. Literature helps us develop our own opinions and recognize that others have opinions as well. Knowledge is power. The more we read and understand, the more we become an educated community with knowledge of the past and present.  

Just my two cents. What do you think? I'd love to hear from our community on this topic.