Adding ‘trigger warnings’ on classic texts of literature was bad enough, but it seems publishers are now rewriting the words written by authors in order to remove any language that they deem ‘offensive’.
Publishers Puffin brought in sensitivity readers to adapt Roald Dahl’s novels in a bid to make them more inclusive, so that they can “continue to be enjoyed by all today.”
That includes taking out many references to characters’ appearance, including removing any reference to the word ‘fat’, reports LBC. Augustus Gloop from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is now called ‘enormous’. Is that meant to be less offensive than being called ‘fat’?
Another baffling edit is a witch posing as a cashier in The Witches now being “a top scientist”, and an “attractive middle aged lady” in Esio Trot now being “a kind middle aged lady”. The title character in The BFG does not wear a black cloak any more and characters cannot turn “white with fear” – the words “black” and “white” have been cut out.
Get a load of some of the edits below:
Most people online seem to be in agreement that these changes are completely dumb and unnecessary. Here’s the general reaction:
Genuinely laughing out loud at some of these awful purse-lipped tin-eared changes to Roald Dahl. Hilariously terrible. pic.twitter.com/kz7jNJDgNP
— Niall Gooch 👍🏴🇻🇦🚅🏏✒ (@niall_gooch) February 18, 2023
Haven’t seen a single person of any political leaning say the Roald Dahl edits are good. No one seems to have asked for this and it was executed abysmally. Genuinely baffled as to how they get through presumably a large number of reasonable people at Penguin?! https://t.co/KJPYAAe7F6
— Summer Anne Burton (@summeranne) February 18, 2023
This Roald Dahl censoring is concerning & sets a dangerous precedent. You edit a couple of books with outdated attitudes, now there’s only 400 years of literature left to go. Where do you draw the line here? When has rewriting the past ever solved contemporary societal issues?
— Eleanor 💞 (@misanthropicice) February 18, 2023
If you’re wondering how the estate of Roald Dahl is allowing this all to happen, well, it turns out they’re on board with the edits. Which I can only imagine is a financial decision.
As well as supposedly appealing to a readily-offended modern audience, the revamp and all the outrage it’s causing is decent publicity in itself. I guess you’re going to have to buy physical copies of all the classics soon before they get to work on those too. Makes you wonder what words and ideas today could be unacceptable in another 100 years?
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