Pointed out that the expression of classic novels is distorted by vulnerable readers and experts called 'sensitive readers'
When reading old novels, etc., there are times when discriminatory and inappropriate expressions are written as they were at the time. There may be notes such as ' In fact, classical works sometimes use biased views and expressions that are no longer used as discriminatory in modern times. There are many cases where the content of classics is distorted by sensitive readers.' He also gave a critical opinion about the ``sensitive readers'' of experts who point out inappropriate expressions.
Sensitivity Readers Have a License to Bowdlerize | National Review
Agatha Christie Latest Author to Be Rewritten by Progressive Sensitivity Readers | National Review
https://www.nationalreview.com/news/agatha-christie-latest-author-to-be-rewritten-by-progressive-sensitivity-readers/
In the work of Mr. Roald Dahl, a British novelist known for 'The Secret of the Chocolate Factory', which is the original of 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory', it is announced that the writing expression will be changed significantly when releasing a new version. it was done. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Queen Camilla also expressed critical opinions about this change, sparking a big controversy over 'freedom of expression'. We decided to release both versions separately. In addition, similar changes were made without the author's permission in the children's horror novel series ' Goosebumps ', which is very popular in the United States, and it became a big problem.
A writer of a popular series novel for children criticizes the publisher for ``correcting the character's weight and ethnicity expression without permission''-GIGAZINE
Agatha Christie's work also has cases where texts about human physique, race, ethnicity, etc. in the classics are changed to suit modern sensibilities. Christie is said to have frequently portrayed specific occupations and ethnic groups in a comical way as a technique for setting up characters in his mystery novels, and some of them are considered problematic expressions and have been published in contemporary novels after the author's death. changed in version. For example, in Hercule Poirot's ' Death on the Nile ,' a character points to a group of children and complains, 'Their eyes and noses are disgusting and I don't think I like children.' but this part has been removed in the latest version. Also, the servant who was described as 'smirking black' is neither smiling nor black, and is simply described as 'the servant nods'.
Also, in the Miss Marple series ' Secrets of the Caribbean ', there was a scene where Marple evaluated a West Indian hotel employee as having 'nice white teeth', but that part was deleted or 'sculpted'. A character whose physical beauty is described as having a black marble body like 'has lost that feature, and much of the content that was used in praise has been deleted. In addition, almost all references to race, such as 'Jews' and the Egyptian ethnic group ' Nubia ', have been removed.
According to the British Telegraph , HarperCollins , which publishes Christie's novels, has hired an expert called Sensitive Reader who points out expressions that do not fit modern times, and it is not the first time that the book has been revised. Although not yet, such a large-scale change after 2020 is rare.
In April 2023, when the ' James Bond ' series was republished to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the first issue, the author Ian Fleming's copyright group hired a sensitive breeder and announced that the expression would be greatly revised. rice field. The new version states, 'This book was written at a time when terms and attitudes that would be offensive to modern readers were common. We've made a lot of updates,' added a note. For example, in the original work, the part that referred to a specific race and was expressed as 'they are law-abiding people except when they drink too much' was deleted entirely so that the readers would not get bored. Concerns have been raised that the author's efforts in the text and the nuances that express the character's personality will be erased.
National Review writer Douglas Murray points out that the cause of such changes 'comes from the sensitive reader business.' Murray said of Franz Kafka, 'I think we should only read the kind of books that hurt or sting us. If the book we're reading doesn't hit us on the head and wake us up. , what are we reading it for?' He criticizes the current situation of not having a say in change.
Murray also said, 'The obsession that novels shouldn't offend us means that by radically revising the work after the author's death, we're trying to understand what the past really was like and how it compares to the present.' We are depriving them of the opportunity to know how they were different,' he said. Hiring an expert to modify the content of a book to a certain mold may prevent someone from being maliciously harmed and may actually protect someone's feelings. But Murray said, 'The book is not meant to be a comfort, as Kafka put it, so it's also an important significance of the book to challenge a crowd with a clear direction.' It's worth at least trying to be honest with yourself by staying true to your word.'
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