Re-writing Roald Dahl, Dr. Seuss and Enid Blyton: Please Don’t

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This is going to be a short post since I have my board exams coming up, but I can’t not say anything about what I just read - Roald Dahl’s being re-written, with so-called politically incorrect portions modified. I googled a bit and found that there has been talk of re-writing Dr. Seuss and Enid Blyton too.

I grew up reading Roald Dahl, Dr. Seuss and Enid Blyton, among others. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Fantastic Mr Fox, The Lorax, Famous Five, Malory Towers, I’ve read them, all and many times and I could still read them, though I haven’t read these in a while. Let me say this. Kids aren’t stupid. They are not going to turn racist or be offended by reading stories written by great writers from a different era, having values very different from what we have now. I don’t think it is possible to re-write these great stories without ruining them. It is not a perfect world. Please do let these books be. I don’t think there should be any re-writing at all. That’s my point of view. I mean, if one starts editing the most offensive bits, well, then it is a slippery slope and it will never end. So, please don’t touch these great books. Let’s read them as they are, warts and all.

Actually, these books will also remind us that not too long ago, some humans considered others to be inferior and treated such others horribly. And that’s an era we should never go back to. I don’t think reading Roald Dahl, Dr. Seuss or Enid Blyton will take us there.









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