Well, we had Christmas and New Years. Not really news. Everyone asks how I'm doing lately, so here's the fun update.
I was feeling pretty good through the whole Christmas break from school. Then last Tuesday I went to the endocrinologist and had my thyroid dosage changed. You need more when you're pregnant. So I started taking the higher dose the next day and within about 36 hours, morning sickness had returned! So, hooray! It is kind of good, though, because this is sort of the first time since my big cancer-ectomy that I've actually noticed any difference due to thyroid hormone. A couple other things changed as well, one of which is unmentionable here but greatly appreciated, and one of which will take longer to fix because it has to do with dry skin.
Anyway, that's the news of WIB.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Nice Try, Boneheads
There's a news item in the paper this morning, about a "Twain scholar" who is "working with NewSouth Books in Alabama to publish a combined volume" of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. The catch is that they're replacing the so-called "N-word" with the word "slave" in this edition. The hope is "not to offend readers."
Except that you just did.
You're a scholar? I think this is what is called "Revisionist Scholarship." You think you're better at writing dialogue characteristic of the time frame of the novel? You think you can eliminate ugly race relations from history by replacing a single word with another, far less appropriate word? Really?! You think you can somehow make this literature better? Better than Mark Twain, one of America's most beloved, revered, and respected authors? Really?! You think you can maintain the feel of the book without the at-the-time-extremely commonplace slang that made it great to begin with? Really?!
And FYI, "Twain Scholar," I hear this word several times a day walking past my house to high school, so you'll have to eliminate racist black high schoolers if you really want to change the history of this word. Maybe you should start a campaign to teach them to call each other "F#%$in' Slave." There. That would fix it.
I love Mark Twain. I love the readability of his novels and short stories. I love that they're about every-day people, and the dialogue and slang, although debated by wannabe scholars, are a good part of what makes these books great literature.
Except that you just did.
You're a scholar? I think this is what is called "Revisionist Scholarship." You think you're better at writing dialogue characteristic of the time frame of the novel? You think you can eliminate ugly race relations from history by replacing a single word with another, far less appropriate word? Really?! You think you can somehow make this literature better? Better than Mark Twain, one of America's most beloved, revered, and respected authors? Really?! You think you can maintain the feel of the book without the at-the-time-extremely commonplace slang that made it great to begin with? Really?!
And FYI, "Twain Scholar," I hear this word several times a day walking past my house to high school, so you'll have to eliminate racist black high schoolers if you really want to change the history of this word. Maybe you should start a campaign to teach them to call each other "F#%$in' Slave." There. That would fix it.
I love Mark Twain. I love the readability of his novels and short stories. I love that they're about every-day people, and the dialogue and slang, although debated by wannabe scholars, are a good part of what makes these books great literature.
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