I didn't know there could be separate dubs for the US and the UK. I'm referring to the American version, if that's the case. :o
This reminds me of the reprints of a few Raggedy Ann books. For example, this is from the publisher's note on the 1999 reissue of Marcella: A Raggedy Ann Story (originally published 1929):
"To keep this a complete and authentic reissue, all of the stories in Marcella are included with only minor text changes. We have also chosen to retain all illustrations of and references to the Beloved Belindy character. While her portrayal may offend some readers, her inclusion was due to an effort to maintain the original look and feel of Marcella, and to represent the time period in which the book was written."
Beloved Belindy is a Mammy doll. While she speaks the same as the other dolls and is treated as an equal, there is NO fucking way she'd be caught dead in a modern children's book today, especially due to her design. There was also a similar warning in a reprint of Raggedy Ann Stories (1918) regarding the "wash" story, in which we meet Dinah the cook. Yep, we definitely don't keep black maids anymore.
Publisher's notes like this are nice because not only does it "update" the text while keeping the integrity of the story, it also gives the opportunity for parents to talk to their kids about race and racism. (This is assuming the parents aren't morons and leave the TV to babysit their children, of course) I'm surprised the article didn't mention Margaret Mitchell's Gone With The Wind. Racist as hell even back in the day it was published and a big gigantic glorification of the Old South (hell, the movie cuts out the Klu Klux Klan, where in the book they were portrayed as heroes), but the book is still considered a beloved and epic classic by many readers to this day.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2012-03-09 04:42 am (UTC)This reminds me of the reprints of a few Raggedy Ann books. For example, this is from the publisher's note on the 1999 reissue of Marcella: A Raggedy Ann Story (originally published 1929):
"To keep this a complete and authentic reissue, all of the stories in Marcella are included with only minor text changes. We have also chosen to retain all illustrations of and references to the Beloved Belindy character. While her portrayal may offend some readers, her inclusion was due to an effort to maintain the original look and feel of Marcella, and to represent the time period in which the book was written."
Beloved Belindy is a Mammy doll. While she speaks the same as the other dolls and is treated as an equal, there is NO fucking way she'd be caught dead in a modern children's book today, especially due to her design. There was also a similar warning in a reprint of Raggedy Ann Stories (1918) regarding the "wash" story, in which we meet Dinah the cook. Yep, we definitely don't keep black maids anymore.
Publisher's notes like this are nice because not only does it "update" the text while keeping the integrity of the story, it also gives the opportunity for parents to talk to their kids about race and racism. (This is assuming the parents aren't morons and leave the TV to babysit their children, of course) I'm surprised the article didn't mention Margaret Mitchell's Gone With The Wind. Racist as hell even back in the day it was published and a big gigantic glorification of the Old South (hell, the movie cuts out the Klu Klux Klan, where in the book they were portrayed as heroes), but the book is still considered a beloved and epic classic by many readers to this day.