Recently it was announced that a new edition of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn going to be released.  The reasoning for the new edition is the use of the n-word throughout the text.

The word occurs more than 200 times in Huckleberry Finn, first published in 1884, and its 1876 precursor, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, which tell the story of the boys’ adventures along the Mississippi river in the mid-19th century. In the new edition, the word will be replaced in each instance by “slave”. The word “injun” will also be replaced in the text.

The new edition’s Alabama-based publisher, NewSouth books, says the development is a “bold move compassionately advocated” by the book’s editor, Twain scholar Dr Alan Gribben of Auburn University, Montgomery. It will have the effect, the publisher claims, of replacing “two hurtful epithets” in order to “counter the ‘pre-emptive censorship‘ that Dr Gribben observes has caused these important works of literature to fall off curriculum lists worldwide.” ¹

Surely Mark Twain is going to spend years haunting the people who approved this.  Writers (at least the really good ones) choose words for a reason.  They use words to evoke a sense of place, to provoke the reader into the mindset that will carry the individual deep into the text.  Twain’s use of the n-word was very deliberate; part of his social commentary on the era in which the use of such language was prevalent.  That word today is verboten, as it should be, in common speech.  However, to remove it from a text such as Twain’s Huckleberry Finn or Tom Sawyer is not only censorship but also a revisionist version of history.

Our society is so consumed with avoiding the possibility of offending others that we have tossed common sense & critical thinking out with our unrecycled styrofoam.  How can we learn from our history if we are so busy snipping, patching & denying what happened?  Yes there was a time where people used racial slurs on a regular basis…it is a sad part of our past.  We cannot pretend it didn’t happen–doing that not only rewrites the past but it also negates the work done by civil rights activists.

When I was learning about these stories in elementary school we discussed the mentality of the times, the language, customs etc. We were taught why the racial slurs were unacceptable…not just in school but at home too.  Now we treat our children like mushrooms…keep them in the dark & feed them a fine line of crap.  Rather than use Huck Finn as a discussion tool we sanitize it to make sure nobody is offended.  Our educational system should be the finest in the world.  Instead we are rewriting history, smoothing over the ugly parts of classic literature and generally removing the process of critical thinking from learning.  We are creating children who accept whatever they are told.  There isn’t any reason for them to examine what is right & wrong (or socially acceptable–think Golden Rule).

Sanitized literature (and history) does no favors for anybody.  It keeps us from learning, from repeating the mistakes of past generations…as Satayana famously said, “Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it”.  I shudder to think what we are dooming our children to repeat by not remembering & teaching our unvarnished past.

It’s that time of year again when all the writers take pen in hand to participate in National Novel Writing Month.  It’s a way for them to accomplish a lot of writing in a relatively short amount of time. The official website has all the information including rules etc. Some of the writers I know set up websites where you can follow along (once you register) with the writing, provide feedback if you choose & observe the process of creating a novel.  If you are looking for some great writing & are interested in this process I highly recommend following David Niall Wilson as he writes Scattered Earth.  Also this month is National Blog Posting Month…well every month is NaBloPoMo…anyway.  Here bloggers make a commitment to post something on their blog every day for the entire month.  The official website contains all the information & also prompts for what to post each day.  There is all sorts of information on the site & if you are interested in either event I encourage you to visit the websites & see what’s going on.

I’ve always wanted to write a novel.  Since I was a teenager I’ve felt that somewhere inside me was a book waiting to be born.  However, I have not yet discovered what that book might be…I mean I can’t even post to my blog with any regularity (not to mention I don’t seem to have anything of interest to say) so a novel is a bit beyond my ken. I am considering some ideas to make this space a little LOT more interesting…I haven’t decided yet if or how I’ll implement any changes.  I’m also thinking of doing a month of blog writing but this month is definitely not it…Mostly because I’m caught up in being a mommy.

Speaking of mommy stuff— Magnus tried rice cereal for the first time the other night. He is most certainly NOT a fan. The little bit I made he ended up wearing.  So we will wait until after Christmas & see how he feels about it then.  The other big thing going on is I’m off my meds right now.  Due to a whole range of circumstances that I don’t feel like explaining I’ve been unable to refill my prescriptions.  I must say that going cold turkey off a combo therapy of anti-depressants sucks mightily.  It’s been a week & every day is very difficult.  I spend a lot of time crying or fighting back the tears….if Magnus weren’t in need of care I’d probably never get out of bed.  He is my saving grace right now. Every day I start with the attitude that I will survive until Abe comes home. So far it’s worked.  Other than that I’ve got a multitude of questions without answers.

I have nothing terribly interesting to say so instead I’m going to promote some very cool music that I’ve been listening to as of late.  I got on ReverbNation a few months ago (Shadow Gallery started using the site & I’m always happy to play the fangirl).  It’s free to sign up & you can fan bands, find new music, keep up with concerts in your area and a ton of other things.

As an avid tweeter I am following several different artists on Twitter & found that I could keep up with what they are currently promoting on ReverbNation.  I have since listened to some truly great bands, downloaded some tracks & even messaged with some of the artists. Following is a list of some of the music currently blasting through my house.  Follow the links for something new to tantalize your ears.

Matt Powers — California native Matt has been playing bass for years. His solo recordings are solid rock/Indie pop that will stick with you.

TRIO (therhythmisodd) — a Swedish prog rock group that I was recently introduced to via Twitter.  Check them out as they are great musicians with a new look at what progressive rock should be.

Hooks & Ladders — Floridians Chris & Nick started playing acoustic rock to counter their normal hard rock/metal sound.  Mellow & memorable…worth the listen.

Gary Shukoski — based in San Diego, CA Gary records some great prog/experimental rock. I catch myself singing/humming his tunes while puttering about the house.

Star Ark — the brain child of Neil Flavelle; this mix of alternative/experimental rock comes from Melbourne, Australia.  I find new vibes with nearly every listen.

Ashbury — a Tucson, AZ rock band with staying power.  Their first album was released in 1983…give ‘em a listen & see why “Endless Skies” is a much sought after album.  Look for a new album in 2011.

So what’s playing on your device of choice? What new music/artist/band has grabbed your attention recently.  DO share as I’m always willing to find some new aural stimulation.