One of my favorite paintings is Morning Ride on the Beach by Dutch impressionist Anton Mauve ( http://www.rijksmuseum.nl/aria/aria_assets/SK-A-3602?lang=en ). It was discovered many years ago hanging above the fireplace mantel of a private residence. The horse dung in the foreground had been painted over by someone other than Mauve. Restorationists carefully returned the painting to its intended form. It now hangs in the Rijks Museum in Amsterdam where those offended by a little fecal matter can glance quickly at the other side of the room to avoid seeing it.
It is outrageous to think that someone would alter a work of art created by someone else to suit his or her own taste. In fact, it is nothing short of an act of vandalism. I wonder how Alan Gribben and NewSouth, the editor and publisher of the newly sanitized edition of Mark Twain's Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, would assess the vandalism done to Mauve's masterpiece. Is there any difference between glossing over that which visually offends and that which aurally offends?
Twain chose his words purposefully. It would seem that those who seek to censor him believe Twain had some malicious agenda. The Associated Press article by Hillel Italie, Sometimes Twain Censored Himself, reveals the opposite. The article exposes Twain as a man who cared deeply about people regardless of race or gender. According to Italie, Twain was an "intrepid" defender of the abused and oppressed.
After reading Italie's article, I am even more motivated to read Twain's autobiography. My initial impression is that Twain sought to create an accurate illustration of the Reconstruction-era South. When we are offended by his use of the N-word, it is cause for celebration. Offense, while uncomfortable, demonstrates that our society has learned something from its sordid past. We must be knowledgeable of the past to avoid repeating the same mistakes in the future. If editors and publishers are free to sanitize works that make the reader uncomfortable, we will lose these valuable lessons.
"fjkrugerross F.J. Krüger-Ross
ReplyDelete"History doesn't repeat itself - at best it sometimes rhymes" - Mark Twain #Bookhenge"
I'm with you, Jen. I think Twain chose his words carefully so that perhaps this dark era in our history would not repeat itself.
You've made a rationale and passionate argument here -- no easy task.
Thank you.