February 21st 2023.
Ruth Langsford and Coleen Nolan have tackled the ongoing Roald Dahl 'censorship' disagreement, debating the need to 'protect young people in cotton wool' as well as the new language chosen.
The most recent versions of the hugely popular author's children's books have been edited to remove terms which could be seen as offensive, with sections in works such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda relating to weight, mental wellbeing, gender and race being modified or taken out.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak even voiced his criticism of the move on Monday, with his spokesperson saying: 'When it comes to our exceedingly abundant literary legacy, the Prime Minister concurs with the BFG that you should not
(Image Source: https://metro.co.uk) tamper with words.'
'Gobblefunk' is a term from Dahl's book The BFG and implies to fiddle with words to invent new ones or meanings.
Puffin Books, a section of Penguin Random House, employed sensitivity readers to look through a few of Dahl's back-catalogue to guarantee they 'can continue to be enjoyed by all today'.
Among the hundreds of changes, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory's Augustus Gloop is now 'enormous' as opposed to 'fat' and the Mrs Twit of The Twits is no longer 'ugly' – but rather 'ugly'.
(Image Source: https://metro.co.uk) Author Roald Dahl's children's books were mainly published in the 1960s, 70s and 80s
(Image Source: https://metro.co.uk) Ruth Langsford and Coleen Nolan discussed the edits on Loose Women
Arguing about those particular changes during Tuesday's episode of Loose Women, Coleen stated: 'They're changing the word fat to enormous – oh, 'cos that's much better!'
With Ruth being heard in agreement, she continued: 'You're not ugly, you're beastly! Oh, thank you for not saying I'm fat and ugly.'
Ruth added: 'We are just starting to swaddle our youngsters in so much cotton wool that they will soon be scared of their own shadows, you have to permit them to make up their own minds about something.'
Explaining that she had 'no issue' with a written language warning at the start of the book so you have a choice, she continued: 'But to start rewriting and taking out from such a renowned author, who is so loved worldwide by children, I think is incorrect and I think it's dangerous.
(Image Source: https://metro.co.uk) In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Augustus Gloop is no longer 'fat' but 'enormous'
'I consider this will lead on to they'll be scared to go out of the house soon in case something offends them.'
The Roald Dahl Story Company, which takes care of the copyrights and trademarks for the writer, underlined that 'it's not uncommon to review the language' during a new print run.
'Our guiding principle throughout has been to maintain the storylines, characters, and the irreverence and sharp-edged spirit of the original text,' the company added in a declaration.
'Any changes made have been small and carefully considered.'
New editions of Dahl's books now also come with a notice from the publisher in the copyright page which reads: 'The wonderful words of Roald Dahl can transport you to different worlds and introduce you to the most fantastic characters.'
Ruth Langsford and Coleen Nolan have tackled the ongoing Roald Dahl ‘censorship’ debate, questioning the need to ‘protect young people excessively’, as well as the new selection of words.
Revised versions of the much-loved author’s children’s books have been edited to take out language that might be considered offensive, with passages in works such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda related to weight, mental health, gender and race being changed or removed.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak even criticized the move on Monday, with his spokesman saying: ‘When it comes to our very abundant literary heritage, the Prime Minister agrees with the BFG that you should not mess around with words.’
‘Mess around’ is a word from Dahl’s book The BFG and implies to tamper with words to invent new ones or meanings.
Puffin Books, a division of Penguin Random House, employed sensitivity readers to go through some of Dahl’s back-catalogue to make sure they can ‘can still be enjoyed by all today’.
Among the hundreds of alterations, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’s Augustus Gloop is now ‘enormous’ instead of ‘fat’ and the Mrs Twit of The Twits is no longer ‘ugly’ – but rather ‘beastly’.
Author Roald Dahl’s children’s books were mainly published in the 1960s, 70s and 80s
Ruth Langsford and Coleen Nolan raised their concerns on Loose Women
Taking issue with those particular updates during Tuesday’s episode of Loose Women, Coleen stated: ‘They’re changing the word fat to enormous – oh, ‘cos that’s much better!’
With Ruth heard consenting, she carried on: ‘You’re not ugly, you’re beastly! Oh, thank you for not saying I’m fat and ugly.’
Ruth added: ‘We are just starting to protect our young people in so much cotton wool that they’re going to be scared of their own shadows soon, you have to allow them to make up their own minds about something’
Explaining that she had ‘no problem’ with a written language alert at the start of the book so you have a choice, she continued: ‘But to start reworking and taking things out from such a renowned author, who’s so loved the world over by children, I think is wrong and I think it’s risky.
In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Augustus Gloop is no longer ‘fat’ but ‘enormous’
‘I think it will lead on to they’ll be scared to go out of the house soon in case something offends them.’
The Roald Dahl Story Company, which takes care of the copyrights and trademarks for the author, emphasized that ‘it’s not unusual to review the language’ during a new print run.
‘Our guiding principle throughout has been to keep the storylines, characters, and the irreverence and sharp-edged spirit of the original text,’ the company added in a statement.
‘Any changes made have been minor and thoughtfully considered.’
Latest editions of Dahl’s books now also come with a notification from the publisher in the copyright page which reads: ‘The wonderful words of Roald Dahl can transport you to different worlds and introduce you to the most marvellous characters.
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