MAO-STYLE CULTURAL REVOLUTION: Roald Dahl Children’s Books Rewritten to Delete References to ‘Fat’ Characters, Add ‘Inclusive’ Gender Terms

‘The whole literature of the past will have been destroyed. Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton, Byron–they’ll exist only in Newspeak versions, not merely changed into something different, but actually changed into something contradictory of what they used to be’ – George Orwell, ‘1984’

Ideological butchery.

How is this any different than Mao’s cultural revolution sparked by Mao’s concerns about his genocidal vision of communism. Mao eventually t down China’s schools (the Democrats are overthrowing ours) and his Red Guards attacked all traditional values and middle class things and to test party officials by publicly criticizing them.

“Many elderly people and intellectuals not only were verbally attacked but were physically abused. Many died.”

“The resulting anarchy, terror, and paralysis completely disrupted the urban economy. “(Encyclopedia Britannica)

‘The whole literature of the past will have been destroyed. Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton, Byron–they’ll exist only in Newspeak versions, not merely changed into something different, but actually changed into something contradictory of what they used to be’ – George Orwell, ‘1984’

— gvg (@tentacius) February 18, 2023

Good thread from the CEO of @PENamerica.
“The problem with taking license to re-edit classic works is that there is no limiting principle. You start out wanting to replace a word here and a word there, and end up inserting entirely new ideas.”https://t.co/mv0gOCHMe3

— Incunabula (@incunabula) February 19, 2023

Roald Dahl, 2001 vs 2022 editions:
In James and the Giant Peach, the Cloud-Men have become Cloud-People, Miss Sponge is no longer “the fat one”, Miss Spider’s head is no longer “black” and the Earthworm no longer has “lovely pink” skin but “lovely smooth skin”. pic.twitter.com/zd4A7uBUbA

— Incunabula (@incunabula) February 18, 2023

Roald Dahl, 2001 vs 2022 editions:
In James and the Giant Peach, the Cloud-Men have become Cloud-People, Miss Sponge is no longer “the fat one”, Miss Spider’s head is no longer “black” and the Earthworm no longer has “lovely pink” skin but “lovely smooth skin”. pic.twitter.com/zd4A7uBUbA

— Incunabula (@incunabula) February 18, 2023

“Fat little brown mouse” has become “little brown mouse”. “‘Here’s your little boy,’ she said. ‘He needs to go on a diet’”, becomes “Here’s your little boy.”

In Esio Trot, in 2022, middle-aged ladies can no longer be attractive, they can only be kind… pic.twitter.com/TNFAXSVe9o

— Incunabula (@incunabula) February 18, 2023

Roald Dahl children’s books rewritten to delete references to ‘fat’ characters, add ‘inclusive’ gender terms

The changes are part of an effort by the publisher to ensure the books ‘can continue to be enjoyed by all today’

By: Kyle Morris | Fox News February 19, 2023;

A publisher has altered children’s books by Roald Dahl – the author of several well-received children’s books that were later made into hit movies, including “Matilda,” “James and the Giant Peach,” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” – to remove language now deemed offensive.

Puffin, the publisher of Dahl’s classic works, has hired sensitivity readers to make changes to certain portions of the author’s wording in the U.K. editions as part of an effort to ensure the books “can continue to be enjoyed by all today.”

The publisher’s rewrite, first reported by The Telegraph, altered numerous descriptions of certain characters’ physical appearances, removed references to some characters being fat, and changed some language to be gender-neutral.

Augustus Gloop, the chubby character featured in “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” is now described as “enormous,” while Mrs. Twit, a character from “The Twits,” is described as just “beastly” instead of “ugly and beastly.”

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Roald Dahl, the author of several popular works, including Matilda, James and the Giant Peach, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Roald Dahl, the author of several popular works, including Matilda, James and the Giant Peach, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. (Tony Evans, E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service)

In “James and the Giant Peach,” the character of Miss Sponge is no longer described as “the fat one,” Miss Spider’s head is not “black” anymore, and the Earthworm has given up its “lovely pink” skin for “lovely smooth skin.”

In Dahl’s “The Witches”, first published in 1983, a paragraph noting that witches are bald beneath their wigs includes a new line that reads: “There are plenty of other reasons why women might wear wigs and there is certainly nothing wrong with that.”

Another passage from “The Witches” that originally described a “fat little brown mouse” has been changed to “little brown mouse” and a section that used to be, “‘Here’s your little boy,’ she said. ‘He needs to go on a diet’,” has been altered to read: “Here’s your little boy.”

In “Matilda,” the description of Mrs. Trunchbull’s “great horsey face” has been changed to simply “face,” and “eight nutty little idiots” now reads “eight nutty little boys.”

The changes have also resulted in the inclusion of gender-neutral language.

Keep reading…..