to think Roald Dahl's 'Revolting Rhymes' should be banned?

[SquareholeRoundpeg]

I know Dahl is a national treasure and children love a bit of gore and all that - but DH and I were shocked at some of the language used in some of the stories (it is not easy to shock DH!)

There is a line in the Cinderella story where the prince says of Cinderella, 'who is this dirty slut'. Had to pause on that part when reading to DS!

The language in the story shows how deeply engrained misogynistic attitudes are, and continue to be carried through in our children's literature.

How can this be allowed?!!!

if I find something I'm reading with the kids jarring I use it as an opportunity to discuss.

Ds and I have had good discussions about words, their history and how some words aren't appropriate anymore. We have also discussed how attitudes to women, foreigners, people with disabilities etc etc were different too.

My kids are both equally critical of hansel and gretels dad as their step mum!!

Bloody he'll. Why ban a book because you don't agree with it? I don't agree that any book should be banned unless it's purpose is to insight hatred. The English language adapts. Views adapt and progress. If things like this are banned, we may as well ban fairy tales altogether. By the way, have you actually read the original versions of the tales? We have a book of the grimm brothers versions all ready for the children when they're ready to listen to longer stories...and I'd read the Roald Dahl versions to them too.

Thought this was going to be a reference to the line about red riding hood whipping the pistol from her knickers. Love that bit.

How old is your DS?

You can't go back through every piece of literature ever written and edit out anything that would be deemed offensive by today's standards. In ten year's time you'd have to do it all over again.

When reading a text, you should take into account the time it was written and when it was published and use that as context. If that can't be understood by the reader and offence will be caused then it's best to read something else or save the book for a later date when they can understand.

Oh FFS ! The Fun Police are on patrol tonight!

When I read Dahl or Blyton or most recently "The Secret Garden" with my DC, I regularly stop to put sections of the narrative or language into historical context.

In Blyton's "The Island of Adventure" the key adult character effectively grooms the children (tells them to keep his existence secret, buys them gifts, takes them out for rides in his car, takes them to a restaurant, teaches them to sail etc all without their parents knowledge)

My reaction was to read the section and then have a sensible discussion about it.

Teach your children to read critically, I'd feel pretty uncomfortable banning books.

Just reread this poem- it's so misogynistic-not! The use of the word slut is to describe Cinderella as unkempt as she's just come out the kitchen. It also portrays the prince as a bit of a knob and Cinderella ends up getting rid of him. Personally I enjoyed how substance and good jam won the day over riches and the superficial.

Ds is 6.

Better ban a lot of Shakespeare too then..

I'm sure Shakespeare should be banned too OP. Or edited/censored.

Personally, I do think Dahl is best approached with caution.

There is no question in my mind he is a talented writer and brilliant mind but there is no doubt that his stories have an extremely dark underbelly to them which really are frightening.

My 6 year old is bright but not ready for Shakespeare yet!

Damn it cleverNN. You bet me to it by 13seconds!

I have to say I haven't read the vicar of nibbleswicke with them as I know ds will be filing the words away!!

I love Roald Dahl and his adult stuff is brilliant too. Definitely don't want the kids reading those until they are older!!

Ha cross post there red

Agree with PP - use these opportunities to discuss language and how it evolves, it's a valuable and easy springboard to discussion with your children.

YABU to want to ban books.

YABVU that your reaction is to reach straight for the ban option, rather than the educate your kids option.

Ha I was just coming to mention Shakespeare!

I don't agree with banning or censoring books. You could talk to your child about how the meanings of words change.

It even annoys me how Enid Blyton no longer have a Fanny and Dick.

They are names. Very old fashioned yes but they are still used occasionally

Certainly Grimm's Fairy Tales, Hans Anderson and Lewis Carrol need to be added to your list too then
As with any book surely you exercise a degree of caution/censorship depending on children's age, the book's genre etc?
If you knew what Revolting Rhymes was about you had the choice not to read it to your dcs?

I don't want to discuss how the meaning of the word 'slut' has changed with a 6 year old-i don't want the word in his vocabulary yet!

Maybe I was bu for reading it to him in first place - he is clearly too young

There's plenty of Fanny and Dick left in the Famous Five.

OK. 6 is a little young to appreciate the shifting nuance of 'slut' over the last fifty years. Feel free to substitute another word which rhymes or scans. I suggest 'nut'.

But - your immediate response was to remove that text (or, at least, that word) from every adult or child who might want to read it. Surely you can see that YABU?

Censorship never ends well.

The number of teenagers who've found out the origins of "bastard" through Much Ado About Nothing, and then realise that the word would apply to them

I've been reading selected Roald Dahl to my 5 year old. I did skip the paragraph in Matlida where they were refering to Magnus committing suicide- I didn't want to trigger the questions that DS would come up with on that theme. I was 7 when that came out and read the hard back edition. I was reading the likes of The BFG and The Witches at 6. I think The Witches are a bit gory for him at present. It doesn't need banning, just considering carefully.

I have got a rare hardback copy of Rhyme Stew. It was bought for me but withheld until I was a teenager as my mother underestimated the saucy nature of some of it. I believe the print run was cut short because of that.