Enid Blyton - what's been edited out/changed??

[Distantview]

Have picked up a 2021 version of The Magic Faraway tree. I used to love this series as a child.

It has a disclaimer about being edited to meet modern standards.

Now I'm trying to work out what was in the original that would be offensive today - does anyone know?

The name Fanny.

Lashings of ginger beer

Well the main one is Dame Slap being changed to Dame Snap. Although when I read it to my kids I didn't think it worked at all - they had her yelling loudly into the childrens' ears rather than hitting them, which seems almost as harmful!

I only buy them online or in charity shops, I don't want my kids reading this watered down nonsense.

Yeah Fanny is Frannie and Dick is Rick, and Jo has gained an e, I have no idea why, perhaps to Show That He Is A Boy.

I read a modernised version of Amelia Jane, and I promise I am not making this up, where "black telephone" had been changed to "telephone". I knew this because I had both versions and I was actually looking to see if something else had been changed because it sounded weird in the new version. I know it sounds like a "political correctness gone mad" made up thing, but it is true.

I hate when they change the currency! I have some 'updated' ones that have switched from shillings to pounds. Why on earth?! Also, why doesn't Darrell slap Gwendolyn anymore? She realises very quickly it was a dreadful thing to do, apologises and confesses to everyone. It's a 'learning moment' or whatever surely?

Like many old favourites the language then was so different.Fanny is obv not PC and Dick being Rick now which sounds better for modern times .They were of their time really

I'm sort of with you there - although the sex stereotyping was obvious to me even as a child.

The name changes are OTT.

Generally, modern EB books have changed:

Certain language that now has a different meaning, e.g. 'gay' when used to mean joyful or colourful, 'queer' when used to mean 'odd'.

Names as mentioned above where meaning has changed, and also some simply modernised (e.g. Prudence changed to Pamela in the modern Red Roofs).

Also removal of racially offensive characters and language, e.g. pets with racist names, and racial caricatures in the forms of toys or characters.

Updates to decimal currency and inflation adjustment,

Finally I have noticed some changes to what might be called sex-stereotyping, e.g. mum cooking dinner changed to dad cooking dinner.

Definitely the currency changed.

Also, as with Dame Slap, other references to corporal punishment have been removed, and incidents such as Darrell slapping Gwen in MT made non physical.

Though why the Darrell and Gwen slapping was changed I really don't know, as it wasn't condoned at all in the original and Darrell herself was deeply ashamed of it once she'd calmed down.

I do think some of the changes are positive (e.g. removing obvious racism), but I think they lose something if they're completely modernised. I grew up well past decimalisation and never had any issues with the pounds shillings and pence!

It's always good to challenge readers and spark curiosity rather than just dumb down to what they already know.

Why is it not PC? It is literally a name.

The political incorrectness of the books are what makes them so interesting to read, Timmy the dog had a different name in the early publications of the famous five. Every character from America or France in any series are heavily stereotyped, for example Claudine Antoinette Zerelda and Suzanne 😂

I agree with you, I was born a couple of years post-decimalisation and had lots of books growing up that were still in £SD and I just accepted it as a different currency.

It's normally obvious from the context if something is expensive or a large sum, e.g. everyone's reaction to Jo Jones's £5 in Malory Towers makes it clear that it was an absolutely enormous sum in those days.

Easy enough for anyone to Google nowadays if they want to understand the pre-decimal system (and when I was growing up any adult could explain it, including the quick mental conversion method they used when it changed).

I don’t get people who get so irate at changes that don’t ultimately change the readability of a book.

I don't think it is about getting irate, but I also don't think anybody has the right to change somebodies work.

Timmy the dog had a different name in the early publications of the famous five.

I am pretty sure he didn't, unless you are thinking of Timothy, which Timmy is short for.

If you search on archive.org you should be able to find older versions of the books that they have scanned and archived that you can read to compare.

I can understsnd some changes
She mentioned Gollywogs alot and obvioudly thats not accetable now but some chsnges seem OTT

He did and it was highly politically incorrect. A six letter word starting with N.

I think it’s a shame when they modernise old books. Things like old fashioned currency add to the charm and escapism into a completely different time.

I'm confused why they changed Dick and Fanny in the magic faraway tree though, because I’m currently reading through the famous five series with my son and they’ve not given Dick or Aunt Fanny a name change.

Who is irate? That’s pretty strong language for people having an ordinary discussion.

We had a lot of old story books, hand-me-downs and such, and I used to change them on the fly as I was reading. Mostly the racist and fat-shaming stuff, but also the scene in Richard Scarry where Farmer Alfalfa, being the breadwinner, buys Mrs Alfafa a pair of earrings as a reward "for looking after the house and children so well". She is delighted - not least because the earrings are in the shape of mini egg-beaters. Know your place, wives!

They also changed all the currency to decimal. I don't agree with that either, nothing wrong with prompting a kid to ask what a shilling is.