The Pursuit of Love

[Sandra15]

I've had the book for a while and started reading it after the mini series. This is obviously a reprint, but contains words the wokies would have a fit at reading:

The children seemed to be melting away like the ten little n-boys (full word appears)

Linda telling Fanny (why then was a pale strawberry blonde cast in the role?) that she and her husband will have such pretty little black babies, both of them being so dark

And the character Uncle Matthew using xenophobic terms for Germans, Spanish and Italians.

And I'm only halfway through!

Yes it's of it's time and I don't care, it's just fiction. But should I? It's confusing.

No, don’t be silly. It’a a wonderful book, Matthew is a Pratt, keep reading!

Also,,check out the paedophile in the companion book.

I don’t think my copy has the n word, but does have the other things you mentioned. There is a note at the start saying that they’ve left the language in and explaining why.

I think if they were bowdlerised like Enid Blyton nobody would ever read them again (or there’d be a black market in old copies).

You have to read them in the context of when they were written, and by whom. Nancy Mitford was aristocratic and brought up mainly at home, by parents who were probably almost certainly racist themselves.

@Zanzibar55

You have to read them in the context of when they were written, and by whom. Nancy Mitford was aristocratic and brought up mainly at home, by parents who were probably almost certainly racist themselves.

I think one of the Mitford sisters was mates with Hitler (can’t remember which, don’t think it was Nancy).

Unity was the Nazi
Diana was the Fascist
Jessica was the Communist
Nancy was a Socialist!
Pamela stayed out of politics I think
Debo was probably a true blue Tory

(Although her husband stood for Parliament once, as a Liberal I think)

@GiantKitten

(Although her husband stood for Parliament once, as a Liberal I think)

Oh no, it was as a Tory. But he became a Social Democrat later.

@GiantKitten

I think if they were bowdlerised like Enid Blyton nobody would ever read them again (or there’d be a black market in old copies).

There is a world of difference in books for children having racist language used and books for adults who know the language is of its time. It would cause more controversy to edit it out than to ignore it. That said, I think as attitudes change then a book that has been very popular can disappear. Uncle Tom's Cabin is a good example, at the time it was written it was on the side of the abolitionists and phenomenally popular but now it's not read because it has so many racial stereotypes in it, it's still a culturally important book though.

@JaninaDuszejko I was just thinking of the name changes, specifically Frannie and Rick for Fanny and Dick

Yeah, Frannie and Rick were pointless. And Jo becoming Joe . But they didn't change Chinky in The Wishing Chair.

They would have changed it if he had been Chinese..

I am rereading and have now got to the n word in my copy, so it was there I must have just blanked it out in horror.

I finished the book yesterday. A few more Uncle Matthewisms came up!