Roald Dahl edits: Read the 25 most surprising changes to beloved children’s books
Jeremiah Poff
Critics are decrying an edit of Roald Dahl’s children’s books by the publishing house Puffin that will see sentences, dialogue, and descriptions deleted or substantially changed.
The edits and deletions will affect classic Dahl titles such as Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and others. The edits primarily focused on replacing or omitting words such as “fat” or gendered terms such as “men.” In some instances, sentences of seemingly inoffensive content were entirely deleted.
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The changes were reported by the Telegraph, and the Washington Examiner has highlighted some of the most surprising changes below.
PUBLISHER REWRITES ROALD DAHL’S CLASSIC CHILDREN’S BOOKS TO BE MORE ‘INCLUSIVE’
Matilda
“Matilda took the knife she had been eating with” was entirely deleted. “She went on olden-day sailing ships with Joseph Conrad. She went to Africa with Ernest Hemingway and to India with Rudyard Kipling” will be changed to “She went to nineteenth century estates with Jane Austen. She went to Africa with Ernest Hemingway and California with John Steinbeck.” “Bingo afternoons left her so exhausted both physically and emotionally that she never had enough energy left to cook an evening meal” was entirely removed. “Well thrown, sir!” was changed to “Well thrown, miss!” The word “matron” was replaced with “nurse.”
George’s Marvelous Medicine
“Dashed into his father’s toolshed” was changed to “Dashed into the toolshed.” “The frozen pop-eyed look was back with her again now” was deleted. “She looked as though she was going to faint” was deleted. “Marvelous medicine, George told himself. He found it fascinating to stand there watching what it was doing to the old hag. What next?” was changed to “What marvelous medicine. What next?” “Look at you! You’re standing up all on your own and you’re not even using a stick!” was changed to “Look at you! You’re full of beans!”
James and the Giant Peach
“One of those white flabby faces that looked exactly as though it had been boiled” was changed to “A face that looked like a great soggy overboiled cabbage.” “They must be Cloud-Men! Cloud-Men! they murmured” was changed to “They must be Cloud-People! Cloud-People! they murmured.” “A few women screamed. Others knelt down on the side-walks and began praying aloud. Strong men turned to one another and said things like, I guess this is it, Joe, and Good-bye, everybody, good-bye” was deleted. “There were caves everywhere running into the cloud, and at the entrances to the caves the Cloud-Men’s wives were crouching over little stoves with frying-pans in their hands, frying snowballs for their husband’s suppers” was changed to “There were houses everywhere running into the cloud.” “Going white as a sheet” was changed to “looking terrified.”
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
“‘You mean Prince Pondicherry?’ said Grandpa Joe, and he began chuckling with laughter. ‘Completely dotty,’ said Grandpa George. ‘But very rich,’ said Grandma Georgina” was changed to “‘You mean Prince Puducherry?’ said Grandpa Joe, and he began chuckling with laughter.” “Fully grown women” was changed to “Fully grown people.” “Mike Teavee himself had no less than eighteen toy pistols of various sizes hanging from belts around his body, and every now and again he would leap up into the air and fire off half a dozen rounds from one or another of these weapons” was entirely deleted. “The Oompa-Loompa bowed and smiled, showing beautiful white teeth. His skin was rosy-white, his hair was golden brown, and the top of his head came just above the height of Mr. Wonka’s knee” was deleted. “He turned away and clicked his fingers three times in the air. An Oompa-Loompa appeared immediately” was changed to “An Oompa-Loompa appeared and stood beside him.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Fantastic Mr. Fox
“Each man will have a gun and a flashlight” was changed to “Each person will have a person and a flashlight.” “My poor wife up there is so weak she can’t dig another yard” was deleted. “The machines were both black. They were murderous, brutal-looking monsters” was changed to “They were murderous, brutal-looking monsters.” Attributions of numerous actions and words were changed from “he” to “she.” “Even Weasel … is right now hiding down my hole with Mrs. Weasel and six kids” was changed to “Even Weasel … is right now hiding down my hole with his family.”