The “woke” ideology permeated into classic books pushing publishers to conform to its principles and implement numerous alterations.
Willy Goes Woke?
Classic children’s books written by Roald Dahl, such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda, are being rewritten to remove potentially offensive language, a move which has offended readers across the internet.
For instance, in “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” the character of Augustus Gloop was described in the book as “enormously fat,” but that has now been altered to simply read “enormous.” Meanwhile, the “Oompa Lumpas,” who were previously described as “little men,” are now referred to as “little people.”
“We’ve listened to the debate over the past week which has reaffirmed the extraordinary power of Roald Dahl’s books and the very real questions around how stories from another era can be kept relevant for each new generation,” announced Francesca Dow, the managing director of Penguin Random House Children’s.
“As a children’s publisher, our role is to share the magic of stories with children with the greatest thought and care. Roald Dahl’s fantastic books are often the first stories young children will read independently, and taking care for the imaginations and fast-developing minds of young readers is both a privilege and a responsibility.”
In essence, Puffin Books submitted to the woke cultural agenda and altered Dahl’s work in order to suit the spirit of the age.
Proposed ‘Woke’ Changes
As was reported, 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. And by “changes,” they mean the inclusion of “gender neutral” language; the exclusion of words their “sensitivity readers” deem offensive; and the outright altering of the author’s intent.
Willy Wonka wasn’t the only book that was up for changes. As reported by WND:
“Some books saw descriptions and sentences entirely deleted or changed to language that had no connection to the original text,” the report explained.” The publisher will now release two editions of Dahl’s books, which include well-known titles such as “Matilda,” “James and the Giant Peach,” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”
The originals will appear under the Penguin banner, and the “socially acceptable” edited versions under another name – readers “will be free to choose which version of Dahl’s stories they prefer.”
Willy Wonka
The book and movie “Willy Wonka” is a classic children’s story that follows the adventures of a young boy named Charlie Bucket as he embarks on a magical journey inside a mysterious candy factory run by a reclusive candy maker named Willy Wonka.
The original story was written by Roald Dahl and was first published in 1964 under the title “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” The story was later adapted into two popular films: “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” (1971) and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” (2005).
The story has become a beloved classic, appealing to both children and adults. It has been praised for its imaginative world-building, colorful characters, and underlying themes of morality and the consequences of greed.
As Dahl passed away over 30 years ago, this alarming censorship of his work brings an entirely new meaning to the words: “ghost written.”
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