Walter Meyer wrote:

>Just a few years ago, in an award winning Broadway musical version of
>*Huckleberry Finn* (the title of which was something like *The River*,
>IIRC), the so-called N word was freely used where called for, to the
>everlasting credit of everyone involved in the production.

This is an interesting parallel; I was just thinking myself of the
eternal controversy over teaching HF (the original novel) in schools.
I remember seeing a production of "The River" some years ago, but I don't
recall that the language was a problem to me.  Perhaps it was because the
stage production gave so much of the period flavor that the language seemed
to fit in without being very noticeable.

That, of course, is part of the argument in favor of teaching the Mark
Twain novel--that it should be part of students' educational experience to
learn how to grapple with the past in its less-than-attractive, as well as
its admirable, aspects.  In addition, no one doubts that Twain was himself
a strong humanist.  On the other hand, one can also argue that there are
other works of literature which can get the humanist message across without
(even inadvertently) giving offense.

Another parallel, of course, is with the eternal Wagner question.
Those who are sure they see characatures of Jews in Alberich, Beckmesser,
Klingsor, etc., want nothing to do with him, but to me the weight of the
argument falls on the glories of the music.  But I respect the feelings
of those who object.

Another case that has occurred to me is that of the Brecht/Weill pieces.
I can imagine that people who feel strongly about the evils of Stalin and
Stalinism might object to the support of this political tendency on the
part of Brecht, especially.  But again, I think that the works themselves
in this case have a message which is independent of the association of the
author with Stalinism.  However, I can understand the argument on the other
side.

Jon Johanning // [log in to unmask]