the faraway tree

[chocolatecaz]

i have both an old and a new copy of the Faraway Tree stories by Enid Blyton, but they've changed the names! from fanny to frannie, jo to joe and bessy to beth! is this legal?

[apricot]

I am distraught! These are my favourite children's books. I suppose the new names are more modern and children of today may relate to them better but surely is takes away the charm? I sold mine to a dealer in Hay a couple of years ago and I miss them.

[LeMarchand]

Yes. Why wouldn't it be? It might be a breach of copyright if done without the permission of the copyright holder, but I'm guessing whoever owns the rights was happy enough to make the changes in the hopes of increased sales. Don't forget about he changes to Noddy that made the news a while back...

[DOB]

Sign of the times and our need to be politically correct and inoffensive. I think I read somewhere that in the reprints of the Noddy books nowadays, there are no references to "golli****" anymore

[DOB]

Le Marchand, you're answer wasn't there when I posted. The old answerbank censor machine is another example of our obsession with PCness. The word is in fact G O L L I W O G S

[marchantino]

and cousin dick is now called rick.its just sad.

[beale]

Obsession with PCness DOB? Give it a rest. Golli**** were called that for a reason and it is offensive. Surely avoiding teaching children through these toys/characters that black people are a source of novelty and amusement-which is what they do no matter how innocent you think they are- is hardly PC. Why don't you spend more time writing strongly-worded letters to the Daily Mail instead of posting your indignant nonsense on here?

[saffstar]

Fair enough Beale, but what's wrong with Fanny, Jo & Bessie? I'm horrified - glad I've still got my old copies!

[DOB]

If you don't like other people's opinions being expressed on the site beale, perhaps you are the one who shouldn't be posting. My point was that our obsession with PCness and fear of offending someone is beginning to get out of hand. If you go on a tour of Pearl Harbour, they don't tell you that it was bombed in WWII for fear of offending Japanese tourists. Do we rewrite Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice because it portrays Jews as moneygrabbers.

[beale]

No DOB, you're right of course we shouldn't. But I think as Enid Blyton books are for young children it's the kind of thing we should avoid teaching them. I certainly don't think we should re-write all art and history to suit some homogenous liberal ideal. As for Fanny, Jo and Bessie I've got no idea why any publisher would want to change them - that's just daft. Also, I've got no problem with anyone expressing their opinions so sorry to DOB for my rather personal outburst at the end of my last post.

[DOB]

I apologise too beale. The decision to ban the word which started this discussion is 100% correct as it is disgusting and derogratory. P.S. - I got around the filter by spacing the letters in the word.

[saffstar]

This is starting to bother me now - what if they branch out from just Blyton? What's next? 'Jade Eyre'? 'Niall Nickelby'? Where will this madness end.....!

[Francis Asis]

When I read to my daughter and come across things where the thinking has changed in a more enlightened world I use it as an opportunity to discuss such matters with her.