Billy Bunter Centenary ~ Is He Still Acceptable ?
Do literary characters such as the 100 year old Billy Bunter still have a place in our politically correct world ?
Billy Bunter turns 100 this weekend but should characters who no longer fit into our idea of what is acceptable be hung out to dry ?
He was created by the most prolific author in the world Charles Hamilton. The books featuring the Fat Owl of Greyfriars school appeared under his pseudonym Frank Richards.
Coming from, a different time with different ideas and indeed a different culture he would be very much unpublishable today due to perceived racism.
He is not the only character to suffer the test of time, Rudyard Kipling, Mark Twain and others spring straight to mind.
There was a recent row over some shops removing one of Herge’s Tintin titles recently but is this something we should do or just accept books they way they were written.
You could argue if it is not acceptable to write it now then should it be published now but personally I think you need to distinguish between language and intent.
If the intent is racist then clearly that is ugly and unacceptable today.
However, if the language was of popular parlance at the time but is now inappropriate then I feel it should simply be left and taken as is.
People tread on eggshells with this now to such an extent I think it counter-productive. No newspaper for example would quote any of the so-called racist remarks from Billy Bunter.
They will show disembowelled dead bodies and naked women though !!
I also wonder where some American rap lyrics live in our times and why they seem acceptable?
When history looks back on what we do today I wonder what they’ll think - will we be considered enlightened ?
See Also
Translating Books
Books You Didn’t Read
PG Wodehouse Jeeves & Wooster
