지금 벌어지고 있는 충격적인 로알드 달 검열 사태
로알드 달 작가 작품을 혹시 읽어본 적 있음?
작가 이름은 잘 몰라도 아마 작품 이름은 한 번 쯤은 들어봤을 거야.
<마틸다>, <찰리와 초콜릿 공장>, <마녀를 잡아라> 등 여러 작품을 쓴 작가임.
그는 호러 추리 등 여러 장르의 작품을 썼지만
특히 <마틸다>, <찰리와 초콜릿 공장> 등의 아동문학의 인기가 대단해서,
그가 쓴 아동문학은 아동문학 중에서도 손에 꼽힐 정도로 영상화가 많이 이뤄졌지.
그런데 최근 그의 작품을 둘러싸고 첨예한 논란이 불거지고 있어.
바로 작가의 사후에, 그의 작품을 출간하는 Puffin 출판사에서 그의 작품을 대대적으로 수정한 거야.
"이 책은 수 년 전에 쓰여졌고 그래서 우리는 오늘날 모든 사람들이 계속해서 즐길 수 있도록 표현을 정기적으로 검토합니다."
(This book was written many years ago and so we regularly review the language to ensure that it can continue to be enjoyed by all today.")
수정에 관해 논란이 벌어지자, 출판사는 이런 입장을 내놓았어.
그렇다면 작품이 대체 어떻게 수정됐길래 논란이 생겼을까?
'뚱뚱한(fat)'이란 표현을 '거대한(huge)'으로
'검은(black)'이란 표현은 '어두운(dark)'로
사람들을 의미하는 복수 명사 men을 보다 성별중립적인 표현인 people로
<마틸다>에서 마틸다가 즐겨 읽는 작품의 작가가 러디야드 키플링에서 제인 오스틴으로 바뀌고(러디야드 키플링은 인종차별 논란이 있는 작가야. 그래서 그 대신 여성 작가인 제인 오스틴을 넣은 거지.)
<마녀를 잡아라>에서 마녀가 가발 아래 대머리를 숨기고 있다는 묘사 뒷부분에 "여자들이 가발을 쓰는 이유는 이것 말고도 많고, 전혀 문제가 되지 않는다."라는 문장을 추가하고
......
이런 식으로 성별, 인종, 외모 등과 관련된 단어를 모두 다른 단어로 대체하거나 심지어는 지워버리기까지 한 거야.
작가가 쓰지 않은 대목을 멋대로 추가하기까지 하고 말이야.
검토 수준이 아니라 대대적이 검열이 되어 버린 거지.
이와 같은 사태를 두고 <악마의 시>로 유명한 살만 루슈디는 이렇게 비판했어.
"로알드 달이 천사는 아니지만 이것은 터무니 없는 검열이다. Puffin 출판사와 로알드 달 재단은 부끄러워 해야 한다.)
("Roald Dahl was no angel but this is absurd censorship. Puffin Books and the Dahl estate should be ashamed.")
로알들 달의 작품이 인종차별, 외모비하 등의 논란 등이 있지만 그렇다고 해서 그의 작품을 이런 식으로 수정해서는 안 된다는 뜻이지.
참고로, 이와 같은 개정은 '포용적인 정신(Inclusive Minds)'라는 단체의 "민감한 독자"들에 의해서 주도 됐다고 해.
'포용적인 정신'이란 단체는 "아동문학의 포용성, 다양성, 평등과 접근성에 열정적인 집단"이라고 스스로를 소개하는 단체야.
그들은 스스로 아동 문학의 모습을 바꾸는 데 헌신하고 있다고 말하지.
아무래도 로알드 책을 출판하는 출판사나 로알드 달 재단은
로알들 달의 작품 판권을 넷플릭스에 팔아서 큰 수익을 내려는 시점에서
그의 작품들이 인종차별, 성차별 등의 논란에 휩싸이니까 이런 대대적인 수정을 가한 것으로 보여.
그렇지만 작가 사후에 그의 작품을 이런 식으로 고쳐서 출판하는 게 과연 옳은 일일까?
만약 과거에 쓰여진 어떤 작품이 현대의 윤리적 기준에 맞지 않는다고 해서 멋대로 수정해버린다면,
우리는 과연 작가가 쓴 그 작품을 읽었다고 할 수 있는 걸까?
나는 전혀 그렇지 않다고 생각해. 이것은 뭔가 잘못돼도 한참 잘못된 일이야.
밑에 로알드 작가의 작품이 어떻게 수정됐는지 레딧의 어느 이용자가 정리한 표를 첨부할게.
너무 많으니까 일단 가장 유명한 작품인 <찰리와 초콜릿 공장>만.
그 외 다른 작품을 비교한 표는 링크를 남겨둘 테니까 댓글에서 찾아볼 수 있어.
링크: https://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/1154tr5/the_hundreds_of_changes_made_to_roald_dahls_books/
<찰리와 초콜릿 공장> 수정 전과 수정 후 비교표
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory | |
---|---|
2001 | 2022 |
Like all extremely old people, he was delicate and weak | Like most extremely old people, he was delicate and weak |
“Tell Charlie about that crazy Indian prince,” said Grandma Josephine | “Tell Charlie about that ridiculously rich Indian prince,” said Grandma Josephine |
“You mean Prince Pondicherry?” said Grandpa Joe, and he began chuckling with laughter. “Completely dotty, said Grandpa George. “But very rich,” said Grandma Georgina | “You mean Prince Puducherry?” said Grandpa Joe, and he began chuckling with laughter |
“Prince Pondicherry wrote a letter to Mr Willy Wonka” | “Prince Puducherry wrote a letter to Mr Willy Wonka” |
“The crazy prince” | “The prince” |
A nine-year-old boy who was so enormously fat he looked as though he had been blown up with a powerful pump | A nine-year-old boy who was so enormous he looked as though he had been blown up with a powerful pump |
Great flabby folds of fat bulged out from every part of his body, and his face was like a monstrous ball of dough | Great folds bulged out from every part of his body, and his face was like a ball of dough |
Fully grown women | Fully grown people |
“A hundred women working for me” | “A hundred people working for me” |
“Okay, girls” | “Okay, folks” |
“She needs a really good spanking” | “She needs a really good talking to” |
“My mother says it’s not ladylike and it looks ugly to see a girl’s jaws going up and down like mine…” | “My mother says it’s undignified and it looks ugly to see jaws to be going up and down like mine…” |
… shooting up another bunch of gangsters with machine guns | … shooting up another bunch of gangsters |
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 | Removed |
“Especially when they start pumping each other full of lead, or flashing the old stilettos, or giving each other the one-two-three with their knuckledusters!” | “Especially when they start firing off their guns or giving each other the one-two-three with their knuckledusters!” |
The man behind the counter looked fat and well-fed. He had big lips and fat cheeks and a very fat neck | Removed |
The fat around his neck bulged out all around the top of his collar like a rubber ring | Removed |
The fat shopkeeper shouted | The shopkeeper shouted |
The fat shopkeeper said | The shopkeeper said |
“Get all that mud off your pants!” | “Get all that mud off your trousers!” |
Policemen with arms linked were trying to hold them back from the gates | Police officers with arms linked were trying to hold them back from the gates |
All the children, except Charlie, had both their mothers and fathers with them | All the children, except Charlie, had their parents with them |
“Who’s the big fat boy?” | Removed |
“Enormous, isn’t he?” | Removed |
“The picture of the Lone Range stencilled on his windcheater?” | “The picture of the Lone Ranger stencilled on his jacket” |
“He must be crazy! Look at all those toy pistols he’s got hanging all over him” | Removed |
“It’s moving! It’s walking! It’s a little person! It’s a little man!” | “A little person!” |
“It is a little man! Can you see him?” | “It is a little person! Can you see them?” |
“Aren’t they fantastic” | Removed |
“No higher than my knee!” | Removed |
“Look at their funny long hair!” | Removed |
The tiny men - they were no larger than medium-sized dolls | The little people |
“But they can’t be real people,” Charlie said | Removed |
“Imported direct from Loompaland,” said Mr Wonka proudly | “They come from Loompaland” |
“The Oompa-Loompas spent every moment of their days climbing through the treetops” | Removed |
“Poor little Oompa-Loompas!” | Removed |
“The bark of the bong-bong tree” | Removed |
“You only had to mention the word “cacao” to an Oompa-Loompa and he would start dribbling at the mouth” | Removed |
“As soon as I discovered that the Oompa-Loompas were crazy about this particular food” | “As soon as I discovered that the Oompa-Loompas loved this particular food” |
“I climbed up to their tree-house village and poked my head in through the door of the tree house belonging to the leader of the tribe” | “I decided to speak to their leader” |
“The poor little fellow, looking thin and starved, was sitting there…” | “The fellow was sitting there…” |
“It’s a deal!” he cried. “Come on! Let’s go!” | “Let’s go and ask the others. But I think it’s a deal!” he cried. “Come on!” |
“So I shipped them all over here - every man, woman, and child in the Oompa-Loompa tribe” | “So, they all agreed to come over - each and every Oompa-Loompa” |
“It was easy. I smuggled them over in large packing cases with holes in them, and they all got here safely… They all speak English now” | “They’ve told me they love it here” |
“They still wear the same kind of clothes they wore in the jungle. They insist upon that” | “They do like jokes” |
“The men, as you can see for yourselves across the river, wear only deerskins. The women wear leaves, and the children wear nothing at all. The women use fresh leaves every day…” | Removed |
“But Augustus was deaf to everything except the call of his enormous stomach” | “But Augustus was ignoring everything” |
Mrs Gloop, going white in the face and waving her umbrella about | Mrs Gloop, waving her umbrella about |
Mr Wonka turned around and clicked his finger sharply, click, click, click, three times | Removed |
Immediately, an Oompa-Loompa appeared, as if from nowhere, and stood beside him | An Oompa-Loompa appeared, as if from no where, and stood beside him |
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 | Removed |
He wore the usual deerskin slung over his shoulder | Removed |
“Now listen to me,” said Mr Wonka, looking down at the tiny man. | “Now listen to me,” said Mr Wonka, looking down at the man. |
“How long could we allow this beast/To gorge and guzzle, feed and feast/On everything he wanted to?/Great Scott! It simply wouldn’t do./However long this pig might live,/We’re positive he’d never give/Even the smallest bit of fun/Or happiness to anyone” | “For one such child as vile as he/Bad things happen, wait and see!/We cannot say we are surprised,/Augustus Gloop had been advised./ But then he took another sip/And now he’s going on a trip. |
“So what we do in case such/As this, we use the gentle touch,?And carefully we take the brat/And turn him into something that/Will give great pleasure to us all -/A doll, for instance, or a ball,/Or marbles or a rocking horse” | “Cover your eyes and cross your toes,/Whoosh, swoosh and off he goes!” |
“But this revolting boy, of course,/Was so unutterably vile,/So greedy, foul, and infantile,/He left a most disgusting taste/Inside our mouths, and so in haste/We chose a thing that, come what may./Would take the nasty taste away” | Removed |
“She wants a good kick in the pants,” whispered Grandpa Joe | “She needs to learn some manners,” whispered Grandpa Joe |
“He’s crazy!” they shouted. “He’s balmy. | “He’s barmy!” they shouted. |
The Oompa-Loompas were all rowing like mad | The Oompa-Loompas were all rowing frantically |
“I tried it on an Ooma-Loompa yesterday in the Testing Room” | “I tried it myself yesterday in the Testing Room” |
“And when I do, then there’ll be no excuse anymore for little boys and girls going about with bald heads!” | “And when I do, everyone will have as much wonderful hair as they could wish for!” |
“Little boys and girls never do go about with…” | “Little boys and girls don’t want to grow beards and moustaches…” |
A few queer rumblings were heard | A few strange rumblings were heard |
She shot out a fat hand | She shot out a hand |
Her huge, well-trained jaws | Her well-trained jaws |
Watching her huge rubbery lips | Watching her lips |
“I’ve tried it twenty times in the Testing Room on twenty Oompa-Loompas and every one finished up as a blueberry.” | “I’ve tried it twenty times in the Testing Room and every time, someone finished up as a blueberry.” |
“Thereafter, just from chewing gum,/Miss Bigelow was always dumb,/And spent her life shut up in some/Disgusing sanitorium” | Removed |
“I gave some to an old Oompa-Loompa” | “I gave some to an Oompa-Loompa” |
“The Oompa-Loompas all adore it. It makes them tiddly” | “The Oompa-Loompas all adore it” |
“They’re as drunk as lords,” said Mr Wonka | Removed |
Mrs Salt was a great fat creature with short legs, and she was blowing like a rhinoceros | Mrs Salt was so out of breath, she was blowing like a rhinoceros |
He watched his fat wife go tumbling down the hole | He watched his wife go tumbling down the hole |
Hundreds of Ooma-Loompa children no more than four inches high playing in the streets | Hundreds of Oompa-Loompa children playing in the streets |
Charlie experienced a queer sense of danger | Charlie experienced a strange sense of danger |
“But he’s a midget!” shouted Mr Teavee | “But he’s tiny!” shouted Mr Teavee |
Waving his pistols in the air | Removed |
He turned away and clicked his fingers three times in the air. An Oompa-Loompa appeared immediately | An Oompa-Loompa appeared and stood beside him |
“Follow these orders,” said Mr Wonka | “Follow these instructions,” said Mr Wonka |
Beating their tiny drums | Beating their drums |
“Or better still, just don’t install/The idiotic thing at all” | Removed |
Something crazy is going to happen now, Charlie thought | Something bizarre is going to happen now, Charlie thought |
“He used to be fat! Now he’s thin as a straw!” | Removed |
“How healthy she looks! Much better than before!” | “How healthy she looks!” |