Reports have recently surfaced that author R.L. Stine made edits to his iconic Goosebumps book series. The edits are said to have been made to make the books less offensive and more modern. Now R.L. Stine has made the statement that this is untrue.
The original report, as shared by Britain’s Times newspaper, claims that the books were “sanitised.” This, of course, means that they would now feature more inclusive language in an effort to remove references towards “mental health, weight or ethnicity.”
For example:
“Writer’s self-censoring includes changing ‘plump’ to ‘cheerful’ and ‘crazy’ to ‘silly,’” they alleged.
It was claimed that R.L. Stine was participating in these Goosebumps edits himself. As such, many defended the changes, claiming that they were the wishes of the original author. But now R.L. Stine has used social media to deny these reports. Here’s what he stated:
“The stories aren’t true. I’ve never changed a word in Goosebumps. Any changes were never shown to me.”
Lindsey, the stories aren’t true. I’ve never changed a word in Goosebumps. Any changes were never shown to me.
— R.L. Stine (@RL_Stine) March 6, 2023
With that said, there are edited versions for some of these iconic Goosebumps stories. The books are confirmed to have been edited for a series of e-book re-releases distributed in 2018. As such, the changes aren’t exactly an unrealistic possibility. But R.L. Stine is clearly not the person to blame for the edits.
Scholastic reportedly told The Times that it made the changes to “keep the language current and avoid imagery that could negatively impact a young person’s view of themselves today, with a particular focus on mental health.”
It’s clear that we’re reaching a point where many classic stories are being re-evaluated and re-edited for modern audiences. Some authors approve these changes and others do not. Thus there will no doubt be plenty of discussions on this matter in the near future. But as far as Goosebumps author R.L. Stine is involved – it’s clear that he doesn’t approve of his own books being modified.
Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates on R.L. Stine’s works and the future of the Goosebumps multimedia franchise as we have them.
‘Goosebumps’ Books Censored Without R.L. Stine’s Permission
Source: Breaking Update News
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