Difference between revisions of "Dr. DoLittle"
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| − | + | Before it was an Eddie Murphy or Robert Downey Jr. film variation, [https://redtri.com/classic-kids-books-with-racist-stereotypes/slide/3 Dr. DoLittle] was a famous child's book from the 1950s. The Story Of Dr. Dolittle was written and illustrated by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Lofting Hugh Lofting]. It is a series of children's novels that tells a story about a doctor who is capable of speaking with animals. This book has many times been adapted to movies. Frist movie adaption was [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Dolittle_(1967_film) Doctor Dolittle] in 1967. | |
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==Plot== | ==Plot== | ||
| − | John Dolittle, MD, is a regarded doctor | + | John Dolittle, MD, is a regarded physician with an ability to speak with animals. After learning the secret of speaking to all animals from his parrot Polynesia, he becomes a veterinarian. One day, a mysterious call summons him to Africa, where a serious epidemic has spread among the monkey population. The good doctor sets out immediately with some of his best friends — Jip, the dog, and Polynesia, the parrot, among others. Along the way, they’re joined by new acquaintances, including the pushmi-pullyu, a remarkable creature that has a head at both ends of its body.<ref>https://constantreader.com.au/p/junior-fiction-the-story-of-doctor-dolittle--6</ref> |
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| + | ==Controversy== | ||
| + | Most of the storyline is innocent in a way that a child reader will be engaged mainly by fantasy elements of animals that can talk to each other and now a human being like themselves. The part that becomes racial is the use of derogatory language and illustrations when referencing black people from the original book.<ref> https://blogs.baruch.cuny.edu/childish/?p=1390</ref> There are versions of the book that had been revised to remove the racial issues from the original book. The 1988 edition of Doctor Dolittle removes all references to skin color: “black man” becomes “man,” and “white man” becomes “man” or “foreign man.” Instead of tricking Prince Bumpo by preying on his desire to be white (in the original), Polynesia tricks Prince Bumpo by hypnotizing him (in the current version).<ref>https://philnel.com/2010/09/19/censoring-ideology/</ref> | ||
| − | + | The 1988 reprinting contains an afterword by Christopher Lofting, the son of Hugh Lofting, and explains why the changes were made: | |
| + | <blockquote>When it was decided to reissue the Doctor Dolittle books, we were faced with a challenging opportunity and decision. In some of the books there were certain incidents depicted that, in light of today's sensitivities, were considered by some to be disrespectful to ethnic minorities and, therefore, perhaps inappropriate for today's young reader. In these centenary editions, this issue is addressed. | ||
| − | The | + | . . . After much soul-searching the consensus was that changes should be made. The deciding factor was the strong belief that the author himself would have immediately approved of making the alterations. Hugh Lofting would have been appalled at the suggestion that any part of his work could give offense and would have been the first to have made the changes himself. In any case, the alterations are minor enough not to interfere with the style and spirit of the original.<ref name=plover> https://blog.plover.com/book/Dolittle.html</ref></blockquote> |
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==References== | ==References== | ||
{{reflist}} | {{reflist}} | ||
Revision as of 06:34, 17 December 2020
Before it was an Eddie Murphy or Robert Downey Jr. film variation, Dr. DoLittle was a famous child's book from the 1950s. The Story Of Dr. Dolittle was written and illustrated by Hugh Lofting. It is a series of children's novels that tells a story about a doctor who is capable of speaking with animals. This book has many times been adapted to movies. Frist movie adaption was Doctor Dolittle in 1967.
Plot
John Dolittle, MD, is a regarded physician with an ability to speak with animals. After learning the secret of speaking to all animals from his parrot Polynesia, he becomes a veterinarian. One day, a mysterious call summons him to Africa, where a serious epidemic has spread among the monkey population. The good doctor sets out immediately with some of his best friends — Jip, the dog, and Polynesia, the parrot, among others. Along the way, they’re joined by new acquaintances, including the pushmi-pullyu, a remarkable creature that has a head at both ends of its body.[1]
Controversy
Most of the storyline is innocent in a way that a child reader will be engaged mainly by fantasy elements of animals that can talk to each other and now a human being like themselves. The part that becomes racial is the use of derogatory language and illustrations when referencing black people from the original book.[2] There are versions of the book that had been revised to remove the racial issues from the original book. The 1988 edition of Doctor Dolittle removes all references to skin color: “black man” becomes “man,” and “white man” becomes “man” or “foreign man.” Instead of tricking Prince Bumpo by preying on his desire to be white (in the original), Polynesia tricks Prince Bumpo by hypnotizing him (in the current version).[3]
The 1988 reprinting contains an afterword by Christopher Lofting, the son of Hugh Lofting, and explains why the changes were made:
When it was decided to reissue the Doctor Dolittle books, we were faced with a challenging opportunity and decision. In some of the books there were certain incidents depicted that, in light of today's sensitivities, were considered by some to be disrespectful to ethnic minorities and, therefore, perhaps inappropriate for today's young reader. In these centenary editions, this issue is addressed. . . . After much soul-searching the consensus was that changes should be made. The deciding factor was the strong belief that the author himself would have immediately approved of making the alterations. Hugh Lofting would have been appalled at the suggestion that any part of his work could give offense and would have been the first to have made the changes himself. In any case, the alterations are minor enough not to interfere with the style and spirit of the original.[4]