# Should "old" Books Be Re-Written **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 12, 2009, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-old-books-be-re-written/502774 "2009-07-12T18:46:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-old-books-be-re-written/502774/81 "2009-07-17T16:03:09Z")
> [@InvisibleWombat](#): > > Why should that person be denied the opportunity to read a book that was intended to be readable by the masses? Please point out to me the masses who were literate in the time of Chaucer. Why are you denying me the opportunity to run in a marathon, just because I can’t run for over 20 miles straight? ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-old-books-be-re-written/502774/82 "2009-07-17T16:45:33Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > Please point out to me the masses who were literate in the time of Chaucer. Sorry. Let me adjust my phrasing: “Why should that person be denied the opportunity to read a book that was intended to be readable by all readers at the time?” > [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > Why are you denying me the opportunity to run in a marathon, just because I can’t run for over 20 miles straight? You clearly didn’t read the post you were replying to, **Shot From Guns**. Let me repeat the key portion: > [@InvisibleWombat](#): > > I do _NOT_ advocate taking the originals off the market. I advocate adding some choice to the market by giving the people with less time and education a chance to enjoy the same literature you do. If our local bar has beer available for me, that doesn’t mean they won’t have wine available for you (please substitute the drink of your choice if you don’t like wine). If you can only run 3 miles, that doesn’t mean the guy down the street can’t run 26. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-old-books-be-re-written/502774/83 "2009-07-17T16:52:04Z")
> [@InvisibleWombat](#): > > Oppress? No. Of course not. > > But your average person is going to have to do a bunch of research (or read a bunch of footnotes) to understand that. Why should that person be denied the opportunity to read a book that was intended to be readable by the masses? > > I do _NOT_ advocate taking the originals off the market. I advocate adding some choice to the market by giving the people with less time and education a chance to enjoy the same literature you do. Which particular work do _you_ want to read that is not available in a version you can enjoy? Earlier, I linked to a selection of _Canterbury Tales_ in Modern English–easily on “the market” of [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com). A bit of research will turn up translations or annotated versions of many older books. And I’ll join the pile-on: In those days, “the masses” didn’t read at all; they couldn’t. Or are your “difficult” books more recent? Please, be specific! The masses _were_ able to enjoy Shakespeare. Even today, his works make a lot of sense on stage or on film. Still, you can find books that retell his plays. Line by line translations would be useless because he’s remembered as a master of language, reveling in puns & jokes. He stole most of the stories, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-old-books-be-re-written/502774/84 "2009-07-17T16:53:17Z")
> [@InvisibleWombat](#): > > …If our local bar has beer available for me, that doesn’t mean they won’t have wine available for you (please substitute the drink of your choice if you don’t like wine). If you can only run 3 miles, that doesn’t mean the guy down the street can’t run 26. And the wine bar probably has beer for you. You just have to ask. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-old-books-be-re-written/502774/85 "2009-07-17T16:58:20Z")
> [@InvisibleWombat](#): > > Sorry. Let me adjust my phrasing: “Why should that person be denied the opportunity to read a book that was intended to be readable by all readers at the time?” [snip] If our local bar has beer available for me, that doesn’t mean they won’t have wine available for you (please substitute the drink of your choice if you don’t like wine). If you can only run 3 miles, that doesn’t mean the guy down the street can’t run 26. 1.) You can’t know the author’s intent any more than I can. IMO, this means, “When in doubt, leave it the hell alone.” 2.) Beer isn’t being marketed as an easier-to-consume version of wine. 3.) Me just running three miles isn’t a marathon. If there were a three-mile run, would you object to calling it a marathon? What if I went around telling everyone that I ran a marathon in less than half an hour? To repeat what I think was my most accurate analogy and best expressed my objection: > [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > \*\*All \*\*we can know of an author’s intent is what they produced. As soon as we start making changes, we introduce new factors, ones that may be in line with what the author wanted, but some that probably won’t be. Maybe there are some colors I like better than others–should I insist that museums recolor paintings to use them? I also tend to enjoy modern art more than classical; perhaps I should request that older works be redrawn, painted, or sculpted in more modern styles. If you update one kind of art/entertainment, why not everything else? What makes the written word so especially subject to revision? ETA: **Bridget Burke** , it’s probably me you want to be arguing with, not **InvisibleWombat**. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-old-books-be-re-written/502774.md?page=4)