Censorship through Sensitivity Editing. The Case of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and The Chocolate Factory

Abstract

Roald Dahl has always been lambasted for his depiction of violence, racism, and sexism in his children’s books. These issues coupled with Dahl’s antisemitic attitude and mean-spiritedness have raised concerns about the books’ suitability for young readers. Consequently, Dahl’s books have been frequently censored for various reasons. Despite this, his works have been venerated and beloved by generations, becoming one of the most successful children’s authors. Thus, this article will focus on the censorship imposed on Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964) since it has become a notorious example of public outrage due to its sensitivity editing. To analise the changes introduced in this children’s classic, a methodological approach based on the editorial decisions’ typology is used as the framework for my study. The results show that the sensitivity editing fails to address the underlying issues within the text, as the changes are largely superficial and, at times, inconsistent.