Fictitious1267 t1_ivzyk4h wrote
If you're already calling them problematic, then no. The word problematic implies a need for revision. There's nothing objective about a need to change a classic to be in lock step with current ideology.
Rolling your eyes is permitted. There are plenty of fantasy writers I roll my eyes at whenever they attempt to write a sex scene.
FrivYeti t1_iw00z5c wrote
Problematic doesn't mean that a thing needs revision; it just means that it needs contextualization or critique. You can enjoy a thing and still understand that it's an imperfect gem.
In terms of reading classics, it's up to the individual reader. It's valuable to know what the writer intended, and how their biases or upbringing may have affected them, and it's fine if someone isn't in a space to do that.
(For what it's worth, I think Mary's racism in Secret Garden is not meant to reflect well on her - it's there to highlight her bad attitude and arrogance before she learns to be better.)
Fictitious1267 t1_iw02zze wrote
The root word of problematic is problem. The antonym is solution. Solution in a literary context is revision.
You'd think the literary world would be the last place to strip meaning from words to redefine them for every occasion, but we live in a strange world.
FrivYeti t1_iw03knq wrote
No, solution in a literary context is... context. Applying context to a problematic work is the solution.
Solution and revision aren't synonymous in any context. I think this is a you thing.
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