I just started reading Blood Meridan for the first time and I was kinda shocked to see the casual use of one of the worst slurs in the English language. I’m just wondering if this is a Huckleberry Finn thing and “justified” in some way? Or more like a Pulp Fiction situation where Tarantino seemed to throw it in there just because he could? Because honestly, I know this is close to being a modern-day classic but there are a lot of amazing books out there I’ve not yet read and I don’t know if it’s worth it to pollute my brain like that or just move on to something else.
I mean, people used that word a lot back then, even if they weren’t particularly bad people by the standards of the time period. It’s bound to show up. If you want to read realistic historical fiction then you’re going to have to accept that slurs got thrown around and will show up in the book.