Blog Post 3

Censorship – History (Selected Works)

 

Many books throughout history and in current times are censored for various reasons. Some of these reasons may seem acceptable to some, but of offence to others beliefs. It is a hard line to make everyone happy when it comes to censorship. Below are some works that have been suppressed throughout history.

Banned and suppressed based on social grounds, was the Mark Twain novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. This novel was original published in London, 1884.

In 1885 the Concord (Massachusetts) Public Library banned the book as they believed it to be “trash suitable only for the slums”. In 1957 the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People protested the racist aspects of the book. In 1975 the language in reference to African Americans was changed to “slave/servant”. In the 1990’s the debate continues over the language used in the book which has been considered derogatory to African Americans.

Other books which have succumbed to censorship on the basis of social grounds have included: Bridge to Terabithia – Katherine Paterson, James and the Giant Peach – Roald Dahl and Gone with the Wind – Margaret Mitchell.

Banned and suppressed based on political grounds, was the George Orwell novel, Animal Farm which was originally published in England, 1945 and USA, 1946.

In 1968 the New York English Councils Committee of Defence Against Censorship conducted a study in New York State English classrooms, and its findings identified that it was on its list of “problem books”, the book was then banned in 1977 from being displayed at a Moscow, International Book fair. In 2002 the United Arab Emirates banned the book from its schools due to its pictures of alcoholic drinks, and pigs. The ISSR banned the book because of its anti-communist themes, where the USA didn’t approve of its communist materials.

Other books which have succumbed to censorship on the basis of political grounds, include: The Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck, Keeping Faith : Memoirs of a President – Jimmy Carter and The Struggle is my Life – Nelson Mandela.

A book that was banned due to sexual grounds, was Lolita written by Vladimir Nabokov and originally published in France 1955, England 1959 and USA  1958.

In 1956 France banned the book as it was classed as filth, and sheer unrestrained pornography. In 1958 a Cincinnati Public Library banned the book also. Argentina banned the book in 1959 as it reflected moral disintegration. In 1960 New Zealand banned the import of the book, under the Customs Act which prohibited books considered indecent. In 1974 South Africa also banned the book as it was perverted.

Other books which have succumbed to censorship on the basis of sexual grounds have included: Rabbit, Run – John Updike, Women in Love – D. H. Lawrence and Ladies in the Parlour – Jim Tully.

Banned Books Week

An event which has been developed to take pride in the freedom of to read, was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in books being challenged by schools, bookstores and libraries. The event is Banned Books Week and it is held in the last week of September where libraries and bookstores draw attention to the problem of censorship through displays and events.

A YouTube video developed by Gottesman Libraries in celebration of Banned Books Week.

Reflection of Research:

It was very fascinating finding this information, I found so many books and could understand some of the reasoning’s behind the books censorship but on the other hand others were just crazy.

Through looking at websites, and books I found so much information it was hard to condense it down. I used general searches to find sources, and then looked further into finding a more reputable source for information. I also found out about Banned Books Week which I had previously heard of, but it was great to find more information on the event and it’s reasoning’s.

It amazes me how much information is out there, and seeing how different countries may ban/censor the same book but for completely different reasons. For instance in the case of Animal Farm, anti-communist in one country, communist views in another.

I have through this post discovered the term “challenged books”, which is of interest to me and I hope to be able to find out a bit more about the process of challenging books in my upcoming posts. 

References:

Sova, DB c1998, Banned books : literature suppressed on sexual grounds, Facts on File, New York.

 Karolides, NJ c1998, Banned books : literature suppressed on political grounds, Facts on File, New York.

Sova, DB c1998, Banned books : literature suppressed on social grounds, Facts on File, New York.

Portland Community College 2012, Banned books, Portland Community College Library, viewed 2 April 2012, <http://www.pcc.edu/library/news/banned_books.html>.

Banned Books Week 2011, Banned Books Week, viewed 3 April 2012, <http://www.bannedbooksweek.org/>.

American Library Association 2012, Banned and/or challenged books from the Radcliff Publishing course top 100 novels of the 20th century, American Library Association, viewed 4 April 2012, <http://www.ala.org/advocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/challengedclassics/reasonsbanned>.

GottesmanLibraries 2009, Banned Books Week 2009, 11 August, viewed 4 April 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zZBqIcnU2k&list=UUDtMYyZDE9ltWIWXyY0XYXQ&index=2&feature=plcp>.

Gottesman Libraries 2012, Gottesman Libraries Teachers College Columbia University, viewed 4 April 2012, <http://library.tc.columbia.edu/>.