The practice of challenging or banning books has long been a strategy used to label reading materials as offensive on moral, religious, or political grounds. Books with sexually explicit content, or those that challenge religious or political orthodoxy, have throughout history, been regarded as a threat to public welfare. While the practice of banning books has declined in democratic societies, challenges to literature still occur today for the same reasons.
Understanding the Discussion
Ban: To prohibit, usually through legal or social authority.
First Amendment to the US Constitution: The First Amendment reads: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."
Offensive: Causing feelings of insult or strong displeasure.
Suppress: To hold back or remove from circulation.
Totalitarianism: A form of government in which the state is overseen by a strict, central authority that allows little or no deviation from the laws and rules which it imposes.
An Overview
In totalitarian societies, books have been banned for challenging a government's ruling authority. Arguments for banning books claimed the need to promote political stability or maintain public morality. In more open societies, books that offend conventionality are often banned or challenged as well. If a book is deemed offensive, some may argued, that it is promoting ideas which can have a detrimental influence on individuals (often children) and on society as a whole. When public funds are used to buy the materials in question, the issue becomes further complicated.
Champions of intellectual freedom and free speech adamantly oppose challenges made by individuals, groups, or institutions who threaten to ban books. Opponents of book banning argue that the threshold for causing offense differs between individuals and across cultures, and that one individual, group or institution should not dictate what constitutes offense to another. While adults are afforded discretion in deciding whether or not to read a particular book; many agree that parents have the right to limit the books to which their own children are exposed.
Banning books has a long history in the United States, where challenges have repeatedly come into conflict with the First Amendment to the US Constitution. Many, including librarians, see the banning of books as direct erosion of the First Amendment rights through censorship. Frequently such challenges and the ensuing debate have focused on the reading curriculum at public libraries and books available at school libraries.
History of Suppression of Controversial Ideas
Historically, illiteracy and the dearth of printed materials meant that books did not exert the influence they now have on society. As literacy rates increased and published materials became more easily accessible and affordable, totalitarian regimes resorted to the banning of books as a means of controlling people. History is replete with examples of prohibitions placed on literature. The works of Aristophanes, Ovid, and Confucius, and even portions of the Bible, were all at one point subjected to bans. Historically, materials deemed as subversive or offensive were simply burned to prohibit their access.
The content of some books or their interpretation was deemed offensive by religious institutions. For example, Western religious doctrine strongly objected to Biblical translations that might challenge the Church's authority or allow more personal interpretations of the text. In the sixteenth century, the Roman Catholic Church began keeping a list of prohibited books, known in Latin as the Index Librorum Prohibitorum. The aim of the list was to prevent people from reading books that would expose them to ideas that contradicted, misrepresented, or criticized the church's edicts or interpretations of the Bible. Two such examples include Edward Gibbon's The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (1776-1788), and Nikos Kazantzakis' The Last Temptation of Christ (1951). Objections to these texts centered, respectively, on the perceived deviation from church history and the unorthodox depiction of Christ. While, the Index was abolished in 1966, challenges to literature on religious grounds continued into the modern day. In 1988, Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses was banned in several Muslim countries because its depiction of the prophet Mohammed was so offensive to Muslims. In fact, Rushdie faced a fatwa, or call for him to be killed, by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who was the Supreme Leader of Iran at that time. On a more subtle level, The US version of The Golden Compass, by Philip Pullman, is different than the original version published in England. The American version edited out some sexual content and perceived anti-Christian content.
Throughout history, challenges and objections to literature have mostly fallen into three categories: political, moral, and religious. Political objections to literature can be cited by numerous examples. In the USSR religious books were seen as contradictory to the atheist views of the country. In Nazi Germany, numerous books were banned and publicly burned (as many as 25,000 at one 1933 event): Jewish authors were targeted as were books considered decadent or subversive. However, it is not only within totalitarian regimes that books have been banned; books are routinely challenged in democratic societies as well. Challenges are made on political grounds; books that deny historical events such as the Holocaust or take an unpopular stance, such as speaking out against a war, have all been challenged in the past.
Moral Objections to Literature
Offense on moral grounds is often based on religious criteria. One common charge against banned books is that they are obscene. The US Courts have historically had great difficulty in defining obscene material and as such the debate is heated one. Obscenity has been widely accepted as meaning that materials contain elements of sexuality, and foul or discriminatory language that can be seen as offensive. The most famous trials over banned books have been obscenity trials. James Joyce's Ulysses (1922) was banned in the US for its frank sexual content. The book was banned for a decade before a landmark legal decision acquitted it of obscenity charges. Lady Chatterley's Lover (1928) experienced a similar prohibition, also for its treatment of sexuality, and was banned from publication in the US until 1959 and in England until 1960.
How Did We Get Here- Fighting Book Banning
The movement against the banning of books also has a long history. One major landmark predating the twentieth century was the publication of John Milton's pamphlet Areopagitica, a Speech for the Liberty of Unlicensed Printing, to the Parliament of England (1644). The Areopagitica provided the framework for modern opposition to censorship. This order which Milton opposed was designed to bring publishing under government control by creating a number of official censors to whom authors would submit their work for approval-prior to having it published. Milton argued that pre-censorship of authors was little more than an excuse for state control of thought.
The core arguments against the banning of books have been based on protecting the rights of individuals to free speech as well as to promote intellectual freedom - the rights protected by the First Amendment. On issues concerning religion and morality, advocates for the First Amendment argue that it is indefensible to encourage censorship simply because people do not share similar beliefs. Opponents of censorship also state that it is virtually impossible, for the same reasons, to define concepts such as obscenity. Further, those who support free speech and free expression argue that there is great danger in an illiterate or ignorant populace which is easier to control through the exercise of power and demagoguery. Thus the unrestricted flow of information is viewed as a hallmark of a healthy democracy and makes it more difficult to exercise control and power over the uneducated and powerless.
Most attempts to ban books occur at the local level with challenges being made to public or school libraries. Attempts to ban books outright have not been overly successful in the latter half of the twentieth century; still there have been instances where particular books have been removed from libraries or prohibited from purchase based on complaints. While challenges have been made to books that discuss the topics of health, sexuality, and race and religion, challenges have also been made to works that are considered classics. Among the books most frequently challenged were Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884) and J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has frequently made the annual list of banned books that is compiled by the American Library Association (ALA) and once again is on the 2008 list of challenged books. Controversial books are frequently targets for banning from school reading lists, with most complaints coming from parents. Many schools may choose to maintain a copy of the challenged book in their library, but stop short of making the book required reading.
Banning Books Today
Since 1982, Banned Books Week has been celebrated annually and promoted widely in public libraries by the American Library Association. The purpose of the event is to promote reading and knowledge while raising awareness about the frequent challenges to ban books from public and school libraries. Banned books week is celebrating its 27th anniversary in 2008.
Censorship in the form of banning books remains an all too common an occurrence in conservative cultures and countries where democratic traditions are weak. But challenges to books still occur in more liberal or democratic societies as well, and the controversy still evokes much debate. Depending upon which side of the argument one is on, views range from highly tolerant to highly charged. In the US, challenges to books happen frequently; the 2008 list of challenged books numbers over 400.
Since 2000, the religious right and conservative groups have become increasingly vocal and have challenged books for recurrent reasons, mainly religious and moral, while arguing that the US culture has become too free. Recent challenges have focused on the Harry Potter series. In some instances, the books have been removed from school libraries, because some parents and groups felt that the books promote witchcraft.
The politically charged environment surrounding challenged and banned books has also inspired watchdog groups that monitor censorship to be more vigilant. These groups take on the task of defending books that are being challenged, as well as the rights of readers to decide for themselves which books they should read. Many advocates of free speech and intellectual freedom continue to rally around the idea that banning books is, in its violation of constitutional principles, anti-American.
In 2011, Twain scholar Alan Gribben published a new version of the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn that omitted 219 uses of racial epithets occurring in the original text. Critics of the move stated it was a blatant example of censoring an original artwork. Gribben himself said he was approached by teachers about putting together a sanitized version of the classic book.
Bibliography
Books
Burress, Lee. Battle of the Books: Literary Censorship in the Public Schools, 1950-1985. Metuchen, New Jersey: The Scarecrow Press, 1989.
Demac, Donna A. Liberty Denied: The Current Rise of Censorship in America. New York: Pen American Center, 1988.
Foerstel, Herbert N. Banned in the U.S.A.: A Reference Guide to Book Censorship in Schools and Public Libraries. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1994.
Geller, Evelyn. Forbidden Books in American Public Libraries, 1876-1939: A Study in Cultural Change. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1984.
Nafisi, Azar. Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books. New York: Random House, 2003.
Reichman, Henry. Censorship and Selection: Issues and Answers for Schools. Chicago: American Library Association, 1993.
The Intellectual Freedom Committee of the Young Adult Library Services Association. Hit List: Frequently Challenged Books for Young Adults. Chicago: American Library Association, 1996.
Periodicals Boston, Rob. "Fanning the Flames: The 'Golden Age' of American Book Burning." Humanist 68.2 (July 2008): 36. Points of View Reference Center. EBSCO. 3 Mar. 2009 http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=pwh&AN=33161208&site=pov-live.
Brown, Amanda Christy. Holly Epstein Ojalvo. "10 Ways to Celebrate Banned Books Well." The New York Times. 23 September 2010 http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/23/10-ways-to-celebrate-banned-books-week/.
Cunningham, Clifford J. "Banned Books." Mercury 37.4 (Oct. 2008): 11-11. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. 3 Mar. 2009 http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=35396045&site=ehost-live.
Hazelgrove, William. "Banned Books in the United States." salon.org. 8 September 2010 http://open.salon.com/blog/william_elliott/2010/09/08/banned_books_in_the_united_states.
Friedman, Megan. "New Huckleberry Finn Reprint Eliminates 'N' Word." time.com. 5 January 2011 http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/01/05/new-huckleberry-finn-reprint-eliminates-n-word/.
Howerton, Erin Downey. "Just Open the Door: Banned Books (and a Librarian!) in the Classroom." Young Adult Library Services 5.3 (Spring2007 2007): 9-12. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. 3 Mar. 2009 http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=24635907&site=ehost-live.
Jenkins, Christine A. "Book Challenges, Challenging Books, and Young Readers: The Research Picture." Language Arts 85.3 (Jan. 2008): 228-236. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. 3 Mar. 2009 http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=29321223&site=ehost-live.
Keane, James T. "OF MANY THINGS." America 200.0 (16 Feb. 2009): 2. Points of View Reference Center. EBSCO. 3 Mar. 2009 http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=pwh&AN=36448642&site=pov-live.
Kunhardt, Jessie. Amy Hertz. "The 11 Most Surprising Banned Books." huffingtonpost.com. 29 March 2010 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/29/the-11-most-surprising-ba_n_515381.html#s76400&title=The_Dictionary.
Lancto, Craig. "BANNED BOOKS." World & I 18.20 (Sep. 2003): 258. Points of View Reference Center. EBSCO. 16 Feb. 2009
Mazrui, Ali A. "Satanic verses or a satanic novel? Moral dilemmas of the Rushdie affair." Third World Quarterly 12.1 (Jan. 1990): 116-139. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. 3 Mar. 2009 http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=9609225822&site=ehost-live.
Muse, Daphne. "Banned Book Week September 22-29, 2001: Look What They've Done to My Books, Mom!." Black Scholar 32.2 (Summer2002 2002): 22. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. 3 Mar. 2009 http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=7846879&site=ehost-live.
Quindlen, Anna. "Write and Wrong." Newsweek 21 July 2008: 68. Points of View Reference Center. EBSCO. 3 Mar. 2009 http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=pwh&AN=33210191&site=pov-live.
"What the Kids Aren't Reading." Time 170.2 (15 Oct. 2007): 18. Points of View Reference Center. EBSCO. 3 Mar. 2009 http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=pwh&AN=26966212&site=pov-live.
Websites
American Library Association. http://www.ala.org/
These essays and any opinions, information or representations contained therein are the creation of the particular author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of EBSCO Publishing.
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By Michael Aliprandini
Co-Author: Carolyn Sprague
Carolyn Sprague holds a Masters Degree in Library Science from Simmons College, Boston, MA. Sprague has worked in numerous library/information settings within the academic, corporate and consulting worlds for more than 10 years; with an emphasis on intellectual property and emerging technologies.
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