Literary Censorship in the US

Posted: August 27th, 2021

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                                                    Literary Censorship in the US

Tropic of Cancer, Howl, Ulysses, Lady Chatterley’s Lover

1. Thesis Statement:

Literary censorship in America is wrong because it blinds society towards different realities as it restricts creativity and freedom, besides being against the First Amendment.

1. Literary Censorship:

Vanderham considers literary censorship as the suppression of objectionable or harmful writing to the general public as determined by a governing body (12). Since this is a broad definition, the central word is “objectionable.” The aspect of what element literature is objective varies. In this regard, the literature censors have the power to give their judgments of morality on a more significant class. Usually, the censorship is not done by propositioning the material but banning it altogether (Vanderham12). Ever since the beginning of written materials, critics are always prejudging and suppressing other people’s literature in society.Although those censors’ opinions change from time to time, most of the books censored for their critics’ themes are simultaneously regarded as the classic of their era (Vanderham12). Additionally, there are many reasons why literary books might be scrutinized, including the content of sexually graphic materials, unacceptable religious doctrines, literature containing foul language, and more influential political themes at large (Vanderham14). Although censorship is not always about preventing certain materials, it happens by emphasizingboth individual and private features of interest. Censorship restricts public propaganda with the notion that outgoing sinister programs include thosewhose brands are confident with their merit despite their worthless regard(Translating Swift38). However, in the democratic context of the market-designed states, like the US, the public culture is essential for monitoring the people’s collective opinions about what is shocking or admirable. Indeed, this might involve what is considered weird or standard (Translating Swift38). It creates a shared overview of the general status of the society. Besides, all public doctrines design people’s moral lives and even reshape their economy and politics. Thus, censoring literary materials should not always be regarded as unenlightened removal of crucial ideas since it only organizes the general world of human accomplishment.

1. First Amendment and Censorship

On the 10^th amendment of the bill of rights, the first amendment allows people living in America to publish, read, and view what they wish without the government’s interference (Hooker36). Besides, this amendment is interpreted to protect people and the general society from government attempts to scrutinize information and ideas and further prevent the government censorship of magazines, newspapers, books, film, music, and art materials in the media platforms. For instance, when a federal court is arguing whether a school board has infringed the constitution or not by banning individual books from a school library, it holds that “the freedom to acquire ideas is a significant predicate to the person’s useful access of their freedom of speech, press, and political rights” (Hooker36). However, public institutions still fight for legal battles concerning student access to certain materials, retention or removal of unacceptable books, monitoring of patron attitude, and restricting the general public’s internet. Usually, books’ limitations and censorship in educational institutions are mostly influenced by public controversies (Hooker36). Therefore, government representatives regularly watch religious doctrines and their moral sensibilities to ensure children are safe from harmful materials.

1. Cultural Aspect of Literary Censorship
2. Censorship of the Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller

In the book, The Tropic of Cancer, the author, Henry author, is famous for being considered a forbidden writer. Nonetheless, the tropic of cancer censorship ends in victory for all, including Henry, the society laws, the people, and the constitution. Before the beginning of censorship, the book had sold over 67,000 copies in the beginning week of its publication(Rembar 1). However, in the presiding weeks,it was on the top sellers in the United States, including the New York Herald Tribune and the New York Times(Rembar1). Despite such massive sales, more controversies started to brew up. A month after publication, critics started to address the book as a “serious work”because they found various contents in it as repulsive while holding the fact that Tropic of Cancer was not pornographic. With time, the censors came to regard it as a “dirty book” written by “dirty fingered authors” for mucky minded readers(Rembar1). According to Edward J. McCormack, the Attorney General of Massachusetts, the books were repulsive and insulted to human decency. Specifically, he stated that he has never read any book that was so degrading and demoralizing as Henry’s. Thus, these controversies led to the banning of Tropic of Canceramong central states in America.

• Censorship of Howl by Allen Ginsberg

In the poem Howl, the author, Allen Ginsberg, triggers the critics’ beats to the attention of the violation of culture when the poem was presented at the court setting obscenity trial. The poem addresses the contemporary aspects of drug culture’s once-forbidden themes, street life, and the reality of homosexual relationships. Thus, the censors argue that the poem is a Whitmanesque manifesto that sought to influence the rebellion against the average class and the “ignorance of culture” of the “fulfillment.” (Baber1)

• Censorship of James Joyce’s Ulysses (1922)

The novel Ulysses publications were prohibited in 1922 in Britain and the United States because of its obscene content. The censors, particularly in the US, resisted the novel’s Nausicaa subject, depicting sexual and masturbation fantasy. Again, the subject featured a teenage girl named Gertie MacDowell, who used to entice the protagonist Leopold Bloom at the sea beach sexually. From this context, the censors argue that the novel is a dangerto teenage girl readers by stating that the novel would fill their seductive minds with fantasy ideas of romantic love. Therefore, it would derogate moral values. Therefore, other critics have argued that the book is filled with vulgar language, which contradicts the acceptable cultural doctrines in society (A Handlist to James Joyce’s Ulysses 1).

• Censorship of D.H. Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover (1929)

Ever since D.H. Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover was published in 1928, it received heated court controversies until it was banned in 1929. The novel featured a discouraged aristocratic housewife’s passionate relationship and her invalid gamekeeper husband. Also, it narrated their romantic encounter coupled with the “four-letter word” (Hooker 36). The critics of this novel thought that it had sexual descriptions and vulgar language that was considered obscene in the UK and the US’s censorship laws. Other proponents opined that the poem was scrutinized for obscene phraseology and done so due to its presiding reputation of the author. However, the poem’s ban was uplifted three decades later.

• The argument against Literary Censorship in America

Imperatively, there is no need for censorship in the United States because most of the acknowledged reasons for censorship in previous literature are invalid (NCAC 1). Instead, the reasons for banning novels and poems are still the same that modern critics apply to scrutinize and ban literary books. However, emerging leniency trends are evident in different categories, like politics, religion, and language. Therefore, censors should consider revising their laws. First, religious doctrines have lower influence than they used to have in the past centuries (NCAC 1). Second, rejecting political opinions has become more common and admissible for criticism in the new society. In the aspects of language, violence, and drug consumption, the impact of the new technology in media platforms has resulted in the desensitization of subjects in public.Although these topics are considered sensitive, some aspects that were too forbidden are currently acknowledged differently and have consequently gained complete acceptance (Wasserman123). Similarly, censorship mightlimit freedom of speech and creativity. Thus, literacy censorship is not recognized in a democratic state.

• Counter argument in Support of Literary Censorship in America

On the other hand, critics praise censorial strategies’ capabilities by stating that peaceful counter-demonstrations are essential when scholars stage their prejudice. It intentionally prevents obnoxious advocators since silence communicates implicit information of disdain (Free speech179). Concurrently, it is critical to restrict hateful and notorious speakers from the audience they seek and get unwarranted controversy. However, it is essential to create public awareness to alienate ignorance and nature habits of stoical and individual articulateness. The intention is to build the courage to address notorious tormentors efficiently. Additionally, the government’s tendency to suppress hate-speech, vulgar and obscenity advocators weaken society’s putative beneficiary (Sonoma State University Library78). Therefore, critics advise people to develop a thick skin so that their sense of confidence cannot be affected by the writers’ hateful words.

• Conclusion

From the discussed literature above, literary censorship is significant in society due to its transmission of personal preservation and protection to the political structure. Furthermore, it expounds on the ethics of public morals, health, public laws, and the general society. In the virtue of political power, society, and representatives acting on behalf of the government, they are supposed to impose personal freedom and property rights. Again, the censorship of books in the United States is not mandated by the federal government unless the writing contents comprise child pornography or other unacceptable literature. Additionally, the government’s tendency to suppress hate-speech, vulgar, and obscenity advocators weaken society’s putative beneficiary. However, most censorship takes place within the school vicinity or even public libraries. Overall, most of the literature censoring revolves around moral decadency of what is relevant for the children to read and, in turn, influence their parents to accept the novels they read often.

Works Cited

“A Handlist to James Joyce’s Ulysses.” 2020.

“Free speech or hate speech? Partition and censorship.” The War Over Words, 2019, pp. 175-199, https://www.doi:10.1017/9781108594646.012.

“Translating Swift: Censorship and Self-Censorship during Fascism.” Literary Translation, Reception, and Transfer, 2020, pp. 31-40.

Baber, Gina. “A Paratextual and Bibliographical Study of​ Howl​ by Allen Ginsberg.” (2018).

Hooker, Matthew P. “Censorship, Free Speech & Facebook: Applying the First Amendment to Social Media Platforms via the Public Function Exception.” Wash. JL Tech. & Arts 15 (2019): 36.

National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC). “NCAC’s Book Censorship Action Kit.”  2017, web.ncac.org/resource/book-censorship-toolkit. Accessed 31 October 2020.

Rembar, Charles. The End of Obscenity: The Trials of Lady Chatterley, Tropic of Cancer & Fanny Hill by the Lawyer Who Defended Them. Open Road Media, 2015.

Sonoma State University Library. “Censorship in the United States.” 2020, web.library.sonoma.edu/about/news/censorship-united-states. Accessed 31 October 2020.

Vanderham, Paul. James Joyce and Censorship: The Trials of Ulysses. Springer, 2016.

Wasserman, Renata. Exotic Nations: Literature and Cultural Identity in the United States and Brazil, 1830–1930. Cornell University Press, 2018.