Spring 2005

E 314L • Banned Books and Novel Ideas

Course Description

Why might certain texts or performances be labeled as “obscene” by individuals, educational establishments, or governmental organizations? Under what social, political, and economic conditions do texts get banned in America, and what is it about these texts that lead to their exclusion from school curricula, television, or the airwaves?

In this section of Banned Books and Novel Ideas, we will read a representative sample of books that were, at one point or another, considered objectionable and banned from the classroom due to their sexual content. We will also be examining non-literary texts that have been censored, particularly those banned from radio or television by the Federal Communications Commission. Because this course functions as an introduction to the English major, we will spend a good deal of time “close reading” each of our texts, as well as investigating the cultural and political climate in which each text was produced, received by the general public, and ultimately censored.

Grading Policy

Two 5-7-page formal essays 25% each
Six 1-page response papers 20%
Homework and Quizzes 20%
Participation 10%

Texts

Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye
Vladimir Nobokov, Lolita
John Cleland, Fanny Hill
D.H. Lawrence, Lady Chatterley’s Lover
Allen Ginsburg, Howl

Selected film clips from The Last Temptation of Christ and The Celluloid Closet.

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