John Deep

Mr. Schooley

Period CD

Book Banning andCensorship

Wordalert1.blogspot.com

Censorship: The use of the state and other legal or official means to restrict speech.

Flippant,Irreverent,

Trashy.

Betterlivingthroughbeowulf.com

Estes and Lauriat Lawsuit

• Painted a picture of Twain as a greedy and selfish person.

• Created even more problems for the release of an already controversial book

The Concord Library

• First documented banning of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

• They declared the book was “Couched in the language of a rough ignorant dialect.”

Betterlivingthroughbeowulf.com

Other Bannings

• Denver Public Library

• Omaha Public Library

• New York Public Schools

• Houston Public Schools

• Mark Twain Intermediate School

Critics

• The book received mostly negative reviews at its release

• After 6 years some reviews of the book were very positive.

Recognition

• The widespread bans of the book and controversy it created prevented much direct praise for Twain.

• Oxford offered him an honorary doctorate degree in 1907, 3 years before he died.

Twain’s Response

• Twain wasn’t worried about the banning at first.

• As the controversy continued he started to defend against the charge of immorality.

Twainquotes.com

Mark Twain’s Death

“When we look back over our literature, and see what savage and stupid and pitiless things have passed for humor, and then

open his page, we seem not only to have invented the only true humorist, but to have

invented humor itself.” W.D. Howell

Twain’s Influence

• Responses to banning ended up producing more trouble for the book.

• He eventually moderated his responses to papers and began venting in private letters to friends.

Great Depression

• Attention towards Mark Twain and the banning of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was focused towards other things.

• Praise for the book became much more prevalent.

Civil Rights Movement

• The book started to be banned again but for new reasons.

• NAACP was not responsible or even in favor of these new bans.

New Reasons

• The words “nigger” and “hell” became bigger issues.

• Other problems were that it seemed racist to some people.

Defenses

• Defense for Huckleberry Finn was seen much more this time

• The main point was that if the book was explained to the readers it makes much more sense.

Censorship

• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn began to be censored in favor of complete bans.

• Some feel this takes the emotion and unique voice away from the story.

John H. Wallace

• One of Mark Twain’s biggest critics.

• Had very strong opinions on Huckleberry Finn and its influence on America

Other Forms Of Censorship

• Other people trying to censor the book went with a much less impactful approach.

• This form of censorship didn’t catch on as it didn’t satisfy either side of arguments.

Huckleberry Finn Today

• There are still issues with the book with schools everywhere still deciding on whether or not to ban it.

• Most instances now occur when it is assigned in school and a parent expresses concern

• Some opinions for censoring the book can be attributed to ironic sources.

• The writer of Lolita another book in the top 10 banned books list.

• Horst Kruse, winner of a lifetime achievement award given to Mark Twain scholars.

Influence

• The controversy concerning this book along with that of other books like Harry Potter has sparked conversation between writers.

• When do you draw the line on what you need to censor and what you don’t?

Works Cited

• Robin Bates and Ben Click, “Huck Finn’s Censorship History”

Better Living Through Beowulf, 23 November, 2012 , Web. 17 December, 2012

• Melissa Kelly, “Censorship and Book Banning in America”

About.com, N.D., Web. 17 December, 2012• Delia Lloyd, “Huck Finn, Censorship And The N-Word Controversy”

Politicsdaily.com, N.D., Web. 17 December, 2012• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, N.D., Web. 16 December,

2012

http://wordalert1.blogspot.com/2011/12/review-adventures-of-huckleberry-finn.html

• The New York Herald, ””Huckleberry Finn” in Concord” 18 March, 1885, Web. 17 December, 2012