Book censorship  

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The invention of the [[printing press]] and [[movable type]] led to the [[Index Librorum Prohibitorum]] and a climate where every book either first needed an [[imprimatur]] or a [[Royal Privilege]]. The invention of the [[printing press]] and [[movable type]] led to the [[Index Librorum Prohibitorum]] and a climate where every book either first needed an [[imprimatur]] or a [[Royal Privilege]].
 +==Background==
 +"Almost every country places some restrictions on what may be published, although the emphasis and the degree of control differ from country to country and at different periods." There are a variety of reasons for which books may be banned. Materials are often suppressed due to the perceived notion of obscenity. This obscenity can apply to materials that are about sexuality, race, drugs, or social standing.
 +
 +Governments have also sought to ban certain books which they perceive to contain material that could threaten, embarrass, or criticize them.
 +
 +Other leaders outside of the government have banned books, including religious authorities. Church leaders who prohibit members of their faith from reading the banned books may want to shelter them from perceived obscene, immoral, or profane ideas or situations.
 +
 +But even religious materials have been subject to censorship. For example, various [[religious text|scriptures]] have been banned (and sometimes burned at several points in history). The [[Bible]], and other religious scriptures have all been subjected to censorship and have been banned by various governments. Similarly, books based on the scriptures have also been banned, such as [[Leo Tolstoy]]'s ''[[The Kingdom of God Is Within You]]'', which was banned in the [[Russian Empire]] for being [[anti-establishment]].
 +
==Religious reasons== ==Religious reasons==
:''[[religious censorship]]'' :''[[religious censorship]]''

Revision as of 08:51, 23 September 2012

 This page Book censorship is part of the censorship portal.   Illustration:  Cover of the Nazi Germany 1937 Degenerate art exhibition.
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This page Book censorship is part of the censorship portal.
Illustration: Cover of the Nazi Germany 1937 Degenerate art exhibition.
The Index Librorum Prohibitorum ("List of Prohibited Books") is a list of publications which the Catholic Church censored for being a danger to itself and the faith of its members. The various editions also contain the rules of the Church relating to the reading, selling and censorship of books. The aim of the list was to prevent the reading of immoral books or works containing theological errors and to prevent the corruption of the faithful.
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The Index Librorum Prohibitorum ("List of Prohibited Books") is a list of publications which the Catholic Church censored for being a danger to itself and the faith of its members. The various editions also contain the rules of the Church relating to the reading, selling and censorship of books. The aim of the list was to prevent the reading of immoral books or works containing theological errors and to prevent the corruption of the faithful.

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"The book which most deserved to be banned would be a catalogue of banned books." --Georg Christoph Lichtenberg

Many societies have banned certain books. Grounds for banning are 1) political, 2) religious, 3) sexual and 4) social.

The invention of the printing press and movable type led to the Index Librorum Prohibitorum and a climate where every book either first needed an imprimatur or a Royal Privilege.

Contents

Background

"Almost every country places some restrictions on what may be published, although the emphasis and the degree of control differ from country to country and at different periods." There are a variety of reasons for which books may be banned. Materials are often suppressed due to the perceived notion of obscenity. This obscenity can apply to materials that are about sexuality, race, drugs, or social standing.

Governments have also sought to ban certain books which they perceive to contain material that could threaten, embarrass, or criticize them.

Other leaders outside of the government have banned books, including religious authorities. Church leaders who prohibit members of their faith from reading the banned books may want to shelter them from perceived obscene, immoral, or profane ideas or situations.

But even religious materials have been subject to censorship. For example, various scriptures have been banned (and sometimes burned at several points in history). The Bible, and other religious scriptures have all been subjected to censorship and have been banned by various governments. Similarly, books based on the scriptures have also been banned, such as Leo Tolstoy's The Kingdom of God Is Within You, which was banned in the Russian Empire for being anti-establishment.

Religious reasons

religious censorship

Various religious texts have been banned (and sometimes burned) at several points in history. The Bible, the Qur'an, and other religious scriptures have all been subjected to censorship and have been banned in various cities and countries. In Medieval Europe the Roman Catholic Church created a program that lasted until 1966 to deal with dissenting printed opinion; it was called the Index Librorum Prohibitorum (index of prohibited books). Over the years many books based on the scriptures have also been banned, such as Leo Tolstoy's The Kingdom of God is Within You, which was banned in Russia for being anti-establishment.

Political reasons

political censorship

Books deemed critical of the state or its interests are another common target for banning.

Social reasons

moral censorship

Books that deal with criminal matter have also been subjected to censorship. Small-press titles that have become infamous by being banned include The Anarchist Cookbook, E for Ecstasy, and Hit Man.

Notably, children's books that deal with death or other teenage angst or various crimes often find themselves banned perhaps because of parental worries about teenage suicide or copycat crimes. Many publications are targeted on the premise that children would be corrupted by reading them. This fear led to the creation of the Comics Code Authority in 1954.

Sexual reasons

sexuality in literature

The Forbidden Best-Sellers of Pre-Revolutionary France

Lists




Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "Book censorship" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.

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