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English lecturer Daniel Kasper presents a lecture on queerness and book banning during a banned books discussion Oct. 1 in Carlisle Hall. Kasper spoke on the Miller Test, Dorian Gray and Ulysses.<\/p>\n
Photo by Elvis Martinez-Cartagena <\/a><\/p>\n As Banned Books Week approaches from Oct. 5 to 11, the English department hosted events to educate people on literary censorship and discuss its historical impact. <\/p>\n On Wednesday, Lonny Harrison, associate professor of Russian, and English lecturer Daniel Kasper spoke to students about\u00a0examples of\u00a0censorship in Soviet Russia\u00a0and\u00a0banned queer books. Harrison teaches a course on banned and censored works in Russian literature, and Kasper has taught a LGBTQIA+ literature theory course. <\/p>\n During the event, Harrison focused on the book \u201cDoctor Zhivago\u201d by Boris Pasternak, which acts as a demonstrative symbol of Russian books that faced censorship. \u201cDoctor Zhivago\u201d was written during a repressive police state in a time when art wasn\u2019t just art, Harrison said. <\/p>\n English junior Rosie Mardini raises her hand to ask a question during a banned books discussion Oct. 1 in Carlisle Hall. Mardini asked about the legality of John Milton\u2019s work.<\/p>\n Photo by Elvis Martinez-Cartagena <\/a><\/p>\n Harrison said literature in Russia during that period was almost sacred, with a moral weight to it. He said that novelists were beyond entertainers, serving as moral witnesses. Literature was used for insight and guidance, and reading banned books became an act of solidarity or even resistance. <\/p>\n \u201cWhen facts are suppressed, a novel or poem can encode lived experience and smuggle it across generations,\u201d he said. \u201cIt reminds readers that beneath the slogans, people still feel love, grieve and hope, and that truth endures even when speech is forbidden.\u201d <\/p>\n English senior Logan McKelvey, who organized the event, said people aren’t aware how many popular books have been banned in the past, like \u201cThe Hunger Games\u201d and \u201cTwilight.\u201d <\/p>\n Lonny Harrison, associate professor of Russian, speaks to attendees during a banned books discussion Oct. 1 in Carlisle Hall. There are about 23,000 book bans in public schools nationwide, according to PEN America.<\/p>\n Photo by Elvis Martinez-Cartagena <\/a><\/p>\n \u201cAwareness is very important, and dedicating this week and having multiple events that kind of address and highlight banned works really helps emphasize that and gets that kind of outreach that impacts people,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n Kasper said that English majors who go into teaching may run into issues with book banning, and that it\u2019s good to have historical context when dealing with these situations. <\/p>\n One author Kasper spoke about was Toni Morrison, who wrote \u201cBeloved\u201d and \u201cThe Bluest Eye,\u201d both of which are often in the top 10 most challenged books, according to the American Library Association. <\/p>\n English lecturer Daniel Kasper wears a book ban sticker during a banned books discussion Oct. 1 in Carlisle Hall. Stickers and bookmarks were provided for attendees.<\/p>\n Photo by Elvis Martinez-Cartagena<\/a><\/p>\n Kasper said this could be because people are uncomfortable with reading about the reality of sexual exploitation under slavery in \u201cBeloved\u201d and challenging themselves to confront other difficult topics like pedophilia and child sexual abuse in \u201cThe Bluest Eye.\u201d <\/p>\n When banning a book, the standard that is followed is called the Miller Test. Kasper said that the words used in the Miller Test can be confusing to decipher the true meaning of, which complicates the process of determining what is considered obscene. <\/p>\n \u201cNot only are the people not really reading the books before they’re objecting to them,\u201d Kasper said, \u201cthey’re still doing the picking out dirty words bit and deciding that just because part of the work is challenging or sexy or whatever, therefore the entire book falls and becomes obscene.\u201d <\/p>\n Lonny Harrison, associate professor of Russian, speaks on banned Russian works during a banned books discussion Oct. 1 in Carlisle Hall. Harrison spoke about the consequences that authors have faced when writing books considered inappropriate.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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