Did I Miss Anything? by Tom Wayman (1991)

preventive censorship regressive censorship self-censorship prosecute banning fatwa obscenity

scandal confiscation destruction censure latent censorship challenging controversy subversion blasphemy taboo expurgating barring closeted

censorship Inquisition Index litigation smuggling suppression exonerate book burning heresy bonfire

edict excommunication erotica pornography Aesopian language politics heresy obscenity

morality religion ostracize

Did I Miss Anything? by Tom Wayman (1991)

QUESTION FREQUENTLY ASKED BY STUDENTS AFTER MISSING A CLASS

Nothing. When we realized you weren't herewe sat with our hands folded on our desksin silence, for the full two hours

Everything. I gave an exam worth 40 percent of the grade for this termand assigned some reading due todayon which I'm about to hand out a quizworth 50 percent

Nothing. None of the content of this course has value or meaning

Take as many days off as you like:any activities we undertake as a classI assure you will not matter either to you or meand are without purpose

Everything. A few minutes after we began last timea shaft of light suddenly descended and an angelor other heavenly being appearedand revealed to us what each woman or man must doto attain divine wisdom in this lifeand the hereafterThis is the last time the class will meetbefore we disperse to bring the good news to all peopleon earth

Nothing. When you are not presenthow could something significant occur?

Everything. Contained in this classroom is a microcosm of human experienceassembled for you to query and examine and ponderThis is not the only place such an opportunity has been

gathered

but it was one place

And you weren't here.

CENTRAL QUESTIONS IN THE COURSE:

1. Why was (is) the work considered to be scandalous? In what way is it pushing boundaries?What are these boundaries?Who has defined them?

2. Do you think it is scandalous?Why (not)?

3. Is this literature?Is this fiction?How is the work’s literary and/or fictional nature related to being scandalous?

Marquis de Sade

Justine or Good Conduct Well Chastised France, 1791, Libertine novel

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

Henry MillerTropic of Cancer

France, 1934, Fictionalized memoir/ Autobiographical novel

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressorare needed to see this picture.

Vladimir NabokovLolita

France, 1955, Novel



Erich Maria RemarqueAll Quiet on the Western Front

Germany, 1928, War novel



George Orwell1984

UK, 1949, Political novel



Salman RushdieThe Satanic Verses

UK, 1988, Novel



Taslima NasrinShame (Lajja)

Bangladesh, 1993, Documentary novel



Nadine GordimerBurger’s Daughter

Great Britain, 1979, Novel



Anthony BurgessA Clockwork Orange

UK, 1962, Novel



Bret Easton EllisAmerican Psycho

US, 1991, Novel



Bibliography

Coetzee, J. M. Giving Offense: Essays on Censorship. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 1996.

Haight, Anne Lyon. Banned Books: Informal Notes on Some Books Banned for Various Reasons at Various Times and in Various Places. 3rd Ed. New York, Bowker: 1970.

Haight, Anne Lyon, and Chandler B. Grannis. Banned Books 387 B.C. to 1978 A.D. New York: Bowker, 1978.

Karolides, Nicholas J., Bald, Margaret, & Dawn B. Sova. 120 Banned Books: Censorship Histories of World Literature. New York: Checkmark, 2005.

Schreurs, Marc, and Peter Zeeman. “Literatuur en Repressie.” Literatuur en Context: Een inleiding in de literatuurwetenschap. Eds. Peter Zeeman. Nijmegen: SUN, 1991. 337-77.

Steiner, George. “De vraag waarop geen antwoord kwam.” Het boek van de schoonheid en de troost. By Kayzer, Wim. Amsterdam: Olympus, 2006. 47-61.

Did I Miss Anything? by Tom Wayman (1991)

Documents

Transcript of Did I Miss Anything? by Tom Wayman (1991)