New Carleton English Class Examines Only the Banned and Burned

The syllabus for Carleton College English professor Sarah Wadsworth’s new class features the following sentence in bold print: “Warning: Some of the readings for this course contain language and themes that you may find offensive.” This class is not a history course on pornography or a directed reading of “Mein Kampf,” but, rather, an upper division English course titled “Banned and Burned: Controversial Texts in American Literature and Culture.” As one scans down the syllabus, past the bold print and list of required reading titles, the goal of the class becomes apparent: this English course focuses on how societal values are challenged through the publication of new literary works.

Except for pieces by Allen Ginsberg, J.D. Salinger and Vladimir Nabokov, much of the reading list centers on the 19th century. Wadsworth chose to study these historically censored works because she wants students to explore the changing reception of literary texts in American culture. “For shared readings in class, I wanted to look at how previous generations responded to certain texts,” she said. “Huck Finn, for example, was popular in the 19th century and continues to be popular, but attitudes toward those aspects of the text that have been deemed controversial, such as representations of race and gender, have changed over time.”

Unlike other English classes, the texts are taught along with both current and the then-contemporary criticism. When the class reads “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” for example, the students must also read author Jane Smiley’s treatment of the novel, “Say It Ain’t So, Huck: Second Thoughts on Mark Twain’s ‘Masterpiece,’” where Smiley advocates replacing Huckleberry Finn as the great American novel with “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” as well as excerpts from 19th century reactions to the novel.

While the class is conducted in a standard discussion and short lecture fashion, each student must also give a presentation on a banned or challenged book that wasn’t included on the class list (children’s books also count); to date, students have reported on Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale,” Judy Blume’s “Forever,” Paul Zindel’s “The Pigman,” and Kurt Vonnegut’s “Slaughterhouse-Five.”

In addition to examining how these works were received and what impact they made on their society, Wadsworth also wants to show how cultural reception affects a writer’s decision about plot. When teaching novels that were originally written as serials, such as “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” Wadsworth points out how audience response actually changed the direction of the work.

While the presentations are an integral part of the class, students must also write two essays, one of which includes the opportunity to research and write on a court case that centered on censorship and the ramifications of that decision.
While Wadsworth has designed the course to capitalize on the connections between fiction, law, sociology and history, students cite the reading list as the most enticing part of the class. The opportunity to read texts that have been previously discouraged for younger readers, such as Vladimir Nabokov’s “Lolita,” has been the main draw for students who enrolled in this course.

“The works are often what we read in high school, but I wanted the opportunity to study them on a college level,” junior Sonya Kolba said.