Our generation has been blessed with a far more open-minded society – at least enough to move us a few inches ahead, compared to how things were a few decades back. As intelligent beings, it is inherent for the human mind to venture towards seldom tackled topics and interests. For writers and artists, there is a sense of satisfaction associated with being able to cover a respect or genre that is able to cause other minds to think and reflect, sometimes even to the point of controversy and debate.
This has been one of the major influencing factors of fiction, apart from having a colorful imagination. As writers continue exploring different subjects of interest, many have pushed the limits of what has been deemed socially acceptable. In numerous cases, convention has played the villain, putting extreme works in chains and out of the eyes of the public. Banned books are not much of a surprise these days, since authorities have been exiling a significant number of works from way back.
The question that remains to this day is this: if fiction was meant to explore and touch subjects which would rather be avoided in real life, wouldn’t banning such work take out all the fun – and purpose – for the writers and their readers? Violence, sexual content, race and ethnicity issues, politics, and most of all, religion – these are common denominators for most of the banned titles that we have come to hear about. What could the content be provoking for authorities to think that the readers would not be able to handle? In the earlier times, political agenda and religious rallying were the most likely reasons for keeping books off the hands of the public. In today’s more liberated, educated, mature and experienced minds, what would it take for censorship to prevail? If you have been watching movies and TV for the past years, it may be safe to say that we have seen pretty much everything. Will the time for revoking the ban on these books ever come – even with an entirely new audience of today?
Take a look at the top 10 banned titles of all time, posted on ShortList.com.