231035 Literature Under Trial - Obscenity And Controversy (Stud.AG) (SoSe 2021)

Literature can and maybe should be controversial. Throughout the centuries, authors have repeatedly played with controversial topics and in doing so have also crossed the boundaries of what was - and in some cases still is - considered socially acceptable and decent. Some works even ended up in court, some got the authors into very real trouble. In this study group, we will look at novels that sparked fierce controversy at their time of publication - and in some cases still today. We will discuss them together on the basis of theoretical texts on obscenity and read and analyse longer excerpts rather than entire novels. What makes a specific literary work "obscene"? Is it ever acceptable to censor literature? What do contemporary and modern reactions to these novels tell us about the fabric and inner workings of the society that considers them controversial or obscene?

Requirements for participation, required level

This study group will allow you to gain 3 credit points towards the "Int@Home" module.

Bibliography

Some ideas, open to suggestions:
Rushdie, Salman: The Satanic Verses. Vintage, 1988.
Twain, Mark: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Penguin Classics, 1884.
Joyce, James: “Nausicaa.” Ulysses. Penguin Classics, 1922.
Lawrence, David H.: Lady Chatterley’s Lover. Penguin, 1928.
Nabokov, Vladimir: Lolita. Penguin, 1955.
Burroughs, William S.: Naked Lunch. Penguin Classics, 1959.