The Scarlet Letter: A – for Adultery, Antinomian, or America Itself?
N athaniel Hawthorne is renowned for deep symbolism and psychological insight. So, what's The Scarlet Letter really about? It's definitely about more than a misbehaving minister. Unlike a lot of other books, there's no short answer as to why The Scarlet Letter was banned. Whenever Hawthorne's work has been challenged, the objections have come from all directions. That’s... Read More.
The Catcher in the Rye: A Twentieth-century Jeremiad
W hat's up with the brouhaha that perpetually revolves around this book? Salinger was writing within the most American of literary forms, the jeremiad. Why was The Catcher in the Rye banned? In short, Salinger's work challenged the status quo. And it did so in an era defined by conformity. So, the outcome is pretty predictable. As a New York... Read More.
Maus: Why it Should be Unbanned.
N ews about the McMinn County School Board’s unanimous decision to strike Maus from its curriculum made national headlines. This piece from guest essayist Professor Brett Ashley Kaplan addresses why that decision should be reversed. Art Spiegelman’s Pulitzer Prize-winning work was not only the anchor text for a module on the Holocaust in McMinn County Schools, it is shockingly... Read More.
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