Literature, Censorship and Cancel Culture in English

The aim of the course is to critically analyse, with recourse to relevant theoretical and methodological procedures, the occurrence of censorship in relation to literature in English since the beginning of the modern period until the present. The course will consider how different historical and socio-cultural circumstances have led to variations in methods and politics of literary censorship, and how literary expression has responded to censorship. Based on the analysis of a selection of representative literary texts, the course will focus on three main aspects: (i) reflection on and analysis of the historical and socio-cultural circumstances that led to the censorship of specific literary texts in specific socio-historical contexts; (ii) the use of theoretical interpretations of both literary texts and the mechanisms of censorship in order to engage critically with censorship; (iii) the analysis of the aesthetic implications of the politics of censorship on literature and creativity. Some of the thematic areas of study include censorship in relation to literature of exile, censorship and freedom; self-censorship and creativity; and cancel culture and its relationship to the academic study of literature.