FORBIDDEN BOOKS AND WHY THEY STILL MATTER
By Jovan Stipić
Of all the tropes we have in modern literature, most of which the humble author of this blog thinks should take a break and let some other tropes have a chance, ranging from “enemies to lovers”, “found family,” and “love triangles,” there is one which has endured far longer than all of them.
Book burning.
It would seem that as far back in history as there have been books, there have been men and women who wanted to see them burn. But why has this trend and trope of book burning endured for so long? Hopefully today’s blog will shine a light on a few reasons you might not have known. If not? Well, you can always find an enemy to love and burn some books together!
So why have books been banned throughout history? Or, maybe a better question: which books were banned most often?
The example of Galileo's Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems might illustrate the answers to both questions.
In the book he… well, it would take a doctorate to explain fully, but to sum it up, he compared two cosmic models: one earth-cantered and the other sun-cantered. Back then, that went against a lot of what the scientific world wanted you to believe. It also undermined religious dogma utterly, which got him placed under house arrest for the remainder of his life and put on trial by the Inquisition in 1633. And the book? It was added to the Index of Forbidden Books. I do hope my books get such a treatment one day too.
What were we talking about?
Ah yes!
The situation caused a major stir in Europe, not only because of what he argued in his book but also because of the Church’s reaction iteself. It put a question mark on who got to define the truth that we accepted every day.
So, what did a single book do to get banned and its author put on trial for being “vehemently suspect of heresy”? That should be my family’s motto, to be honest. If any of you use it for your Tinder bio, I will find you and burn your Tinder… though maybe that should be done either way.
Could you stop making me digress? Thank you.
The book, first and foremost, challenged authority. It threatened the natural order of the world at the time. A book like that earned a shortcut to the “Books to Be Burned Top 10” list of the year. But it also promoted free speech and thought. The biggest question it posed at the end of the day was: why is it wrong to suggest that something else might be correct?
The single most common thread in all banned books is the one: any form of thought that could shake things up will be put under a microscope by the powers that be, even if, at the time, the microscope did not exist.
Of course, sex, debauchery, differing perspectives, taboo topics, empowering the powerless… all of these threads are woven through the history of book burning. But for today, we have only had time for this one. Hopefully we will revisit this topic in the future and see what else caused the powers that be to tremble on their lottery.
If not? Well, you can find a love triangle and read Decameron together.