“There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. That is all.” -Oscar Wilde
I completely agree with this statement. Books are merely meant to entertain or convey knowledge. Obviously, books can be well written or badly written. Some writers aren’t as gifted as others. The fact of the matter is books are just words on a page. A book cannot make us commit moral or immoral acts. I strongly believe that a book can only influence a reader to commit immoral acts if that reader is already considering immoral acts.
The book that always comes to my mind when I read this aphorism is the Harry Potter series. These books are banned in many Muslim countries, but they are also banned in some states here in the United States. The books aren’t banned wholly in these countries, but they are banned from the school system. This series is my absolute favorite series I have ever read in my entire life, and I don’t think that it should be banned anywhere. The reason that this specific series is banned in many places is because it contains magic. Almost all of the characters possess the ability to use magic. Although it is obvious that these books are fiction, they are banned because magic goes against religious values of both Islam and Christianity. People believe that these books have occult or Satanic subtexts. I do have to point out that although when I first read these books when I was 10 or 11, I dreamed of getting my Hogwarts acceptance letter. Still to this day, I would give up everything to be a part of the world that J.K. Rowling created. However, reading these books did not cause me to start worshipping Satan or participate in any occult rituals. These books simply allowed my imagination to run wild and indulge my adult self in daydreams.
It’s not like these books promote the use of magic either. They don’t state that magic should be held above God, or that it is a “religion” to follow. There are no revolutionary ideas conveyed. They are only banned because they contain the concept of magic. There are some that argue that the later books contain violence and darker tones. That is completely true. As the characters in the book grew older, there was more death and violence. However, the author did not include these themes to inspire violence. Instead, Rowling included these themes to show the horrors of war. She wrote to show that war is a horrible thing that should not be idolized.
In addition, those that argue that these books should be banned because of the violence and darker themes clearly did not indulge in the literature of their time. The first Harry Potter book was published in 1997. I decided to look up notable books from 1997. The New York Times website has a page that lists the notable books of 1997. The very first book listed on that page is called Abbreviating Ernie. It is literally a book about a trial for a woman who killed her husband. I looked everywhere, and I could not find any hint of this book being banned. There of course are other examples of books with violent themes from 1997, and there are a tremendous amount of movie from 1997 that portray violence and death. The themes of violence and death are not the issue when it comes to the Harry Potter series. It is simply the magic.
Hi Marissa!
I enjoyed reading your post; it is evident that you feel passionate about this subject. Wilde’s statement is so crucial in today’s political talk, deeming that children’s books are immortal. Discussions of grief and other harder-hitting topics can be perfectly explained to a child through books, especially regarding the Harry Potter series. A childhood favorite of mine, the Hunger Games series, has also been on the chopping block of American public school libraries for being “too violent.” Yet, these boards overlook entirely the true message Susan Collins was portraying.
I agree with your explanation that there are no such thing as moral or immoral books. Books can definitely influence someone, but I also think that a book can’t be the single reason for someone’s moral or immoral decision. I really liked reading your example of Harry Potter in relation to the aphorism because I think it really captured the truth of the aphorism when you explained how some places banned the book because of moral/immoral issues. I also learned a little because I never knew the book series was banned in certain places. It was nice that you did a little more research on other books during the time of Harry Potter, it helped support your reasoning.
I totally agree with your perspective on the morality of literature, especially when it comes to the Harry Potter series. I’ve always believed that books were just means of expression and entertainment. Banning books is dangerous because it can take us down a path where eventually more books are banned due to their “dangerous implications”. Banning one of the oldest forms of knowledge and entertainment can lead to the abandonment of cultures and powerful stories.
I like how you effectively challenged the notion that books can directly incite immoral behavior and how you provided commentary on the themes of magic and violence within the series and how it can be viewed in a more positive light rather than a cultish one. Your comparison to other works with similar themes from the same time period adds depth to your argument and emphasizes inconsistencies in the reasoning behind the bans.