Fighting Fire With Words: The History of Book Bans (Part 1)
What happens when select members of society decide that certain books are just too controversial or inconvenient to exist? Join me on a journey through the history of book bans, where we'll encounter emperors, popes, and politicians who have tried (and failed) to silence the written word.
This is the first of a 4-part series - find the rest here:
Early historical book bans (you are here)
The history of anti-LGBTQ+ book bans (coming soon)
Modern-day book bans and what you can do about it (coming soon)
“The ruler of men can only ensure his power by keeping his subjects ignorant, by destroying the means of independent thinking.”
Early Historical Book Bans
Book banning is far from a new phenomenon. Throughout history, books have been banned, censored and burned for a variety of political, religious and moral concerns. Societies have endured institutions and power-starved individuals who have sought to control access to certain types of literature, often with the goal of limiting the spread of ideas that challenge the status quo or undermine those in power. Let’s take a little historical stroll through some of the highlights.
The Chinese emperor who buried scholars alive
One of the earliest examples of book banning occurred in ancient China. In 213 BCE, Emperor Qin Shi Huang ordered the burning of all books except those on agriculture, medicine and divination. In an event referred to as the "burning of the books and burying of the scholars", the emperor resorted to executions and dramatic censorship to cast out academics and erase all traces of the previous dynasties to better establish his own authority.
As Burton Watson notes in his translation of Han Feizi, "The total number of books burned was said to have been great, numbering in the tens or even hundreds of thousands". This widespread destruction of literature had a significant impact on Chinese culture and history, with many works of literature and philosophy lost to the world forever.
Oh Plato…
In ancient Greece, the philosopher Plato riled up his contemporaries by expressly advocating for book censorship. In "The Republic," one of his most famous works, Plato argues for the censorship of literature that he deemed to be harmful to the state.
In Book II of "The Republic," Plato outlines his views on censorship, stating that "we must supervise the makers of tales; and if they make a mistake, they must be reprimanded and corrected. We should not allow them to get away with telling tales which make people worse." Plato believed that literature had a powerful influence on the minds and actions of people and that certain works could lead them to adopt harmful beliefs and behaviors.
In particular, Plato believed that works of literature that depicted violence or sexuality should be censored. He especially believed that works that challenged the authority of the state or promoted ideas that were contrary to the ruling class should be banned. This rings familiar these days too, right?
Plato's views on censorship were controversial even in his own time with numerous colleagues like Aristotle opposing his ideas. In fact, Aristotle argued that censorship was a threat to free thought and expression and that it was the responsibility of the state to protect the rights of its citizens to read and express their ideas.
The Roman Empire’s literature suppression
During the Roman Empire, the state regularly flexed its power to ban political and “subversive” literature. The Roman Senate would ban books that were deemed dangerous which typically meant they were critical of the state. The great Roman statesman and philosopher Seneca, for instance, was exiled and his works were banned by Emperor Nero due to his political views and perceived threat to the imperial power. As Seneca himself wrote, "I am forbidden to enter Rome and to approach the emperor's ear, for fear lest some truth escape my lips".
Likewise, the satirical poetry of Juvenal was censored for its criticism of the Roman elite while the poetry of Catullus was considered scandalous, banned and equally scorned. Perhaps you read one of Catullus’ more famous poems in class: "Sparrow, Delight of My Girl". It was ENORMOUSLY popular during his time, a humorous and erotic (yeah, I know) account of a pet sparrow belonging to his lover, which he describes as being more beloved to her than anything else. The late Republic was not amused, shall we say. #banned
The destruction of the Library of Alexandria
This is a highly debated story of book burning on a monumental scale. A storied wonder, the Library of Alexandria was known for being one of the largest and most significant libraries of the ancient world. It was said to have housed many thousands of scrolls and manuscripts from across the globe covering various fields such as literature, science, philosophy and religion. It served as a center for learning, attracting scholars and intellectuals with impressive architecture, a large reading room, lecture halls and gardens.
So what happened? There are at least three highly contested theories of this massive loss:
#1: The library was destroyed in a fire set by Julius Caesar during his conquest of Alexandria in 48 BCE. The Roman historian Plutarch wrote that Caesar accidentally set fire to the Egyptian fleet, which then spread to the city and the library.
#2: The library was destroyed by the Christians during the reign of Theodosius I in the late 4th century CE. According to this theory, Theophilus, the patriarch of Alexandria, ordered the destruction of pagan temples, including the Serapeum, which housed the library, and its contents were destroyed in the process.
#3: The library was destroyed by Muslim conquerors during the Arab conquest of Egypt in the 7th century CE. According to this theory, Caliph Omar ordered the destruction of the library, stating that if the books in the library agreed with the Quran, they were unnecessary, and if they disagreed, they were heretical.
In conclusion
The history of global book bans reveals the power that literature holds in shaping a society's values and beliefs. The motives behind book bans ranged from religious and political censorship to the suppression of dissenting ideas and free expression. While some bans have been lifted over time, their impact has persisted. As we move forward, we must recognize the role that literature plays in shaping our understanding of the world and to fight against censorship and the suppression of knowledge. It is only through open dialogue and free exchange of ideas that we can truly create a just and equitable society.
Keep on reading
Let’s keep a good thing going. This is just the first of a 4-part series - you can click and enjoy the rest here, fellow book nerd:
Early historical book bans (you are here)
The history of anti-LGBTQ+ book bans (coming soon)
Modern-day book bans and what you can do about it (coming soon)
Quick Summary:
Knowledge is power - humanity has seen numerous instances of men in power seeking to curtail the public’s access to books in order to control them
Book bans have been happening for thousands of years across the world, but that doesn’t mean we should be complacent about them
Sources:
Aristotle. (1954). Politics (trans. W.D. Ross). Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Han Feizi. (1964). Basic Writings (trans. Burton Watson). New York: Columbia University Press.
Hu, S. (1936). The history of Chinese censorship. Bulletin of the Association for Asian Studies, 3(4), 17-18.
Seneca. (1932). Letters from a Stoic (trans. R.M. Basore). New York: Harvard University Press.
