Robin M Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 I have looked everywhere on line and can't find the answer. Why is Wind in the Willows on the banned/challenged list. Was it ever banned or was it just challenged? Driving me crazy? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillfarm Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 I think the stoat association took offense at the characterization of them in the novel.:D How many stoats do you know that are like that? (How many stoats do you know???) Seriously, I can't imagine what the problem could be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirtroad Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 Maybe it has to do with Toad being under house arrest & don't they inflict some "corporal punishment" upon him in an effort to turn him from his compulsive & destructive ways? So many are offended by such. Also the battle with the invaders when he returns from jail might be "violent" to some who are sensitive to it. They talk of Gypsies & some groups might infer racism. Who knows these days... .eveyrone seems to find offense in something even a compulsive rich Toad & a grouchy old noble Badger.;) Where/who has banned it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 Maybe some people think Toad is gay because he sweeps and tidies his own place instead of having a female bunny in a poofy cap & bloomers to do it? :tongue_smilie: Real amphibians don't don't wield cleaning brooms? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 After a google search, it seems: There is a list of the top 100 novels of the 20th century. Banned books are bolded. The Wind in the Willows is not bolded on any copy I could find with the bolding intact. Some sites have merely copied the list and listed it as "banned books" without including the fact that it was only the bolded ones which were banned. Therefore, other people reasonably conclude that the Wind in the Willows is banned based on this miscopied list. I can find no original source for the Wind in the Willows, but imo this is the most plausible explanation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 Pan? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 Therefore, other people reasonably conclude that the Wind in the Willows is banned based on this miscopied list.Phew. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 Banned and/or Challenged Books Banned ones are bolded, the rest have been challenged. Wind in the Willows has been challenged but not banned, according to this list. The ALA website had a database at one time with challenged books and reasons they were challenged, down to the offending page numbers. For example, I specifically remember Eloise in Paris being on the list, turning to that page in the book and seeing that the Venus d'Milo was in the picture, along with another naked lady painting (just a line drawings, like all the Eloise books). I can't find it now, perhaps they removed it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LauraGB Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 Probably because readership of The Wind in the Willows has dropped off in recent years in the schools? Everyone knows that if you ban a book it becomes wildly popular. That's the only reason I can see for most of the books on banned lists. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elfgivas Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 some of that list looks a whole lot like my required reading list for modern american literature way back in my undergrad days.... seriously.... ann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyfaithe Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 Banned and/or Challenged Books Banned ones are bolded, the rest have been challenged. Wind in the Willows has been challenged but not banned, according to this list. The ALA website had a database at one time with challenged books and reasons they were challenged, down to the offending page numbers. For example, I specifically remember Eloise in Paris being on the list, turning to that page in the book and seeing that the Venus d'Milo was in the picture, along with another naked lady painting (just a line drawings, like all the Eloise books). I can't find it now, perhaps they removed it? Yep...This looks like my kids reading list. I had no idea WHY no one in my kids college classes had read these books <tongue planted firmly in cheek...> but I never thought they were BANNED. I just thought we were book snobs.....sigh..... ~~Faithe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pip Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 Why challenge Charlotte's Web, Winnie the Pooh, My Antonia (one of my faves) or most of those. Shocked and shaking my head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplain Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 Regarding this link, a previous post stated: Banned ones are bolded, the rest have been challenged. Wind in the Willows has been challenged but not banned, according to this list.That's not correct, though I do think the explanatory text is easy to misunderstand. At the top of the webpage it says:The titles in bold represent banned or challenged books.The list on that page is actually the Radcliffe Publishing Course Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century. Forty-two of them are in boldface because they've been banned or challenged. Those in regular typeface have NOT been banned or challenged. So I don't believe Wind in the Willows was ever challenged. Nor were Charlotte's Web, Winnie the Pooh, or My Antonia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 Laughing so hard here ! Just a few weeks ago, I was with some of the dc in a bookstore, where I could not resist purchasing a recently-published, http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Annotated-Wind-in-the-Willows/Kenneth-Grahame/e/9780393057744/?itm=2 The book is one of the best "annotated" works I have seen ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apiphobic Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 I think the original version is more violent than later adaptations. And Pan, the goat god, has been removed completely from some editions. One Amazon reviewer wrote: "All the British terminology has been removed, most of the references to things British have been removed, all references to guns & knives have been removed (but they left in the picture of Ratty entering Toad Hall with gun in hand), the entire chapter with Pan--one of the most enchanting in the entire book--has been removed, and most references to other literature (such as the chapter title "The Return of Ulysses") have been removed." This article might shed a little light on some of the concerns. Second Wind for a Toad and His Pals Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted September 13, 2009 Author Share Posted September 13, 2009 Regarding this link, a previous post stated:That's not correct, though I do think the explanatory text is easy to misunderstand. At the top of the webpage it says: The list on that page is actually the Radcliffe Publishing Course Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century. Forty-two of them are in boldface because they've been banned or challenged. Those in regular typeface have NOT been banned or challenged. So I don't believe Wind in the Willows was ever challenged. Nor were Charlotte's Web, Winnie the Pooh, or My Antonia. Interesting -- Then the entire list is misleading because a lot of folks think the 100 books listed on that list are banned, me included. Didn't read it properly I guess, including me. My hubby made the comment he thinks they did the list that way in order to get more people to buy the books. Make people think something is banned and they will jump to read it. Hmm! Thanks everybody! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 Interesting -- Then the entire list is misleading because a lot of folks think the 100 books listed on that list are banned, me included. Didn't read it properly I guess, including me. My hubby made the comment he thinks they did the list that way in order to get more people to buy the books. Make people think something is banned and they will jump to read it. Hmm! Thanks everybody! I think the reason they wrote it that way is to show what a high percentage of the "top 100 novels of the century" were banned/challenged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blessedfamily Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 Probably because readership of The Wind in the Willows has dropped off in recent years in the schools? Everyone knows that if you ban a book it becomes wildly popular. That's the only reason I can see for most of the books on banned lists. ;) True. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee in NC Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 Dumb question - who "bans" books and what does that mean practically? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 (edited) Interesting -- Then the entire list is misleading because a lot of folks think the 100 books listed on that list are banned, me included. Didn't read it properly I guess, including me. My hubby made the comment he thinks they did the list that way in order to get more people to buy the books. Make people think something is banned and they will jump to read it. Hmm! Thanks everybody! Ah, yes, I only gave it a cursory reading last night! eta: I do wonder, then, why Animal Farm isn't bolded. I know it's been challenged several times. I think the reason they wrote it that way is to show what a high percentage of the "top 100 novels of the century" were banned/challenged. I'm sure that's the case. Edited September 13, 2009 by Mrs Mungo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 Dumb question - who "bans" books and what does that mean practically? What's the difference between a challenge and a banning? A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. A banning is the removal of those materials. Challenges do not simply involve a person expressing a point of view; rather, they are an attempt to remove material from the curriculum or library, thereby restricting the access of others. Due to the commitment of librarians, teachers, parents, students and other concerned citizens, most challenges are unsuccessful and most materials are retained in the school curriculum or library collection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blessedfamily Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 (edited) Dumb question - who "bans" books and what does that mean practically? It's not a dumb question because when I read the thread title, I said to myself, "Banned by whom?" There's no *official* banning list, so I always ask, "Who's list?" when someone asks if something is on THE banned list. (This isn't directed at the OP, just a comment on banning in general.) Edited September 13, 2009 by Blessedfamily Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyK Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 Banned Books Week starts September 26th. http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/bannedbooksweek/index.cfm http://www.multcolib.org/homework/banned.html I thought this map was kind of fun: http://bannedbooksweek.org/Mapofbookcensorship.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apiphobic Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 Okay, thanks a lot, guys. Now that I keep seeing "banned" and hearing "banned" and thinking "banned," I've got Band on the Run on the brain. Baaaaand on the run Baaaaand on the run And the jailer man and sailor sam Were searching everyone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 The best solution -- yes I strongly feel -- is to allow parents the freedom to have alternative reading assigned to their child(ren) when desired. I occasionally have had to request this for my son, and have had no difficulty with the teachers. Everybody was satisfied because it was handled discreetly, politely, and with my "homework done" to buttress my request. (I am simultaneously a credentialed librarian, a teacher, a parent, and a concerned citizen. :) ) Due to the commitment of librarians, teachers, parents, students and other concerned citizens, most challenges are unsuccessful and most materials are retained in the school curriculum or library collection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blessedfamily Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 (edited) The best solution -- yes I strongly feel -- is to allow parents the freedom to have alternative reading assigned to their child(ren) when desired. I occasionally have had to request this for my son, and have had no difficulty with the teachers. Everybody was satisfied because it was handled discreetly, politely, and with my "homework done" to buttress my request. (I am simultaneously a credentialed librarian, a teacher, a parent, and a concerned citizen. :) ) :iagree: As far as schools are concerned. It's certainly what I would do, if I felt the need. Our schoolboard website explicity empowers parents to substitute books if they find a required reading inappropriate. The alternative that the parent provides must be comparable in complexity, etc. I'm aware that some have strong feelings about kids reading anything they want, but the point is, you have choices if you disagree with a reading assignment. (Hopefully, in all states?) Edited September 13, 2009 by Blessedfamily Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 A lot of this is stupid. I am sorry but if a school board or some other governing committee decides that some book has sexually explicit material and isn't appropriate for a class and they should substitute something else, I see nothing wrong with that. I would say the same thing if they decide that some material is too violent ( a war novel) or some other issue. They not only have the right to decide on curriculum, they have that obligation. This is a far cry from deciding to burn books or remove books from libraries. Now I think discretion is probably more warranted in a school library than in a public library. There are tons of material that I find objectionable for all sorts of reasons in the library- too stupid, wrongheaded, too sexually explicit, whatever. But I am sure others would find some of what I want to read to be objectionable to them so I practive live and let live at the library. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 Well, LOL, in addition to the glorification of illegal activities, there's some language in the original version, so perhaps that's the cause of the problem. I believe that's what did in Huck Finn, too..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 Okay, thanks a lot, guys. Now that I keep seeing "banned" and hearing "banned" and thinking "banned," I've got Band on the Run on the brain. Baaaaand on the run Baaaaand on the run And the jailer man and sailor sam Were searching everyone :ack2: That is going to be stuck in my head for hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CherylG Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 Dumb question - who "bans" books and what does that mean practically? Here is a link that tells each book's instance of "getting challenged" and by whom. http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/challengedclassics/reasonsbanned/index.cfm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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