Lust on trial : censorship and the rise of American obscenity in the age of Anthony Comstock
(Book)

Book Cover
Average Rating
Published
New York : Columbia University Press, [2018].
Status
Central Library - History - 2nd Floor
306.77 W
1 available

Description

Loading Description...

Also in this Series

Checking series information...

Copies

LocationCall NumberStatus
Central Library - History - 2nd Floor306.77 WOn Shelf

More Like This

Loading more titles like this title...

About the Author, Reviews, Awards, and More

More Details

Published
New York : Columbia University Press, [2018].
Format
Book
Physical Desc
xii, 391 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 24 cm
Language
English
UPC
40028105844

Notes

Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 361-370) and index.
Description
Anthony Comstock was America's first professional censor. From 1873 to 1915, as Secretary of the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice, Comstock led a crusade against lasciviousness, salaciousness, and obscenity that resulted in the confiscation and incineration of more than three million pictures, postcards, and books he judged to be obscene. But as Amy Werbel shows in this rich cultural and social history, Comstock's campaign to rid America of vice in fact led to greater acceptance of the materials he deemed objectionable, offering a revealing tale about the unintended consequences of censorship. In Lust on Trial, Werbel presents a colorful journey through Comstock's career that doubles as a new history of post-Civil War America's risqué visual and sexual culture. Born into a puritanical New England community, Anthony Comstock moved to New York in 1868 armed with his Christian faith and a burning desire to rid the city of vice. Werbel describes how Comstock's raids shaped New York City and American culture through his obsession with the prevention of lust by means of censorship, and how his restrictions provided an impetus for the increased circulation and explicitness of "obscene" materials. By opposing women who preached sexual liberation and empowerment, suppressing contraceptives, and restricting artistic expression, Comstock drew the ire of civil liberties advocates, inspiring more open attitudes toward sexual and creative freedom and more sophisticated legal defenses. Drawing on material culture high and low, including numerous examples of the "obscenities" Comstock seized, Lust on Trial provides fresh insights into Comstock's actions and motivations, the sexual habits of Americans during his era, and the complicated relationship between law and cultural change.

Citations

APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)

Werbel, A. B. (2018). Lust on trial: censorship and the rise of American obscenity in the age of Anthony Comstock . Columbia University Press.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Werbel, Amy Beth. 2018. Lust On Trial: Censorship and the Rise of American Obscenity in the Age of Anthony Comstock. Columbia University Press.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Werbel, Amy Beth. Lust On Trial: Censorship and the Rise of American Obscenity in the Age of Anthony Comstock Columbia University Press, 2018.

MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)

Werbel, Amy Beth. Lust On Trial: Censorship and the Rise of American Obscenity in the Age of Anthony Comstock Columbia University Press, 2018.

Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.

Staff View

Loading Staff View.