Posted in: Comics, Comics Publishers, DC Comics | Tagged: Alan Moore, david lloyd, northampton, v for vendetta

University Of Northampton Labels V for Vendetta For Upsetting Material

The University Of Northampton has been criticised after a Freedom of Information request by The Mail on Sunday revealed that the University had included explicit warnings on certain books on courses. They, naturally jump on the ironies of 1984 by George Orwell being included on the grounds that it contains 'explicit material' which some students may find 'offensive and upsetting', but for Bleeding Cool it was V For Vendetta that caught our eye. The comic book by Alan Moore and David Lloyd that tells a 1984-inspired story of anarchy vs fascism, Moore famously was born and lives in Northampton, England – the university is his local.

It joins 1984 on a course list for a module called Identity Under Construction. For which students are told that the module "addresses challenging issues related to violence, gender, sexuality, class, race, abuses, sexual abuse, political ideas and offensive language." The list also include books such as Samuel Beckett stageplay Endgame, and Jeanette Winterson's Sexing The Cherry. As well as on another course, Mark Haddon's 2003 novel The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time including the label "death of an animal, ableism and disability and offensive language".

Now, it is worth pointing out that unlike other student library challenges in the USA, no books are being banned or pulled from any shelves or courses. The warnings are simply that, to prepare students, or to make sure they know what they are getting involved with when they take the course. But some will see any such cover warnings as being antithetical to the nature of literature and, indeed, Alan Moore left DC Comics with a number of other creators when DC Comics brought in mature readers content warnings to the covers of the comic books they were working on at the publisher.

V for Vendetta features The Shadow Library, a collection of books, art, music and films that are banned in the Britain of the comic book. With no content warnings…

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