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elingregoryIn the 1950s one couldn't buy a copy of Lady Chatterley's Lover in the UK. In the 1920s if one wanted a copy of The Well of Loneliness you had to go to Paris to buy it. Censorship in the UK laid down very strict rules on what was and was not suitable matter for publication. Those days are over, thank goodness. Authors in all genres can explore subjects that were taboo only a few years ago and the body of literature is much richer for that freedom.
Nobody wants to return to those days of censorship and scrutiny but isn't that what Paypal is doing with its ban on certain controversial subjects? J S Wayne has explained why this is a very bad thing here. I have to admit to having no desire at all to create titillating scenes out of such subjects as bestiality, rape and child abuse but it's quite feasible that I might involve incest if I am writing a story set in ancient Egypt. Also the erastes/eromenos relationship could be classed as paederasty even though, for the time, no abuse was involved. Customs were different in the past and if one wants to write accurate historical novels one can't inject too much modern sensibility without looking anachronistic.
So what does this mean for historical romance writers? No Sabine women? No pairings between tough centurions and beautiful Gaulish salves [of whatever gender]? No greek youths being tenderly courted by their mentors? No feisty Saxon lasses learning to love their Viking ravishers? No Mary Renault or Danielle Steel?
I would like to know what Paypal's criteria are and how they will applied. Who, in other words, will make the decision that a book, or an author, has to be banned? Are Paypal going to employ readers to skim novels electronically looking for certain triggery keywords? Or are they hoping the publishing industry will self regulate by choosing not to publish books with 'questionable' content? Or are they hoping that authors will restrict themselves to the straight and narrow?
Fat chance, Paypal.
Nobody wants to return to those days of censorship and scrutiny but isn't that what Paypal is doing with its ban on certain controversial subjects? J S Wayne has explained why this is a very bad thing here. I have to admit to having no desire at all to create titillating scenes out of such subjects as bestiality, rape and child abuse but it's quite feasible that I might involve incest if I am writing a story set in ancient Egypt. Also the erastes/eromenos relationship could be classed as paederasty even though, for the time, no abuse was involved. Customs were different in the past and if one wants to write accurate historical novels one can't inject too much modern sensibility without looking anachronistic.
So what does this mean for historical romance writers? No Sabine women? No pairings between tough centurions and beautiful Gaulish salves [of whatever gender]? No greek youths being tenderly courted by their mentors? No feisty Saxon lasses learning to love their Viking ravishers? No Mary Renault or Danielle Steel?
I would like to know what Paypal's criteria are and how they will applied. Who, in other words, will make the decision that a book, or an author, has to be banned? Are Paypal going to employ readers to skim novels electronically looking for certain triggery keywords? Or are they hoping the publishing industry will self regulate by choosing not to publish books with 'questionable' content? Or are they hoping that authors will restrict themselves to the straight and narrow?
Fat chance, Paypal.
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Date: 2012-02-18 09:43 am (UTC)Perhaps I'm too much in a hurry to judge Paypal harshly, having had 'dealing' with their arbitrary attitude to my money - ie once it had gone from my account into theirs they felt they had the right not to pass it on to its destination? On the other hand, I think it's worth making the point that we don't want another Amazon Fail situation. Forewarned is forearmed.