I'm just back from Austin where I attended an exhibit, Banned, Burned,Seized and Censored, at the Harry Ransom Center. It is an interesting look at America's conflict over literary censorship during the thirty years between world wars. Compared to what is on the Internet and television now, these "controversial" works were seemingly innocuous.
One of my favorite items in the exhibit was an interactive book of censored Mother Goose rhymes. Oh, there was nothing wrong with the rhymes as originally written. The author was just trying to make the point that blacking out one word in a sentence and allowing the reader to supply the missing word could lead to all sorts of joviality. I could have played with this all evening, but I had to move on. So, in case you can't make it to Austin before January, I will give you a condensed version of Mother Goose.
Peter, Peter pumpkin eater.
Had a wife and couldn't _____her.
He put her in a _____.
And there he _____ her very well.
Yes, I am terribly immature. Those of you who view life on a higher plane will find lots of great information, photos and posters to stimulate your brain. I mean, who can pass up a chance to see Diary of a Smut Hound ?
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