Papé, Frank C. Illustration from Cabell's Jurgen. [London, 1921].

We recognize James Branch Cabell's Jurgen much more for the censorship debate surrounding the book's publication than its literary value. In 1922, the publishers of Jurgen faced charges for publishing an "obscene" book; however, like James Joyce's Ulysses, published that same year, Jurgen's "obscenity" stemmed more from its mockery of Anglo-American ideology than its sexual portrayals. Especially troubling to the censors, Jurgen, an allegory, set in a mythical land, lampooned belief in the afterlife. The book's initial popularity attracted the interests of the censors, who ultimately were unable to suppress it.

All items displayed in this section are from the Clifton Waller Barrett Library of American Literature.