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  • Research explores influence of obscenity laws on literary history

    Feb 14, 2024 10:15 am by Humanities Research InstituteExpert Viewpoints
    the word 'obscenity' spelled out in Scrabble (TM) letters beside cigarette butt. Stock image from Flickr by Tom Magliery

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    • the word 'obscenity' spelled out in Scrabble (TM) letters beside cigarette butt. Stock image from Flickr by Tom Magliery

    While pornography is a genre with a long history, the legal category of 'obscenity' was effectively invented for the US after the Civil War in reaction to moral panic about the Free Love movement, says English professor Justine Murison.