Queen Nwabueze
The University of Northampton has warned its students to stop reading the popular novel, “1984” by the award winning author, George Orwell.
The management of Northampton had argued that the famous book contained some explicit material, which it considers potentially harmful to its students.
Join our WhatsApp Channel“The death of an animal; ableism, disability and offensive speech”, Northampton explained.
Tagged, “offensive and upsetting,” the university argued the novel houses “challenging issues related to violence, gender, sexuality, class, race, abuses, sexual abuse, political ideas and offensive language.”
The warning, which was issued to students taking a module called ‘Identity Under Construction,’ became public following on Sunday.
The news raised eyebrows among social media users. It got one person saying of Orwell: “It is a grave turn” and another reacting with an emotional “I need you to get me off of this planet. I can’t deal.”
Also reacting, Conservative MP Andre Bridgen commented On Twitter: “There’s something very Big Brother about it.”
As a knock for Northampton, an Australian professor Andrew Timming noted: “Northampton’s mission has been utterly thwarted if it prevents one student from reading 1984. This book is more important than any others and should be widely read.”
Notably, Orwell’s classic novel was not the only one, the university flagged red. The management also warned its students to steer clear of Samuel Beckett’s play ‘Endgame,’ the graphic novel ‘V For Vendetta’ by Alan Moore and David Lloyd and Jeanette Winterson’s ‘Sexing The Cherry.’
In defense, the institution has released a statement in defense of its warnings. It reportedly consolidated: “While it isn’t university policy, students may be warned about violence, abuse of domestic partners, or suicide.” because “Some texts can be difficult for students.”
The Northampton University is currently ranked at 108 among 132 UK universities according to The Times’ 2022 Good University Guide.
