Literature and the New Culture Wars: Triggers, Cancel Culture, and the Teacher’s Dilemma

Carleton College education professor Appleman (Words No Bars Can Hold) examines in this incisive study how “trigger warnings, cancel culture, and the #MeToo movement have reshaped the politics of teaching literature.” Referencing challenges to canonical works such as John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, as well as recent controversies over cultural appropriation and sexual misconduct allegations against authors, Appleman argues that “texts that reproduce harmful social attitudes need to be interrogated, disrupted, and resisted,” but that educators should “consider how to avoid blanket banishment.” She also questions whether it is “reasonable to hold texts, written decades, even centuries ago, to 21st-century sensibilities and standards” and argues that “cancelling” objectionable books or individuals might hinder one’s “ability to inhabit and understand perspectives that are different from one’s own.” Discussing trigger warnings, Appleman contends that they may “keep people away from witnessing something they need to be aware of” and that “surprise, discomfort, sadness, even repulsion... may be required for the full impact and intent of certain texts.” Throughout, Appleman bolsters her arguments with candid reflections on how she has grappled with these issues in the classroom. This is an invigorating call for educators “to continue to teach challenging texts.” (Sept.)