Novel on 19th century poor gets university trigger warning
Novel detailing plight of the poor in the 19th century gets trigger warning at university over scenes featuring prostitution and misogyny
- Warwick University gave Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell a trigger warning
- Warning is for ‘extreme classism’ on book about class struggles in Manchester
- Charlotte Bronte’s Villette has warning for ‘xenophobia and religious intolerance’
A novel about the plight of the poor has been given a trigger warning for ‘extreme classism’ by a top university.
Warwick University says Mary Barton, penned in 1848 by Elizabeth Gaskell, may upset students with its focus on class struggles in industrial Manchester.
The ‘content note’ on the book, which includes depictions of prostitution, adds that ‘misogyny recurs throughout’ and there are ‘references to bleak and violent deaths’.
Focussed on class: Elizabeth Gaskell
Charlotte Bronte’s novel Villette also has a notice, warning it contains ‘xenophobia, religious intolerance and ableism; unsettling representations of mental illness’
Charlotte Bronte’s novel Villette also has a notice, warning it contains ‘xenophobia, religious intolerance and ableism; unsettling representations of mental illness’.
A Warwick spokesman told The Daily Telegraph it does not ask departments to issue warnings but that ‘a small number choose to do so’.
He said: ‘We believe students should be exposed to challenging ideas, stories and themes through their studies – and view it as an essential part of learning and understanding different perspectives. That’s why the university does not ask departments to issue content guidance notices for course materials.
‘However, a small number of departments and academics choose to do so, making their own judgement and rationale for deciding on what guidance they feel may be needed for the coursework they set.
‘We fully respect our colleagues’ right to exercise their academic freedom in this way, but the practice remains rare within the university – with less than one per cent of our overall curriculum including any content guidance.’
Institutions across the UK have come under fire for adding warnings to classic novels from the works of Thomas Hardy to Shakespeare’s plays.
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