I was just informed that Les Miserables used to be on the Catholic Church's now-abolished Index of Forbidden Books because of its strong pro-French-Revolution sentiments. I am not forbidding discussion of this book on this blog, just advising caution.
A note about the Index: though it no longer has binding power, we are still encouraged to avoid books that could be a danger to our salvation and can commit sin by reading such books. What books these are will vary from person to person (Example: Descartes (who was on the index years ago) is no danger to Peter Kreeft, though he might be to Peter Jaros.) The index did not prevent the flow of knowledge because people who had a good cause to read the books within it were permitted to do so.
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5 comments:
I take it you didn't like Les Mis. :-)
I do agree with the fact that it advocates revolution. But our very nation was founded on revolution, and therefore we have a lot of it in our arts. Does that mean we through out American literature and other arts (I might agree with you if you say yes)?
I meant throw out.
Actually, I liked it. That's not the point.
The Church is not against revolution as revolution, but they are against the French Revolution.
But this is a revolution inside the French Revolution. :-)
But is it a revolution against the original revolutionaries, or in their favor? And how is it portrayed? And does it contain anti-Catholic or anti-clerical or anarchist elements?
All this bieng said, I barely know the story, so I really can't speak for the index.
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