This isn't an action usually celebrated. Usually, books are burned and the book burners are at some point in time looked on as vicious, evil vandals. But perhaps this "ritual" should be given more credit for the good it actually does.
When the Church has burnt books, it has been because they are dangerous and false. Not all have agreed with their decision or their actions, but there is merit in publicly burning books. By doing so, it declared a certain book unfit for souls. If a man bought a book, found it distasteful and even evil, he would be faced with the dilemma of what to do with it. He has four options: put it on his shelf, hide it, sell/give it away, and burn it. If it goes against everything he believes in, he wouldn't want it taking up space on his shelf for someone else to see someday. He might hide it, but that would only seem as though hiding something he secretly agrees in, and hiding evil is undesirable to most people. Why would he want to have it hanging around? He could sell it, except that someone who values his principles enough to declare a book evil probably wouldn't want to make money off of it. Even if he gave it away, he'd just be passing something horrid onto someone else - which is horrid.
So the last option is burn it. This seems at first cruel, then necessary. (There's the option of throwing it away too, although this doesn't ensure that it won't fall into someone's hands. Still, it's acceptable.) But there's something about burning a book that's final and decisive. It declares judgement on it and says simply, "You are not fit to be a book."
We had a campfire last night. In fact, we'd had several campfires since I bought the first book worth burning, as well as since the second, but I'd always forgot. This time, I pulled them out: The Forest of Hands and Teeth and Anastasia's Secret. Both were morally offensive. The Forest of Hands and Teeth is doused in naturalism - I didn't need lighter fluid for that one. It was disgusting, depressing, disheartening, and dissatisfying. Anastasia's Secret was about, of course, the Russian Anastasia. Not only were these characters influenced by their passions and unwise thinking, but they also did not improve but, if anything, got worse. This book would be rated PG-13 for instances of something I don't like to name on this blog. The man she falls in love with is not worthy of a woman's love and everyone in her life is a moral mess - this last statement is true of both books.
I stood there and watched them burn, having moments of regret and doubts. 'Would have been nice to at least save the cover.' But that would not do at all. I made myself watch until I could walk away without a second thought about it. I then went and played badminton and unintentionally forgot about it. There was an incredible feeling seeing that horrible example of literature go up in smoke that said, "It's gone. You can forget and move on now. Those words will no longer haunt your shelves or peek over your shoulder. They are gone."
Call me what you will, but I think those books well deserved it.
~Meggy
When the Church has burnt books, it has been because they are dangerous and false. Not all have agreed with their decision or their actions, but there is merit in publicly burning books. By doing so, it declared a certain book unfit for souls. If a man bought a book, found it distasteful and even evil, he would be faced with the dilemma of what to do with it. He has four options: put it on his shelf, hide it, sell/give it away, and burn it. If it goes against everything he believes in, he wouldn't want it taking up space on his shelf for someone else to see someday. He might hide it, but that would only seem as though hiding something he secretly agrees in, and hiding evil is undesirable to most people. Why would he want to have it hanging around? He could sell it, except that someone who values his principles enough to declare a book evil probably wouldn't want to make money off of it. Even if he gave it away, he'd just be passing something horrid onto someone else - which is horrid.
So the last option is burn it. This seems at first cruel, then necessary. (There's the option of throwing it away too, although this doesn't ensure that it won't fall into someone's hands. Still, it's acceptable.) But there's something about burning a book that's final and decisive. It declares judgement on it and says simply, "You are not fit to be a book."
We had a campfire last night. In fact, we'd had several campfires since I bought the first book worth burning, as well as since the second, but I'd always forgot. This time, I pulled them out: The Forest of Hands and Teeth and Anastasia's Secret. Both were morally offensive. The Forest of Hands and Teeth is doused in naturalism - I didn't need lighter fluid for that one. It was disgusting, depressing, disheartening, and dissatisfying. Anastasia's Secret was about, of course, the Russian Anastasia. Not only were these characters influenced by their passions and unwise thinking, but they also did not improve but, if anything, got worse. This book would be rated PG-13 for instances of something I don't like to name on this blog. The man she falls in love with is not worthy of a woman's love and everyone in her life is a moral mess - this last statement is true of both books.
I stood there and watched them burn, having moments of regret and doubts. 'Would have been nice to at least save the cover.' But that would not do at all. I made myself watch until I could walk away without a second thought about it. I then went and played badminton and unintentionally forgot about it. There was an incredible feeling seeing that horrible example of literature go up in smoke that said, "It's gone. You can forget and move on now. Those words will no longer haunt your shelves or peek over your shoulder. They are gone."
Call me what you will, but I think those books well deserved it.
~Meggy
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