Abstract
Political and societal insecurities are the bases of most censorship activities, each representing suppression of freedom of expression. Governments — from military dictatorships to democracies — are concerned with security, corruption charges, and embarrassing revelations. And when a society’s moral norms seem to be challenged in literary works, officials and citizens may reject the texts to protect the “innocent.” With regard to political banning, the presumed assumptions about censorial governments and the reality of censorship by nations on both sides of the political divide are examined and illustrated. The societal segment acknowledges the longevity and nature of literary obscenity and the evolving jurisprudence, significantly clarifying the definition of obscenity, supporting the freedoms of expression.