Well it’s interesting in that time changes perspective so completely. If I recall correctly (which I do thanks to wikipedia) it was banned originally because it was thought to be crude:
[i]The publication of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn resulted in generally friendly reviews, but the novel was controversial from the outset.[10] Upon issue of the American edition in 1885 a number of libraries banned it from their stacks.[11] The early criticism focused on what was perceived as the book’s crudeness. One noted incident was recounted in the newspaper, the Boston Transcript:
The Concord (Mass.) Public Library committee has decided to exclude Mark Twain's latest book from the library. One member of the committee says that, while he does not wish to call it immoral, he thinks it contains but little humor, and that of a very coarse type. He regards it as the veriest trash. The library and the other members of the committee entertain similar views. characterizing it as rough, coarse, and inelegant, dealing with a series of experiences not elevating, the whole book being more suited to the slums than to intelligent, respectable people.[11]
Twain later remarked to his editor, “Apparently, the Concord library has condemned Huck as ‘trash and only suitable for the slums.’ This will sell us another five thousand copies for sure!”[/i]
Granted, Lenny Bruce was thought to be crude when he simply did not wish to condescend to his audience and spoke like they did. Personally I would like to spin this thread off into a discussion of obscenity as a whole including profanity in speech, literature or other media. Anybody game?
o doh`!
Sorry Audra (yet again)