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A student at California's Crafton Hills College and her parents are urging the institution to ban the teaching of several graphic novels, Redlands Daily Facts reported. The student says that the novels, including Fun Home, The Sandman, Vol. 2: The Doll’s House and Persepolis are violent, pornographic or both. (The novels have all been widely praised by critics, winning awards.) Ryan Bartlett, associate professor of English, said that this is the third time he has taught a course on graphic novels, and the first time there has been a complaint.
“I chose several highly acclaimed, award-winning graphic novels in my English 250 course not because they are purportedly racy but because each speaks to the struggles of the human condition,” Bartlett said in an email to the Daily Facts. “As Faulkner states, ‘The only thing worth writing about is the human heart in conflict with itself.’ The same may be said about reading literature. The characters in the chosen graphic novels are all struggling with issues of morality, self discovery, heart break, etc. The course in question has also been supported by the faculty, administration and approved by the board.”
