There are many things in this book that are considered controversial, both in the past and now. In the context of when the book was published, there were definitely more things considered taboo than there are today. For example, the act of anal sex (sodomy) was considered indecent and immoral back then, but is now commonplace and widely accepted. During the period this book was written, medical knowledge wasn’t as advanced as it is now. People didn’t know a lot of the things we know about medicine today, such as how germs spread. Looking at the vomit chapters now, one is greatly disgusted and concerned for the spread of disease from this activity, but back then they didn’t know that this is directly linked to an increased chance of illness and death. Also during this period was the peak of commonplace Christianity; almost all of Europe believed in God and were devout in their faith more than almost any time in history. That being said, that only makes the anti-Christianity themes of the book (and the upside down cross on the cover) more controversial and potentially upsetting to the masses.
Categories
