Seduction of the innocent is a book by germanamerican psychiatrist fredric wertham, published in 1954, that warned that comic books were a negative form of popular literature and a serious cause of juvenile delinquency. For those unfamiliar, seduction of the innocent was fredric werthams studymore of a polemic, reallyof the alleged effects of comic books on juvenile delinquency. The insane history of how american paranoia ruined and. Psychiatrist fredric wertham and his 1954 book seduction of the innocent serve as historical and. Werthams crowning achievement against comic books came in 1954. Wertham, a germanborn american psychiatrist, stirred a national furor and helped create a blueprint for contemporary cultural panics in 1954 with the publication of his book seduction of the.
Seduction of the innocent and the effect of the comics. He kills for it and returns to paris, indulging in luxury. Comic books mentioned in the text of soti are worth an average of 20% more than comics not mentioned in soti. In response to the public outcry raised by wertham in popular magazines and seduction of the innocent, comics were put on trial by the united states government in 1954 by the senate judiciary committees subcommittee to investigate juvenile delinquency. Jul 28, 2018 there is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Sep 25, 20 but in 1954 the devious doctor published seduction of the innocent, which claimed that these 10. For two days in april 1954 senators heard testimony from child psychologists, comic book. The influence of comic books on todays youth, 1954 front cover.
History of comics censorship, part 1 comic book legal. In 1954, psychiatrist fredric wertham wrote in his bestselling book seduction of the innocent that comic books of all types were corrupting the youth of america. Wertham reveals seven years of research attempting to link juvenile delinquency to comic books. Wertham posited that superman represented fascist ideals, batman and robin promoted a homosexual lifestyle, and wonder woman was a lesbian with a bondage fixation. Seduction of the innocent, written by psychiatrist fredric wertham was first published in 1954. Tilley psychiatrist fredric wertham and his 1954 book seduction of the innocent serve as historical and cultural touchstones of the anticomics movement in the united states during the 1940s and 1950s. Seduction of the innocent wikimili, the best wikipedia. Images of sand, pencils by alex toth, inks by mike peppe. This was but one of many interventions he made on this theme. Fredric werthams infamous book, seduction of the innocent, scared a generation into believing that comic books were destroying the minds and morals of the younger generation. Discouraged, he wrote a book he hoped would raise public awareness about comics. Senate subcommittee on juvenile delinquency to begin its investigation of the effects of mass media with the comic book industry.
Mar, 2015 werthams crowning achievement against comic books came in 1954. The comics code authority cca is part of the comics magazine association of america cmaa, and was created to regulate the content of comic books in the united states. Flaws found in fredric werthams comicbook studies the. In its pages wertham pointed his finger at comic books, accusing them of being one of. Although there have been persistent concerns about the clinical evidence wertham used as the basis for seduction, his sources were made widely available only in 2010.
But on the way to a senate hearing on whether these depraved publications should be banned, the wouldbe censor meets a violent end of his own leaving his opponents in hot. Comic books and the seduction of the innocent youtube. Apr 07, 2015 this short documentary was made for a mass communication theory class to discuss comic books and the seduction of the innocent, by dr. Seduction of the innocent by fredric wertham librarything. The comics code debuted after seduction of the innocent helped turn the public against comic books. Feb 11, 2015 in the 1940s and 50s, comic books were under attack. Werthams major work on the comics, seduction of the innocent, was a bookofthemonth club selection. Fredric werthams 1954 book, seduction of the innocent. There was a movement that believed comics were harmful to children and were the cause of juvenile delinquency in american youth. Dec 10, 2018 the comic cover pictured was the final straw unbelievably, it was edited from a far gorier version and was the beginning of the end for ec publications, of which the sole survivor would in 1955 become mad magazine magazines were not subject to the comics code as were comic books. The book was taken seriously at the time in the united states, and was a minor bestseller that created alarm in american parents and galvanized them to campaign for censorship.
Psychiatrist fredric wertham and his 1954 book seduction of the innocent serve as historical and cultural touchstones of the anticomics movement in the united states during the 1940s and 1950s. Wertham in seduction of the innocent are more soughtafter by collectors, and are worth more, than comics not mentioned in seduction of the innocent. Never before have i read such an important book that was also this bad. Fredric wertham the landmark early study of the power of the comic book, tracing many of the social challenges of young people, from illiteracy to delinquent impulses, to the widespread practice of comic book. In 1954, wertham published seduction of the innocent, codifying. It was the era of mccarthyism, rampant paranoia, and misplaced fears and blame. Congressional inquiry was launched into the comic book industry. Seduction of the innocent, published in 1954 by psychiatrist dr. The history of comics censorship in the 1950s has been chronicled in books like david hajdus the ten cent plague, but researcher carol tilley, an assistant professor at the university of illinois, has found some new angles to the story in a surprising place. The book was taken seriously at the time in the united states, and was a minor bestseller that created alarm in american parents and. The comic books controversy of the 1950s is the backdrop for the max allan collins mystery seduction of the innocent. Its 1954, and a rabblerousing social critic has declared war on comic books especially the scary, gory, bloody sort published by the bad boys of the industry, ef comics.
False but with some truthiness mixed in there the 1954 release of fredric werthams seduction of the innocent was a sensation. Keen interest in comics as teaching toolsor as propagandareflected a public awareness of the power of. He published seduction of the innocent in spring 1954. Seduction of the innocent wikimili, the best wikipedia reader. Seduction of the innocent 1954 2nd printing comic strips. Jack starr, troubleshooter for a comics syndicate and a licensed private investigator, is peripherally involved in the controversy because the syndicate he works for has dealings with two of the comic book publishers who have. Seduction of the innocent is a book by american psychiatrist fredric wertham, published in 1954, that warned that comic books were a negative form of popular. For over half a century, the comic book industry has been dogged by the work of one man, the anticomics crusader and psychiatrist fredric wertham. Dec, 2019 seduction of the innocent did to comics what movies like rebel without a cause and west side story did for switchblade knives. Werthams renewed attack on comic books prompted the u.
New research refutes claims wertham made about blue beetle comics in his 1954 book, seduction of the innocent. Frederic wertham, author of the 1954 book seduction of the innocent, which warned. Werthams 1954 book, seduction of the innocent, was an american bestseller it tapped into the fears of parents from sea to shining sea and led to the a frenzy of censorship in. He published his book the seduction of the innocent. Agree with wertham or not, it is fun to live for a. Previously on this blog we covered the educational and political aspirations of comic books in american popular culture. Years of working with maladjusted children have convinced me that the unwholesome stimulation of such comic books contributes markedly to delinquency. Feb 20, 20 wertham, a germanborn american psychiatrist, stirred a national furor and helped create a blueprint for contemporary cultural panics in 1954 with the publication of his book seduction of the. The book was taken seriously at the time in the united states, and was a minor bestseller that created alarm in american parents and galvanized them to campaign for. Although there have been persistent concerns about the clinical evidence wertham used as the basis for seduction, his sources were made widely available. Fredric wertham and the falsifications that helped condemn comics carol l. Comic books, censorship, and moral panic mudd manuscript. Seduction of the innocent eclipse comic books from eclipse.
Seduction of the innocent 1954 2nd printing free ebook download as pdf file. A noncommercial site about seduction of the innocent and the anticomicbook crusade of the 1940s and 1950s. Werthams 1954 book, seduction of the innocent, was an american bestseller it tapped into the fears of parents from sea to shining sea and led to the a frenzy of censorship in continue reading 1940s p. In the 1940s and 50s, comic books were under attack. The book was a minor bestseller that created alarm in parents and galvanized them to campaign for censorship. His bestselling 1954 book the seduction of the innocent convinced parents and politicians alike that comics were a direct cause of violence, drug use, and homosexuality among young people. If wertham were alive today, theres no telling how hed react to devices such as wii and xbox and how seductive the sex and violence may seem to todays youth. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, wertham was the intellectual spearhead of the anticomics crusade, arguing in many articles and his 1954 bestseller, seduction of. Precode comic book horrors and dr werthams 1954 seduction. French gambler henri monard is washed up in northern africa, but learns about a tuareg treasure in the sahara desert.
Since this is banned books week, ive come to bury dr. Fredric werthams 1954 book seduction of the innocent had rallied opposition to this type of material in comics, arguing that it was harmful to the children who made up a large segment of the comic book audience. Sales could be counted in hundreds of millions, and more than 80% of kids and 90% of teens were reading them. Seduction of the innocent 19531954 comic books mycomicshop.
Werthams book led to a moral panic over the content of comic books that. Wertham was an anticomic book crusader who did some serious damage back in the 1950s. Seduction of the innocent did to comics what movies like rebel without a cause and west side story did for switchblade knives. A noncommercial site about seduction of the innocent and the anti comic book crusade of the 1940s and 1950s. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, wertham was the intellectual spearhead of the anticomics crusade, arguing in many articles and his 1954 bestseller, seduction of the innocent, that comic books.
Seduction of the innocent 1985 eclipse comic books. Seduction of the innocent is a book by american psychiatrist fredric wertham, published in 1954, that warned that comic books were a negative form of popular literature and a serious cause of juvenile delinquency. His book, seduction of the innocent caused a ripple so large that its still felt today. Although wertham blamed crime comics his definition was wide. Seduction of the innocent and the effect of the comics code. Seduction of the innocent by wertham, first edition abebooks. The comic cover pictured was the final straw unbelievably, it was edited from a far gorier version and was the beginning of the end for ec publications, of which the sole survivor would in 1955 become mad magazine magazines were not subject to the comics code as were comic books. Flaws found in fredric werthams comicbook studies the new.
The book was taken seriously at the time in the united states, and was a minor bestsel. Member publishers submit comic books to the cca, which screens them for conformance to its comics code, and authorizes the use of their seal on the cover if the books comply. Jul 01, 2014 books are well written or badly written. Fredric wertham, a respected new york psychiatrist, began a campaign against comic books. If you use the add to want list tab to add this issue to your want list, we will email you. This short documentary was made for a mass communication theory class to discuss comic books and the seduction of the innocent, by dr. Werthams 1954 book, seduction of the innocent, was an american bestseller it tapped into the fears of parents from sea to shining sea and led to the a frenzy of censorship in the comic book world. Seduction of the innocent hey kids comics wiki fandom. In 1954, with an evergrowing eye on the comic book industry, fredric wertham published the most influential book in comic history. As an entertainment medium, comics were the digital devices of their day. Frederic wertham was one of the most impactful events in comic book history, leading to censorship in comics and the establishment of the comics code authority this category lists issues that were referenced in the book with werthams reasons for why comic books were damaging to the youth of america. Its 1954, and a rabblerousing social critic has declared war on comic books especially the scary, gory, bloody sort. Was there a comics code before seduction of the innocent. In the witch hunt that followed, many comic companies were forced out.