Literature is the fundamental bedrock of a Civilized Society. Since the dawn of time Literature has been the foundation of society since before the invention of the Alphabet where stories were told around camp fires for generations.
However, Literature can sometimes be harmful to the person reading said Work if they are not Mentally old enough to understand what it is they are reading or the content of a story.
This does not mean that Literature should be banned from reading; it only means that certain people people like children of a young age should not read Works intended for Adults. Children should only read Works appropriate for their Age level so that all Works of Literature can be available for everyone.
In the past Works of Literature were banned or prohibited from publication by the Censors do to content. Censorship of any kind is an affront to any Free Society and have done far more harm than good.
That is why to insure that Literature is available and free for everyone to read there must be a type of Literary Rating System to prevent children from reading things that they should until they reach the appropriate age level.
I have seen such Works as The Sword of Truth by Terry Goodkind in School Library for young children. Works like Terry Goodkind’s, The Sword of Truth should not be read by anyone under the Age of 14 due to sexually explicit content in some of the books reaching a MA or XXX rating.
It is incidents like this that has led to Children being harmed by reading Literature they were not mentally prepared to read and some have had unfortunate consequences.
If a Rating System has worked for the Music Industry and for the Television Industry then a Similar Rating System for Literature can also work to insure that Literature remains Free for Everyone.
J. C. Jenkins Jr
6/17/2023
J. C. Jenkins Jr 