The Obscene Queer

doi:10.1017/9781009554732.007

Chapter 5 - The Obscene Queer

The Legal Legacy of Naked Lunch and the Right (Not) to Read

from Part I - Cultural Histories and Movements

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 July 2026

Loren Glass

Edited by

Oliver Harris ,

Davis Schneiderman and

Alex Wermer-Colan

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Oliver Harris: Affiliation:
Keele University
Davis Schneiderman: Affiliation:
Lake Forest College
Alex Wermer-Colan: Affiliation:
Temple University

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Summary

This chapter revisits the legal and cultural legacy of Naked Lunch, tracing its trajectory from an outlaw text at the center of a landmark obscenity trial to a canonized modernist classic – and back again to contested status in the context of contemporary book bans. Loren Glass reflects on the enduring influence of the 1966 legal exoneration of Naked Lunch, arguing that its victory relied on disavowing the very queer and obscene qualities that characterize its content. Through comparisons to current legislative efforts Glass highlights the persistence of moral panic around sexual representation, particularly as it relates to LGBTQ identities. The chapter probes the paradoxes at the heart of literary freedom, including the right not to read, and considers Naked Lunch’s fraught place in classrooms today. Ultimately, it calls for re-situating Burroughs’ work on the margins, where its destabilizing, subversive power can be more fully acknowledged – and responsibly engaged.

Keywords

William S. Burroughs obscenity censorship queer theory Naked Lunch literary trials youth protection Iowa law freedom of expression Grove Press moral panic

Information

Type: Chapter
Information: William Burroughs in Context , pp. 72 - 82

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009554732.007 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2026

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References

Works Cited

Akin, Katie. “Iowa Is on the Verge of Banning School Books with Sex Acts: Which Books Could Be Removed?” Des Moines Register, April 30, 2023.Google Scholar

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Glass, Loren. Rebel Publisher: Grove Press and the Revolution of the Word. New York: Seven Stories, 2013.Google Scholar

Goodman, Michael Barry. Contemporary Literary Censorship: The Case of Burroughs Naked Lunch. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1981.Google Scholar

Harris, Oliver. “Introduction.” Dead Fingers Talk: The Restored Text, ed. Harris, Oliver. Richmond: Alma Books, 2020.Google Scholar

Harris, Oliver.William Burroughs and the Secret of Fascination. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 2003.Google Scholar

Heins, Marjorie. Not in Front of the Children: “Indecency” Censorship, and the Innocence of Youth. New York: Hill and Wang, 2001.Google Scholar

Iowa Code 702.17 Sex Act.Google Scholar

McCarthy, Mary. “Dejeuner sur l’Herbe.” New York Review of Books, 1.1 (1963), 4–5. www.nybooks.com/articles/1963/02/01/dejeuner-sur-lherbe/.Google Scholar

“The Queen, on the Prosecution of Henry Scott, Appellant, v. Benjamin Hicklin and Another” (1867). In Censorship Landmarks, ed. De Grazia, Edward. New York: R.R. Bowker, 1969.Google Scholar

“United States v. One Book Called ‘Ulysses’” (1933). In Censorship Landmarks, ed. De Grazia, Edward. New York: R.R. Bowker, 1969.Google Scholar

Whiting, Frederick. “Monstrosity on Trial: The Case of Naked Lunch.” Twentieth Century Literature, 52.2 (Summer 2006), 145–174.CrossRef Google Scholar

Wilson, Meagan. “Your Reputation Precedes You: A Reception Study of Naked Lunch.” Journal of Modern Literature, 35.2 (Winter 2012), 98–125.CrossRef Google Scholar

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