The Ministry of Public Decency: Difference between revisions
KestrelGirl (talk | contribs) I couldn't find any sources on censorship of foreign material in IRL Victorian Britain - but correct me if I missed anything. Skies may merely be a logical conclusion derived from both social issues and what would happen if you turned them up to 11. Tag: visualeditor |
KestrelGirl (talk | contribs) mNo edit summary Tag: visualeditor |
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{{Character | {{Character | ||
|location = [[London]] | |location = [[London]]<br> | ||
[[New London]] (1906) | |||
|notable_members =[[Benjamin Villein]] (former)<br> | |notable_members =[[Benjamin Villein]] (former)<br> | ||
The Heavy-Hearted Censor<br> | The Heavy-Hearted Censor<br> | ||
The Genial Auditor (1906) | The Genial Auditor (1906) | ||
|allegiance = [[Masters of the Bazaar]]<br>[[Mr Pages]] (leader) | |allegiance = [[Masters of the Bazaar]]<br>[[Mr Pages]] (leader)<br> | ||
[[The Empress]] (1906) | |||
|relationships=|image1=Ministrylogo.png | |relationships=|image1=Ministrylogo.png | ||
}} | }} | ||
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<blockquote>''"'A mill makes grain. A factory makes – I don't know; socks and so forth. We make Britishness. A priceless commodity here in the heavens. It must be cradled, nurtured and nourished. Without it, we would lose ourselves.' He looks out of his window, unsettled. 'We are very small, do you see? And the sky is so very big.'"''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/The_Genial_Auditor|Ask what the Ministry does, exactly|Sunless Skies|}}</ref></blockquote>In the ''Sunless Skies'' timeline, by 1906, the Ministry of Public Decency has been reestablished in a grand edifice in [[New London]].<ref>[https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/The_Ministries#The_Ministry_of_Public_Decency The Ministry of Public Decency, ''Sunless Skies''] ''"A huge, horseshoe-shaped building of white stone, white columns, clocks, and iron gates. Inside, its walls are panelled with dark wood. Crimson carpets – worn by frequent passage – flood the floors. Within its cubby-hole offices, auditors toil to protect the sensibilities of Londoners here in the heathen sky."''</ref> The Ministry still retains its original purpose of censorship, but it has gained an additional objective of upholding "Britishness."<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/The_Genial_Auditor|Ask what the Ministry does, exactly|Sunless Skies|}} ''"We make Britishness. A priceless commodity here in the heavens. It must be cradled, nurtured and nourished. Without it, we would lose ourselves. [...] We are very small, do you see? And the sky is so very big."''</ref><ref>[https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/The_Ministries#The_Ministries The Ministries, ''Sunless Skies''] ''"[...] the Ministry of Public Decency (which curates the notion of 'Britishness' with the same care a lepidopterist uses to pin a butterfly to a board.)"''</ref> Of course, such a concept is impossible to define clearly, but the Ministry tries valiantly nonetheless, through innumerable arbitrary decisions<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/The_Genial_Auditor|And who determines what constitutes Britishness?|Sunless Skies|}} ''""Why, we do. In consultation with the most impeccable sources:" He indicates the beautiful books on his shelves, with a smile. "Spencer. Tennyson. Blake." Paine? You ask. Hardy? Mary Prince? "No," he frowns. "No, not them.""''</ref> and rigid adherence to tradition and "truth" (not facts, because "facts can point at anything").<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/The_Genial_Auditor|How does the Ministry pursue its task?|Sunless Skies|}} ''""Firstly, with the truth. Which is not, I must make clear, the same as 'facts'. Facts can point at anything, but the truth is straightforward. It puts us on the right path. "Secondly, by respecting and preserving our traditions. They are not quaint. They are not outmoded. They are tried and tested! After all, they brought us here, didn't they?""''</ref> Ministry officials aim their enforcement at all the same elements the law has always targeted, like [[revolutionaries]], rebels, and striking laborers; but they also punish "the morally depraved" and anyone who speaks ill of the [[Empress]].<ref name=":2">{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/The_Genial_Auditor|What does the Ministry consider an enemy?|Sunless Skies|}} ''""Oh, the obvious, of course. Revolutionaries. Rebels. Strikers. The morally depraved. Those who besmirch Her Renewed Majesty's good name (God save her)." He rubs his chin, thoughtfully. "But there are newer, more seditious dangers, too. We stand in the vault of heaven, and we must defend our way of life against the enticements of the new. A thing is not more precious because it is strange. People forget that.""''</ref> Above all else, they are terrified of anything new, and all the novelties the [[High Wilderness]] has introduced to Londoners.<ref name=":2" /> | <blockquote>''"'A mill makes grain. A factory makes – I don't know; socks and so forth. We make Britishness. A priceless commodity here in the heavens. It must be cradled, nurtured and nourished. Without it, we would lose ourselves.' He looks out of his window, unsettled. 'We are very small, do you see? And the sky is so very big.'"''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/The_Genial_Auditor|Ask what the Ministry does, exactly|Sunless Skies|}}</ref></blockquote>In the ''Sunless Skies'' timeline, by 1906, the Ministry of Public Decency has been reestablished in a grand edifice in [[New London]].<ref>[https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/The_Ministries#The_Ministry_of_Public_Decency The Ministry of Public Decency, ''Sunless Skies''] ''"A huge, horseshoe-shaped building of white stone, white columns, clocks, and iron gates. Inside, its walls are panelled with dark wood. Crimson carpets – worn by frequent passage – flood the floors. Within its cubby-hole offices, auditors toil to protect the sensibilities of Londoners here in the heathen sky."''</ref> The Ministry still retains its original purpose of censorship, but it has gained an additional objective of upholding "Britishness."<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/The_Genial_Auditor|Ask what the Ministry does, exactly|Sunless Skies|}} ''"We make Britishness. A priceless commodity here in the heavens. It must be cradled, nurtured and nourished. Without it, we would lose ourselves. [...] We are very small, do you see? And the sky is so very big."''</ref><ref>[https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/The_Ministries#The_Ministries The Ministries, ''Sunless Skies''] ''"[...] the Ministry of Public Decency (which curates the notion of 'Britishness' with the same care a lepidopterist uses to pin a butterfly to a board.)"''</ref> Of course, such a concept is impossible to define clearly, but the Ministry tries valiantly nonetheless, through innumerable arbitrary decisions<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/The_Genial_Auditor|And who determines what constitutes Britishness?|Sunless Skies|}} ''""Why, we do. In consultation with the most impeccable sources:" He indicates the beautiful books on his shelves, with a smile. "Spencer. Tennyson. Blake." Paine? You ask. Hardy? Mary Prince? "No," he frowns. "No, not them.""''</ref> and rigid adherence to tradition and "truth" (not facts, because "facts can point at anything").<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/The_Genial_Auditor|How does the Ministry pursue its task?|Sunless Skies|}} ''""Firstly, with the truth. Which is not, I must make clear, the same as 'facts'. Facts can point at anything, but the truth is straightforward. It puts us on the right path. "Secondly, by respecting and preserving our traditions. They are not quaint. They are not outmoded. They are tried and tested! After all, they brought us here, didn't they?""''</ref> Ministry officials aim their enforcement at all the same elements the law has always targeted, like [[revolutionaries]], rebels, and striking laborers; but they also punish "the morally depraved" and anyone who speaks ill of the [[Empress]].<ref name=":2">{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/The_Genial_Auditor|What does the Ministry consider an enemy?|Sunless Skies|}} ''""Oh, the obvious, of course. Revolutionaries. Rebels. Strikers. The morally depraved. Those who besmirch Her Renewed Majesty's good name (God save her)." He rubs his chin, thoughtfully. "But there are newer, more seditious dangers, too. We stand in the vault of heaven, and we must defend our way of life against the enticements of the new. A thing is not more precious because it is strange. People forget that.""''</ref> Above all else, they are terrified of anything new, and all the novelties the [[High Wilderness]] has introduced to Londoners.<ref name=":2" /> | ||
The Ministry's new focus on nationalism has led to sweeping censorship of any and all literature; even the Bible<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/The_Brabazon_Workworld#The_Backstreets_of_Brabazon_Workworld|Secure a worker medical attention|Sunless Skies|}} ''"[...] bibles, of the Ministry of Public Decency's 'Newest and Most Improved' edition."''</ref> and Shakespeare cannot escape their clutches.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/The_Genial_Auditor|How does the Ministry pursue its task?|Sunless Skies|}} ''"You have heard of [...] 'corrections' to venerable works, like Shakespeare and the Bible."''</ref> Surviving books are focused on Anglican values<ref name=":3">{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/The_Brabazon_Workworld#The_Backstreets_of_Brabazon_Workworld|Provide books to a school|Sunless Skies|}} ''"The children fall upon anything that's new. Their old book of morally-appropriate fairy tales has been read so much that its pages are now fragile as tissues. You spend an hour watching them read the new works (which mostly consist of sermons) [...]"''</ref> like the virtues of labor<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Calming_the_Masses|Lower unrest with patriotic literature|Sunless Skies|}} ''"London produces a torrent of Ministry-sponsored pamphlets with titles like 'THE VIRTUES OF LABOUR,' 'THE SUN SHINES ON HARD WORKERS,' and 'TOIL FOR YOUR EMPRESS AS SHE TOILS FOR THEE.'"''</ref> and so-called moral betterment,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/The_Admiral_Nelson|Take tea with the ladies who brunch|Sunless Skies|}} ''"Improving Literature for the New Generation is passed around the table like cards at a particularly vicious game of bridge. Clemence has underlined the passages she thinks Florence most needs to hear, whilst Jeremy has brought something of his own devising, likening the other members of the circle to the seven deadly sins."''</ref> and have been bowdlerized to the point of utter boredom.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Ministry-Approved_Literature|Ministry-Approved Literature|Sunless Skies|}} ''"It has been thoroughly censored. Nothing here is likely to startle your maiden aunt. Or make her cackle."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Calming_the_Masses|Lower unrest with patriotic literature|Sunless Skies|}} ''"Perhaps the literature has stoked the fires of patriotism, and inspired them to dutiful work. Perhaps it is so turgid that they have been reduced to a soporific obedience. The effect is the same."''</ref> Children's books may as well be a thing of the past,<ref name=":3" /> and even | The Ministry's new focus on nationalism has led to sweeping censorship of any and all literature; even the Bible<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/The_Brabazon_Workworld#The_Backstreets_of_Brabazon_Workworld|Secure a worker medical attention|Sunless Skies|}} ''"[...] bibles, of the Ministry of Public Decency's 'Newest and Most Improved' edition."''</ref> and Shakespeare cannot escape their clutches.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/The_Genial_Auditor|How does the Ministry pursue its task?|Sunless Skies|}} ''"You have heard of [...] 'corrections' to venerable works, like Shakespeare and the Bible."''</ref> Surviving books are focused on Anglican values<ref name=":3">{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/The_Brabazon_Workworld#The_Backstreets_of_Brabazon_Workworld|Provide books to a school|Sunless Skies|}} ''"The children fall upon anything that's new. Their old book of morally-appropriate fairy tales has been read so much that its pages are now fragile as tissues. You spend an hour watching them read the new works (which mostly consist of sermons) [...]"''</ref> like the virtues of labor<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Calming_the_Masses|Lower unrest with patriotic literature|Sunless Skies|}} ''"London produces a torrent of Ministry-sponsored pamphlets with titles like 'THE VIRTUES OF LABOUR,' 'THE SUN SHINES ON HARD WORKERS,' and 'TOIL FOR YOUR EMPRESS AS SHE TOILS FOR THEE.'"''</ref> and so-called moral betterment,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/The_Admiral_Nelson|Take tea with the ladies who brunch|Sunless Skies|}} ''"Improving Literature for the New Generation is passed around the table like cards at a particularly vicious game of bridge. Clemence has underlined the passages she thinks Florence most needs to hear, whilst Jeremy has brought something of his own devising, likening the other members of the circle to the seven deadly sins."''</ref> and have been bowdlerized to the point of utter boredom.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Ministry-Approved_Literature|Ministry-Approved Literature|Sunless Skies|}} ''"It has been thoroughly censored. Nothing here is likely to startle your maiden aunt. Or make her cackle."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Calming_the_Masses|Lower unrest with patriotic literature|Sunless Skies|}} ''"Perhaps the literature has stoked the fires of patriotism, and inspired them to dutiful work. Perhaps it is so turgid that they have been reduced to a soporific obedience. The effect is the same."''</ref> Children's books may as well be a thing of the past,<ref name=":3" /> and even instructional manuals have not escaped the censors, with potentially dangerous consequences.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Fatalistic_Signalman|Rouse him from his gloom|Sunless Skies|}} ''"You leave a slim set of approved signalling manuals – stamped by the Ministry of Public Decency – on the galley table. Discovering them, the Signalman flicks sulkily through. First he tuts. Then he snorts. Then scoffs. "Look at this! They've classified all Scorn-Fluke spasms as 'displays of bravado'! And here – they've not distinguished between the red-chevron flags at Port Prosper and those at Lustrum. That'll get someone killed!""''</ref> With most of the [[Masters of the Bazaar]] left behind in the [[Neath]] or relegated to obscurity, Empress Victoria now has a say alongside the Ministry regarding which romantic content may be published.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Cache_of_Curiosities|A slim clasped box|Sunless Skies|}} ''"It is a book of love poetry; a collection deemed both acceptable by the Ministry of Public Decency and Her Renewed Majesty."''</ref> | ||
== Historical & Cultural Inspirations == | == Historical & Cultural Inspirations == | ||
The strict notions of public morality in Victorian Britain are well-known and well-stereotyped. Many a comment has been made about exposed ankles and other scandalous notions in Victorian fashion, but there was also extensive literary censorship, a practice established through the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obscene_Publications_Act_1857 Obscene Publications Act of 1857]. This Act criminalized the sale of obscene material, and empowered courts to define, suppress, and destroy such material; this represented a significant institutionalization of moral oversight, for the sake of preventing the (so-called) moral corruption of the public. Although pre-publication censorship was no longer an official practice in Britain after the Licensing Act lapsed in 1695, Victorian authorities continued to exercise control over published content through legal prosecution and public pressure. There were still strict regulations in the world of theater, however; under the authority of the Lord Chamberlain’s Office, dramatic works were subject to prior approval, and could be censored or banned outright if deemed inappropriate. | The strict notions of public morality in Victorian Britain are well-known and well-stereotyped. Many a comment has been made about exposed ankles and other scandalous notions in Victorian fashion, but there was also extensive literary censorship, a practice established through the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obscene_Publications_Act_1857 Obscene Publications Act of 1857]. This Act criminalized the sale of obscene material, and empowered courts to define, suppress, and destroy such material; this represented a significant institutionalization of moral oversight, for the sake of preventing the (so-called) moral corruption of the public. Although pre-publication censorship was no longer an official practice in Britain after the Licensing Act lapsed in 1695, Victorian authorities continued to exercise control over published content through legal prosecution and public pressure. There were still strict regulations in the world of theater, however; under the authority of the Lord Chamberlain’s Office, dramatic works were subject to prior approval, and could be censored or banned outright if deemed inappropriate. | ||
Revision as of 06:16, 6 April 2025
"The Ministry of Public Decency confiscates all manner of wicked, unsuitable and valuable books."[1]
The Ministry of Public Decency is London’s primary censorship authority, operating under the command of Mr Pages.
It's A Beautiful Thing, The Destruction Of Words
"If your new department is to become a reality, you must convince the men from the Ministry that you don't represent a threat to order and decency. You must arrange and edit your works to prove yourself entirely harmless."[2]
Established shortly after the Fall of London in 1862, the Ministry was originally founded to review and censor mail arriving from the Surface.[3] In its earliest days, it had only two members: Mr Pages, acting as its Minister, and the Efficient Commissioner,[3] who shouldered the majority of the Ministry’s operations.[4] Since then, it has grown into one of the most powerful and feared institutions in the city.
While the Ministry maintains strict control over written, spoken, and physical content, it is most notorious for its draconian regulation of the written word and confiscation of all manner of "indecent" books. It restricts the manufacture and ownership of printing presses,[5] requiring all publications to be submitted for evaluation.[6] Forbidden texts are often incinerated in the Ministry’s vault-furnaces,[7] which are heavily secured facilities to which only a handful of Auditors possess the keys.[8] Even private letters are not beyond the Ministry’s reach, as mail is routinely examined for subversive content.[9] Confiscated items are stored at various locations around London,[10] but the most dangerous are held at Hookman House, a heavily guarded and fortified archive.[11]
The Ministry additionally requires that public performances be licensed, either through official channels or through bribes,[12] and prohibits any open discussion of the Correspondence.[13] Its agents regularly patrol the University to monitor students and scholars.[14][15] Given the Ministry's vast network and relentless pursuit of censorship, the city's revolutionary elements will take any opportunity to undermine its efforts.[16]
Big Br- er, The Ministry Is Watching You
"A Special Constable at your door! The Specials serve the Ministry of Public Decency. One might say they are guardians against the final fall of night, or catspaws of Mr Pages. In either case, they are rarely good news."[17]
A variety of different agents and organizations enforce the Ministry's mandates. Decency Evaluators are infamous for their diligence in rooting out radical ideas, often resorting to burning any subversive material they uncover,[18] but they are not infallible and may be susceptible to bribery due to their low pay.[19] Censors conduct raids to destroy illicit literature,[20] equipped with cudgels, official stamps, and silver Ministry badges,[21] and have the power to raise criminal charges against authors.[22] The Constables are also partially under the Ministry’s control, acting as an extended arm of censorship enforcement;[23] the Special Constables in particular are assigned to deal with the most dangerous of threats to society,[24] like red honey and unwarranted use of the Correspondence.[23] As if all this wasn't enough, the Ministry contracts private detectives to recover proscribed material,[25] and couriers to transport it securely.[26]
The Ministry's reach also extends to other governmental and civic arenas. It keeps tabs on the Foreign Office,[27] assigns auditors to keep anyone without a permit out of the Bazaar's Side-Streets,[28][29] and performs inspections at Wolfstack Docks to root out any contraband beyond the pay grade of the Customs Service.[30] It oversees divorce proceedings,[31] forcing couples through a lengthy and grueling legal process before separation is allowed.[32][33][34] Lastly (but far from least), it has participated in the organization of major public events and institutions, including the Museum of Mistakes,[35] the Mayoral Elections,[36] and the Grand Clearing-Out.[37]
The Best Books... Are Those That Tell You What You Know Already
"'A mill makes grain. A factory makes – I don't know; socks and so forth. We make Britishness. A priceless commodity here in the heavens. It must be cradled, nurtured and nourished. Without it, we would lose ourselves.' He looks out of his window, unsettled. 'We are very small, do you see? And the sky is so very big.'"[38]
In the Sunless Skies timeline, by 1906, the Ministry of Public Decency has been reestablished in a grand edifice in New London.[39] The Ministry still retains its original purpose of censorship, but it has gained an additional objective of upholding "Britishness."[40][41] Of course, such a concept is impossible to define clearly, but the Ministry tries valiantly nonetheless, through innumerable arbitrary decisions[42] and rigid adherence to tradition and "truth" (not facts, because "facts can point at anything").[43] Ministry officials aim their enforcement at all the same elements the law has always targeted, like revolutionaries, rebels, and striking laborers; but they also punish "the morally depraved" and anyone who speaks ill of the Empress.[44] Above all else, they are terrified of anything new, and all the novelties the High Wilderness has introduced to Londoners.[44]
The Ministry's new focus on nationalism has led to sweeping censorship of any and all literature; even the Bible[45] and Shakespeare cannot escape their clutches.[46] Surviving books are focused on Anglican values[47] like the virtues of labor[48] and so-called moral betterment,[49] and have been bowdlerized to the point of utter boredom.[50][51] Children's books may as well be a thing of the past,[47] and even instructional manuals have not escaped the censors, with potentially dangerous consequences.[52] With most of the Masters of the Bazaar left behind in the Neath or relegated to obscurity, Empress Victoria now has a say alongside the Ministry regarding which romantic content may be published.[53]
Historical & Cultural Inspirations
The strict notions of public morality in Victorian Britain are well-known and well-stereotyped. Many a comment has been made about exposed ankles and other scandalous notions in Victorian fashion, but there was also extensive literary censorship, a practice established through the Obscene Publications Act of 1857. This Act criminalized the sale of obscene material, and empowered courts to define, suppress, and destroy such material; this represented a significant institutionalization of moral oversight, for the sake of preventing the (so-called) moral corruption of the public. Although pre-publication censorship was no longer an official practice in Britain after the Licensing Act lapsed in 1695, Victorian authorities continued to exercise control over published content through legal prosecution and public pressure. There were still strict regulations in the world of theater, however; under the authority of the Lord Chamberlain’s Office, dramatic works were subject to prior approval, and could be censored or banned outright if deemed inappropriate.
The latter half of the 19th century also saw a rise in xenophobia, especially in urban centers like London. Waves of immigration from British colonies, Ireland (after the Great Famine), and Russia (primarily Jews fleeing increasing violence) stirred broader cultural anxieties and contributed to a growing distrust of foreigners. Jewish neighborhoods in particular, like Whitechapel, became scapegoats for urban issues like a rise in crime and the infamous 1888 failure to stop Jack the Ripper. Victorian literature both reflected and reinforced xenophobic sentiments; the titular character of Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897) has frequently been interpreted as an embodiment of fears of the foreign "other" invading and corrupting British society. Other printed media, like Punch Magazine, frequently caricatured and criticized immigrant communities, with Italian immigrants becoming a favored target.
While these two social issues did not appear to notably intersect historically, they do in Sunless Skies. In Albion, material associated with anything remotely "other" is suppressed, whether culturally alien or perceived as subversive: a concerted but futile effort to distill and preserve "British identity" by marginalizing and silencing all other views.
References
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