How “Sensitivity Readers” Made Modern Fiction Boring | Adam Szetela

In this narrated essay, author and Harvard fellow Adam Szetela reads from his book That Book Is Dangerous! How Moral Panic, Social Media, and the Culture Wars Are Remaking Publishing (MIT Press).

Szetela explores how trigger warnings, sensitivity readers, and campus censorship have reshaped creative writing—producing fiction that is safe, shallow, and stripped of emotional truth. Drawing on examples from Toni Morrison to Nabokov, he argues that literary culture has become a “pseudo-therapeutic” space where fear of offence overrides artistic ambition.

📖 Topics covered:

Why MFA programs reward moral conformity over creativity

How “safe spaces” and “trigger warnings” infantilise writers

Why modern publishing rejects books like Lolita

What we lose when literature stops taking risks

🎙️ Narrated by Adam Szetela
📰 Read the full essay on Quillette: https://quillette.com/2025/10/22/maki...

[00:00] - Introduction to campus censorship and the rise of creative writing programs.
[00:42] - Issues of censorship and safety in creative writing classrooms.
[01:10] - The concept of trigger warnings and safety in classrooms.
[01:50] - Examples of cancelled plays and academic resignations.
[02:44] - Controversy over Shakespeare's Othello and pedagogical dilemmas.
[03:11] - Concerns about censorship of significant literary works.
[04:08] - The distinction between political work and cultural allyship.
[05:18] - Instances of censorship and controversy at various universities.
[06:14] - Examples of literary censorship and reactions to sensitivity readers.
[07:10] - The impact of infantilization on literary culture.
[08:07] - Challenges faced by MFA programs and writers.
[09:19] - Critiques of workshop climates and low expectations.
[10:56] - Examination of workshop dynamics and creative restrictions.
[11:37] - An MFA program's influence on literary standards and culture.
[12:19] - Literary citizenship and its impact on creativity.
[13:14] - The homogenization of literature through MFA programs.
[14:24] - Impact of social media and sensitivity on publishing decisions.
[15:06] - The role of literary journals in shaping writers' careers.
[16:29] - Challenges for writers due to restrictive submission guidelines.
[18:07] - The ineffectiveness of trigger warnings for trauma survivors.
[19:03] - Conclusion and overall impact of sensitivity culture on literature.
-----
Quillette is an Australian-based online magazine that focuses on long-form analysis and cultural commentary. It is politically non-partisan, but relies on reason, science, and humanism as its guiding values.

Quillette was founded in 2015 by Australian writer Claire Lehmann. It is a platform for free thought and a space for open discussion and debate on a wide range of topics, including politics, culture, science, and technology.

Quillette has gained attention for publishing articles and essays that challenge modern orthodoxy on a variety of topics, including gender and sexuality, race and identity politics, and free speech and censorship.

---

Quillette's revenue comes from our readers. We are a grassroots organisation that relies on voluntary subscriptions and community membership as our primary revenue stream.

Support Quillette by becoming a subscriber: https://quillette.com/#/portal/signup

Or donate send us a one-off tip: https://quillette.com/#/portal/support

We made our website using Ghost, a powerful app for new-media creators to publish, share, and grow a business around their content. It comes with modern tools to build a website, publish content, send newsletters & offer paid subscriptions to members. Try it here: https://ghost.org/?via=claire91