“Potential” doing a lot of work there

Mar 5th, 2026 | By Ophelia Benson
Category: Notes and Comment Blog

There’s no other source for this, so treat it with caution. But if it’s real…hooboy.

The UK government flagged these books (among others) as potential signs of far-right extremism.

List includes Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, Hobbes' Leviathan, Milton's Paradise Lost. You may be an extremist if you've read these.

What else would you add to the list? pic.twitter.com/H7V0DwQ5FQ

— The Culturist (@the_culturist_) March 4, 2026

If it’s real…I’m guessing the idea is that conservatives are more likely to defend and/or read Shakespeare and Chaucer and so on, but even so. Come on.

And Beowulf? It’s my bet that no one is likely to read Beowulf.

6 Responses to ““Potential” doing a lot of work there”

#1
chigau
March 5, 2026 at 6:01 pm

They missed Thomas Paine.

no wait

he was kinda lefty
#2
Colin Day
March 5, 2026 at 6:20 pm

Is 1984 on the list? It’s in the picture.
#3
Sackbut
March 5, 2026 at 6:35 pm

Far-right extremism? Say what?
#4
What a Maroon
March 5, 2026 at 6:39 pm

I’ve read Beowulf. Though not in the original.

But surely this can’t be real. Can it? I mean, yeah, righties read, but so do lefties.
#5
GW
March 5, 2026 at 6:58 pm

@4: At this point, I think that most righties and most lefties in fact do not read.
#6
What a Maroon
March 5, 2026 at 7:26 pm

Yeah, I was always weird that way. And more so now.