In 1919, American writer James Branch Cabell caused a stir with the publication of his racy, uproariously hilarious medieval allegory Jurgen: A Comedy of Justice. Almost immediately, the novel drew the ire of censors, and Cabell soon found himself being prosecuted for indecency. Taboo is Cabell's fictionalized response to the kerfuffle, and it is brimming with his keen insight and witty barbs.