Posters with graffiti are among the most visible examples of vandalism against Postwar Britain's nanny state; this essay focuses on more off-the-wall exploits by 1960s public library prankster and playwright Joe Orton. After spending six months in prison for defacing library books, Orton emerged to become one of Postwar Britain's most important dramatists. Linking histories of libraries, propaganda, and graffiti, this essay asks why media regulators are so often analogized to old maids, and their vandals, to young men. What role do books and other print media play as mouthpieces for state authority, and as canvases for talking back to it?

中文翻译：

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从公共图书馆恶作剧到剧作家：乔·奥顿和战后英国的保姆之州

带有涂鸦的海报是破坏战后英国保姆国家的最明显例子之一。本文重点介绍 1960 年代公共图书馆恶作剧者和剧作家乔·奥顿 (Joe Orton) 的更多离奇利用。在因污损图书馆书籍而入狱六个月后，奥顿成为战后英国最重要的剧作家之一。这篇文章将图书馆、宣传和涂鸦的历史联系起来，询问为什么媒体监管者经常被类比为老处女，而他们的破坏者则是年轻人。书籍和其他印刷媒体作为国家权威的喉舌和反驳它的画布扮演什么角色？