A university has warned students that Ernest Hemingway’s novel Old Man And The Sea contains graphic scenes – of fishing.
Students at the University of the Highlands and Islands were issued with a content warning before reading the classic.
It came despite TV and film adaptations of the 1952 novel being awarded U and PG certificates, meaning they were deemed suitable for children.
Mary Dearborn, the author of Ernest Hemingway, A Biography, described the move as "nonsense".
She said: "It blows my mind to think students might be encouraged to steer clear of the book.
"The world is a violent place and it is counterproductive to pretend otherwise.
"Much of the violence in the story is rooted in the natural world. It is the law of nature.”
Jeremy Black, emeritus professor of history at the University of Exeter, said the warning is "particularly stupid given the dependency of the economy of the Highlands and Islands on industries such as fishing".
He added: "Many great works of literature have included references to fishing, whaling or hunting.
"Is the university seriously suggesting all this literature is ringed with warnings?"
The novel tells the story of Santiago, an ageing fisherman who catches an 18ft marlin while sailing, which he later, reluctantly, goes on to kill.
The content warning was revealed under freedom of information laws.
Other warnings, include students being told Homer's The Iliad contains "scenes of violent close combat", while Romeo
And Juliet scholars are cautioned the play has scenes of "stabbing, poison and suicide".
A university spokesman said content warnings "enable students to make informed choices"
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