University students have been issued with a warning that they may find classic texts like Jane Eyre and Great Expectations distressing.
Students have been given a warning before reading the texts which have traditionally been set for GCSE and A Level pupils as well as being adapted into family-frienly plays, TV shows and films.
Salford University included the warning on its reading list for BA English students, reports the Mail.
Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen said adults were now being: 'protected from the stories that generations of children have been able to cope with without being damaged'.
He said: "Victorian readers could cope with tales of workhouses and children being groomed into criminal gangs. But we are in danger of creating a dystopian future far darker than any Victorian novel."
Actor Simon Callow said: "A more helpful alert would be: 'Warning – this book may make you think. In extreme cases, it may even make you feel. If you seem to be thinking or feeling, call our helpline, 24-hour service."
The university warns students: "There are scenes and discussions of violence and sexual violence in several of the primary texts studied on this module. Some students may find the content of the following texts distressing."
A spokesman for Salford University said: "We never issue trigger warnings for literature, only content notes. The wellbeing of our students is important to us. Some texts contain sensitive issues so we give students the opportunity to have a discussion with their lecturer in advance if they wish to."
