Excessive profanity in books

[bjones6416]

Unless it's way over the top, I don't notice it too much. The exception is when listening to audiobooks -- for some reason I find it more offensive if I'm hearing it instead of reading it silently. Maybe that means if I'm reading it to myself I tend to skim over it if it bothers me, and I can't do that if someone is reading it to me!

[FizzyWater]

Originally Posted by bjones6416

Unless it's way over the top, I don't notice it too much. The exception is when listening to audiobooks -- for some reason I find it more offensive if I'm hearing it instead of reading it silently. Maybe that means if I'm reading it to myself I tend to skim over it if bothers me, and I can't do that if someone is reading it to me!

I was just thinking the same thing. I was on a list once where someone complained about the "too much swearing" in the J. D. Robb "in Death" books. I remember thinking at the time that I didn't think there was much. Once I started listening to them in audiobook format, though, I started to realize just how much there is!

Having said that, though, I don't mind profanity, if it fits the character/situation. I'll admit, after watching The Sopranos, I sometimes snicker at the "grittier" police dramas on other channels, which has full-grown, blue-collar men saying "darn" and "shoot". ('Course, that might have as much to say about my own blue-collar roots. My brothers are quite creative with their cursing, although my father seldom uses it).

[kindlekitten]

Originally Posted by SeaBookGuy

I must read the wrong books as I rarely encounter profanity. Or else I'm just inured to it?

Originally Posted by frisp

Thinking that be my own problem too. I don't really cotton on to the swearing, maybe just from my own background (ex-RAF).

yeah, like that. and ex Army here

Originally Posted by FizzyWater

I was just thinking the same thing. I was on a list once where someone complained about the "too much swearing" in the J. D. Robb "in Death" books. I remember thinking at the time that I didn't think there was much. Once I started listening to them in audiobook format, though, I started to realize just how much there is!

Having said that, though, I don't mind profanity, if it fits the character/situation. I'll admit, after watching The Sopranos, I sometimes snicker at the "grittier" police dramas on other channels, which has full-grown, blue-collar men saying "darn" and "shoot". ('Course, that might have as much to say about my own blue-collar roots. My brothers are quite creative with their cursing, although my father seldom uses it).

what's even more of a stand out is when it is beeped (or silenced). a lot of the British stuff that gets shown on PBS here has language that cannot be used on American TV. one show I watch quite regularly and have never really noticed a bunch of *silencing* must have had a special episode. I think sh*t was "not said" at least 15 times. I noticed because of the silencing. I probably would not have noticed had it not been silenced

[Superlucky]

I like fiction that typically has a lot of swearing (think Chuck Palahniuk), and it doesn't bother me at all, but I notice I tend to clear my palate with a mind-numbing cozy mystery.

[ardeegee]

Maybe there needs to be CAPalert-style reviews of books.

http://www.capalert.com/capreports/blairwitch.htm
http://www.capalert.com/capreports/southpark.htm

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

yeah, like that. and ex Army here



what's even more of a stand out is when it is beeped (or silenced). a lot of the British stuff that gets shown on PBS here has language that cannot be used on American TV. one show I watch quite regularly and have never really noticed a bunch of *silencing* must have had a special episode. I think sh*t was "not said" at least 15 times. I noticed because of the silencing. I probably would not have noticed had it not been silenced

I hate censoring. I dislike hearing profanity but the silent gaps are even more annoying.

[TGS]

Originally Posted by Lady Fitzgerald

too much use of profanity usually indicates a lack of language skills.

Quite frankly that's boll***s - the words you are referring to as profanities are as much part of language as the "nice" words.

[Bilbo1967]

Originally Posted by TGS

Quite frankly that's boll***s - the words you are referring to as profanities are as much part of language as the "nice" words.

I wouldn't have phrased it quite that way, but I think that you are right.

Personally, I think meromana's post (below) captures it better for me. If the profanity is character appropriate and believable, I don't have a problem with it.

Originally Posted by meromana

Hmm, I find this thread interesting. I wouldn't have imagined that so many people felt so strongly about the use of profanity in fiction. I rarely use profanity in real life, usually saving it for moments when I'm very angry and alone, for example, if a computer glitch caused me to lose a huge chunk of work, I might indulge in a four-letter tirade directed at my flat-screen monitor.

However, in fiction, I don't bat an eye when characters express themselves (dialogue or monologue) with personality-appropriate verbiage, no matter how offensive. If they're twenty year-old gang-bangers, I would expect foul language, and would it find it unrealistic for them to speak any other way. But even if they're, say, 40-something moms, the occasional string of cuss words would neither surprise nor fluster me. It's all about whether the words are appropriate for the characater.

--Maria

[bjones6416]

Originally Posted by TGS

Quite frankly that's boll***s

I obviously need to brush up on my profanity. It took me a few minutes to figure out what word was represented here!

[TGS]

Originally Posted by bjones6416

I obviously need to brush up on my profanity. It took me a few minutes to figure out what word was represented here!

Perhaps more familiar to British English profanity users than American English users - here's a clue for anyone else struggling to work it out; when they are possessed by dogs they are considered to be rather good

[bjones6416]

Originally Posted by TGS

Perhaps more familiar to British English profanity users than American English users - here's a clue for anyone else struggling to work it out; when they are possessed by dogs they are considered to be rather good

Got it!

And this possibly brings up another point in this discussion --what may be terribly offensive to one person may not mean much to another, based on culture and personal experience.

[TGS]

Originally Posted by bjones6416

Got it!

And this possibly brings up another point in this discussion --what may be terribly offensive to one person may not mean much to another, based on culture and personal experience.

And as an adjunct to that, how far up our list of priorities should be the avoidance of causing offense to other people?

[Bikeridr]

Originally Posted by bjones6416

Got it!

And this possibly brings up another point in this discussion --what may be terribly offensive to one person may not mean much to another, based on culture and personal experience.

Which again can be transferred between languages as well. Some of the English words can have quite an offending meaning in Norwegian, and vice versa.

E.g the perfectly innocent English word "fitter" is plural Norwegian for c*nt. (*=u).
"Fart" is a perfectly innocent and in daily use Norwegian word, and it means "speed" og "velocity".

There are numerous more examples, though I gave here (at least one) of the ruder exaples.

[kcmay]

I don't mind it if it helps to convey a character's nature. The one book I remember being turned off by the excessive profanity was Melusine by Sarah Monet. It seemed that every sentence had an f-bomb.

My upcoming novel has one character who uses f-bombs, but I'm trying to make sure his use is judicious, like when he's angry.

[kindlekitten]

Originally Posted by Bikeridr

Which again can be transferred between languages as well. Some of the English words can have quite an offending meaning in Norwegian, and vice versa.

E.g the perfectly innocent English word "fitter" is plural Norwegian for c*nt. (*=u).
"Fart" is a perfectly innocent and in daily use Norwegian word, and it means "speed" og "velocity".

There are numerous more examples, though I gave here (at least one) of the ruder exaples.

and apparently calling someone a cunt in Ireland isn't derogatory, and carrying a fanny pack raises eyebrows in either the UK or Australia, can't remember which.