Profanity In Books

twowheels · 06-19-2015, 08:11 PM

I'm reading a book now that has a bit of profanity. In ~386 pages it has maybe 80 uses of a few choice words, including a particularly profane one starting with the 6th letter of the English alphabet, and even more of a word with scatological connotations starting with the 19th letter of the English alphabet.

When I look at the reviews I see that there are more than a few that complain about the profanity.

To be honest, the profanity didn't even catch my attention until I read the reviews. Yeah, I guess if I really thought about it would have said "yeah, I guess it has a few 'bad' words", but they were all used in contexts like "Although he didn't give a flying duck about the state of his room." I mean, I was more offended by the fact that this sentence isn't even a complete thought!

So... out of curiosity... how do YOU feel about profanity in books?

kindlekitten · 06-19-2015, 10:00 PM

It's part of life. One person's fuck is another's dalliance

cromag · 06-19-2015, 10:36 PM

Honestly, it depends on the circumstance. And even then, there are a lot of gradations.

For instance, I know some folks who complained about the language in The Martian. But honestly, if I were left for dead on Mars I'd be swearing up a storm, too.

But it's pretty easy to tell when language has been inserted just for its shock value. I tend to stop reading when that happens.

I guess I don't have as much of a problem with the language as I do with its use and misuse.

meeera · 06-20-2015, 02:36 AM

I don't care, and rarely notice particularly, because a decent writer will make sure that it's in character.

Lynx-lynx · 06-20-2015, 10:05 PM

It's been a while since I read Lady Chatterley's Lover, but I seem to recall some choice use of words that had direct relevance to the acts being described.

So, yes, I think context is everything.

Canuck_in_Japan · 06-20-2015, 11:16 PM

I'm not put off by swearing if it's used in realistic situations. By that, I mean in the real world. If fantasy novel characters start dropping f-bombs then that just breaks the illusion for me. I prefer the narrator to just say "He swore and...".

Dylrob · 06-20-2015, 11:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Canuck_in_Japan

I'm not put off by swearing if it's used in realistic situations. By that, I mean in the real world. If fantasy novel characters start dropping f-bombs then that just breaks the illusion for me. I prefer the narrator to just say "He swore and...".

To be fair there are a lot of modern English words that seem out of place in such stories when you know their etomology.

eschwartz · 06-21-2015, 01:19 AM

If a book is using cursing dfor shock value alone, it becomes rapidly apparent and I will put the book down.

Generally I find this to be indicative of a bad writer anyway, so not much of a loss.

If the profanity is used in a world-building way and accurately depicts the way characters would behave, I tend to ignore and gloss over it to the same degree I pretend people in real life didn't say anything... and not make a big deal of it.

Reviews are better than apps though!

crich70 · 06-21-2015, 10:03 AM

So what is the title of the book twowheels?

twowheels · 06-22-2015, 01:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crich70

So what is the title of the book twowheels?

I always avoid that to avoid it becoming a side discussion into the content of that particular book. :-)

06-19-2015, 08:11 PM	#1
twowheels Wizard Posts: 1,855 Karma: 13432974 Join Date: Nov 2010 Device: Kobo Clara HD, iPad Pro 10", iPhone 15 Pro, Boox Note Max	Profanity In Books I'm reading a book now that has a bit of profanity. In ~386 pages it has maybe 80 uses of a few choice words, including a particularly profane one starting with the 6th letter of the English alphabet, and even more of a word with scatological connotations starting with the 19th letter of the English alphabet. When I look at the reviews I see that there are more than a few that complain about the profanity. To be honest, the profanity didn't even catch my attention until I read the reviews. Yeah, I guess if I really thought about it would have said "yeah, I guess it has a few 'bad' words", but they were all used in contexts like "Although he didn't give a flying duck about the state of his room." I mean, I was more offended by the fact that this sentence isn't even a complete thought! So... out of curiosity... how do YOU feel about profanity in books?

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06-19-2015, 10:00 PM	#2
kindlekitten Professional Adventuress Posts: 13,368 Karma: 50260224 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: The Olympic Peninsula on the OTHER Washington! (the big green clean one on the west coast!) Device: Kindle, the original! Times Two! and gifting an International Kindle	It's part of life. One person's fuck is another's dalliance

06-19-2015, 10:36 PM	#3
cromag Surfin the alpha waves ~~ Posts: 26,777 Karma: 459765791 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: New Jersey Device: Jetbook Lite & Mini, Nook STR, Kobo, Hanvon N516, Kindle 2, Androids	Honestly, it depends on the circumstance. And even then, there are a lot of gradations. For instance, I know some folks who complained about the language in The Martian. But honestly, if I were left for dead on Mars I'd be swearing up a storm, too. But it's pretty easy to tell when language has been inserted just for its shock value. I tend to stop reading when that happens. I guess I don't have as much of a problem with the language as I do with its use and misuse.

06-20-2015, 02:36 AM	#4
meeera Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,862 Karma: 68407974 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Australia Device: Kobo Libra 2, iPadMini4, iPad4, MBP; support other Kobo/Kindles	I don't care, and rarely notice particularly, because a decent writer will make sure that it's in character.

06-20-2015, 10:05 PM	#5
Lynx-lynx Treachery of images ... Posts: 4,149 Karma: 94320195 Join Date: May 2012 Location: Australia Device: Sony 650, Kobo Glo, H2O, Aura One, Forma, Libra 2, Libra Colour	It's been a while since I read Lady Chatterley's Lover, but I seem to recall some choice use of words that had direct relevance to the acts being described. So, yes, I think context is everything.

06-20-2015, 11:16 PM	#6
Canuck_in_Japan Wizard Posts: 1,476 Karma: 14328611 Join Date: May 2009 Location: Tokyo, Japan Device: Aura, Aura H2O, Kindle PW3	I'm not put off by swearing if it's used in realistic situations. By that, I mean in the real world. If fantasy novel characters start dropping f-bombs then that just breaks the illusion for me. I prefer the narrator to just say "He swore and...".

06-21-2015, 01:19 AM	#8
eschwartz Ex-Helpdesk Junkie Posts: 19,421 Karma: 85400180 Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: The Beaten Path, USA, Roundworld, This Side of Infinity Device: Kindle Touch fw5.3.7 (Wifi only)	If a book is using cursing dfor shock value alone, it becomes rapidly apparent and I will put the book down. Generally I find this to be indicative of a bad writer anyway, so not much of a loss. If the profanity is used in a world-building way and accurately depicts the way characters would behave, I tend to ignore and gloss over it to the same degree I pretend people in real life didn't say anything... and not make a big deal of it. Reviews are better than apps though!

06-21-2015, 10:03 AM	#9
crich70 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,310 Karma: 43993832 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Monroe Wisconsin Device: K3, Kindle Paperwhite, Calibre, and Mobipocket for Pc (netbook)	So what is the title of the book twowheels?

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