Finchbearer
Vala
I don’t think there is!
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Four-letter words in literature...
- Thread starter Mad Swede
- Start date
Malik
Auror
Stonelands has 265 F-bombs in 472 pages, which was necessary to give the dialogue legitimacy. So, I may not be the right one to chime in, here.
As far as profanity to express eroticism and desire, there's a time and place for everything. It can certainly be done; it all depends on your characters, though.
As far as profanity to express eroticism and desire, there's a time and place for everything. It can certainly be done; it all depends on your characters, though.
The Dark One
Auror
There is lots of swearing in my work, mainly because of the story contexts/subject matter. It wouldn't seem authentic without the correct language.
There is also lots of sex in my work but I almost never use four letter words in describing sex scenes or dialogue in sex scenes. Probably because I would never use such words myself in an intimate situation - with the possible exception of if something slipped and caused me a nasty injury.
There is also lots of sex in my work but I almost never use four letter words in describing sex scenes or dialogue in sex scenes. Probably because I would never use such words myself in an intimate situation - with the possible exception of if something slipped and caused me a nasty injury.
The Dark One
Auror
Yes... that did happen once.
pmmg
Myth Weaver
Miles Lacey
Archmage
Poor people swear. My story is about the working poor. I am one of the working poor (dishy in an Italian restaurant). Thus, there is swearing in what I write. If you write about poor people and do not have swearing you deserve to be smacked into next week (metaphorically, not literally). I do tone the swearing down but that's only because it can get really irritating hearing or reading lots of swearing.
- Thread starter
- #27
Mad Swede
Auror
Possibly you mean that they swear a little more openly? I've known quite a few of what some would call the upper class, and even they swear like troopers when they think no-one else can hear them. I'd also suggest that swearing depends on what sort of community or group you happen to fnd yourself in. In some situations it will be prefectly OK to swear, in others it won't be.
But what intrigues me in this discussion is the very Anglo-Saxon view that four-letter words are always swear words. Possibly this is my fault, in that my original post didn't make clear that I was thinking of four-letter words in the context of sex between two consenting adults. To me there is a difference between using four-letter words to swear and using four-letter words to talk about sex, simnply because that difference exists in Swedish. And the reason that difference exists in Swedish is because our swear words aren't about sex, they're usually about religion.
So to get this back on track (well, a bit) do you guys use four-letter words when you're describing sex between consenting adults and if so why?
Miles Lacey
Archmage
S
I never use the f-word to describe sex in anything I write or say because it is seen in the same light as public displays of affection, adult virginity or, worst of all, holding hands in public where I live. In short, a sign of such moral depravity I count myself lucky we don't have corporal or capital punishment where I live.
I never use the f-word to describe sex in anything I write or say because it is seen in the same light as public displays of affection, adult virginity or, worst of all, holding hands in public where I live. In short, a sign of such moral depravity I count myself lucky we don't have corporal or capital punishment where I live.
