In 1936 the novel Gone With the Wind used the word Damn in the ending.
In 1939 Damn was the first “swear” word to be used in a movie. The way Rhett Butler said those words was dramatic and has never been forgotten.
Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.
And yet, with the passage of time it has become more and more acceptable to have stronger swear words, though there seems to be a greater acceptance of this language in movies than in books.
There is a lot of discussion among the crime writing community about the use of swearing in their work, as reviews can be marked down because of bad language. Readers don’t seem to mind death, blood and gore, but swear near them and they are offended. So, crime writers have to make the decision on whether to make their work realistic – because yes, as an ex-cop, I can tell you cops swear, and villains definitely swear, or cut the swearing to keep readers happy.
I have noticed a leaning towards removing the swear words in books. Or the books I’ve read, anyway. And I am aware of the issue and though there is some language in my books, I do take some out in the editing stage.
On the note of violence – readers being ready to read this – I will blog about the upturn in what is acceptable in this way next week.
What is it, that makes violence more acceptable in books but bad language not? Is the first question from me today. (I have a few.)
Do you think there will be a point where we stop “moving forward” with what is acceptable and go backward to the days where damn was the worst word we could write or say?
And, what is your personal tolerance?
To show you how language has progressed here is a short video, which though it is to advertise a channel that doesn’t use bad language or violence, it does show nicely the way we have moved from damn to f*ck.
I can cope with swearing, not being averse to cursing myself (and I don’t mean the odd damn) but it does need to be realistic, in context and not just for effect. Constant repetition just for the sake of it becomes boring and I still don’t like the C word.
I’m with you on the C word, though I do think I may have used it once in one of my books because the occasion called for it. I was quite surprised at myself because of my personal distaste for it, but as you say, realistic and in context.
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I love that video! About language in films, the to-do about ‘damn’ in Gone with the Wind is because it was released during the period of the Motion Production Code, when films had to expressly avoid “lowering the moral standards of those who view it” – it’s always been my theory that when the Code was abandoned in the late sixties, Hollywood went a bit sweary/violence happy 😉
Personally swearing doesn’t bother me in the least as a reader, and my characters swear when the occasion demands it – because as you say, people swear! It’s worth not overdoing it (unless it’s a feature of the dialogue) but to be honest, I’m not sure a writer who fainted dead away at the odd four lettered word would love my writing in general!
It’s a great video isn’t it? A great visual for showing how much we have moved forward with acceptance of profanity in works of creativity. And I completely agree. Not overdoing it is key I think.
You touch on a really interesting topic here, Rebecca. For me, anyway, the amount and kind of profanity used should really depend on the character. Some use it a lot, some don’t use it at all. Admittedly, I get my fill even with characters who do swear a lot, so it does have to be, I think, a little measured. And I dislike profanity when it’s used only for shock effect. If the word doesn’t serve a purpose, don’t use it. At least, that’s my view.
I agree, Margot. The last manuscript I wrote I searched for the F word and took stock over whether each word needed to stay or could be replaced by a lesser offensive word. I managed to take a few out, but some needed to stay.
I agree with Jill. It doesn’t usually bother me (I can have a potty mouth at times!) unless it’s repetitive or unnecessary. Any book that over does it will be a turn off for me.
I also agree with that. I do think nowadays that crime writers – or any writer for that matter – is conscious of readers and won’t just throw the words around for the sake of it. I know I haven’t read books like that. Not that I’ve noticed anyway!
Moderation is the key–as Jill and Karen suggest. And to use it just to get a reaction–I don’t like that at all. It has to be in character.
Exactly. In character and circumstances warranting its use. Then it’s not really noticed and that’s how it should be. It shouldn’t stand out from the rest of the text.
I had an interesting experience with my writing group. I used a word that perfectly described the reaction of one species to another and, since the word is a Giant NO-NO in our society, my friends were stunned. Because they were so upset, I substituted another word. I understand why they were upset, but I was making a point about extreme prejudice. In the end, I choose a phrase that didn’t come to close to what I was trying to convey. When I asked one member she said my original word wasn’t in context…which we both knew wasn’t true.
I changed the word but I still wonder if I should have left the word alone.
Any thoughts?
I think if you genuinely believed the word was the right word for the circumstances in the book then it was the right word. If it wasn’t there just for shock value etc. In a writers group it’s being read in isolation not in the whole text of a novel, which I’d argue would be a different experience again. (If it was a novel.) But they do tend to be snippets of the whole and that doesn’t give a full picture or feel. So the word feels more impactive, I’d suggest.
Thanks. I think it’s easy to forget the group is reading the chapter in a kind of isolation. The word will stay where it belongs.
Love your blog, btw.
I’m with Jill on this too. Fine in moderation and I do swear now and then (but not in front of grandchildren)
I dislike gratuitous constant swearing in books just for the sake of it. The odd expletive slipping out when the protagonist is under pressure or scared witless is natural and authentic.
It can also be quite funny if a character who wouldn’t normally swear does so under pressure when used with comic timing.