Holy Sh*t

March 25, 2013
“For more than two thousand years, swearing has alternated between the twin poles of oaths and obscenities,” Mohr writes in the introduction to her study on swearing. Approaching the subject from a variety of angles—linguistic, historical, sociological, and even physiological (swearwords can help us endure pain and even increase heart rate)—Mohr gives readers a remarkably well-researched report on the little words that can mean so much. Beginning with the Greeks and Romans, the author works her way forward, artfully separating the vulgar and blasphemous (“by God’s bones” was one of the most offensive phrases uttered in the Middle Ages) from the more modern concept of “fighting words” (of which the “n” word is arguably the most inflammatory, according to Mohr), noting the more popular applications and meanings from antiquity to today. Unfortunately, her focus on historical accuracy comes at the cost of readability, as the intricacies of various terms (the bulk of which revolve around bodily functions) become tedious. Digressions on the art of equivocation and the etymology of some of the most infamous curses are highlights of the book, but those looking for a Devil’s Dictionary of bad language should look elsewhere—this is some serious sh*t. 17 b&w images. Agency: Veritas Literary Agency.

June 15, 2013

Renaissance scholar Mohr presents a history of cursing that is guided by humor and scholarship. She begins by examining pillars of Western civilization, namely Ancient Rome and the Bible. The remaining four chapters and epilog proceed chronologically from the Middle Ages to the present day. Each chapter highlights words most offensive for that period and provides the etymology and historical context. For example, the author compares translations of the Bible, noting intriguing choices between euphemisms (indirect references) and more common terms (the latter often won). Mohr further explains how the progression of 18th-century culture corresponded with the censorship of language and how racial slurs emerged following World War II. She investigates the body's response to swearing (e.g., faster heart rate and higher pain tolerance) and also considers the legal hurdles that James Joyce's Ulysses confronted over the novel's explicit language. Mohr's breadth of knowledge distinguishes this book from others like Peter Silverton's Filthy English or Tom McEnery's Swearing in English. Lacking is a select bibliography. VERDICT Recommended for serious language lovers and history buffs.--Marianne Orme, Des Plaines P.L., IL

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2013
A scholar in Renaissance literature debuts with a chronicle of cursing, from the Romans to R-rated movies. In an account that's a bit textually schizophrenic--the tone and diction range from barroom bawdy to scholarly costiveness--Mohr moves through the centuries in her racy account of how we swear and why. She identifies two major domains of dirty: the Holy and the Shit (the sacred and the secular, the spirit and the body) and shows how each has at times been in the ascendancy. To the Romans and Victorians (the latter thought the body was an embarrassment), words about body parts and functions were highly offensive. Mohr notes that the Victorian Age was also the age of euphemism. But earlier, in the Middle Ages, the more offensive oaths ("the equivalent of modern obscenity") were religious in nature. Swearing by God's body parts--"by God's nails"--alarmed authorities. During the Renaissance, obscenity spread, but playwrights (she uses Shakespeare as an example) employed wordplay, jokes and innuendo. Mohr notes that the Bard of Avon "never employs a primary obscenity." Moving on, she notes that the world wars greatly affected the vernacular, and soon, literature and the other arts were finding ways to accommodate the new, crustier diction. (She reminds us of the "fug" Mailer had to use in The Naked and the Dead.) Mohr then summarizes the obscenity cases of Ulysses and Lady Chatterley's Lover and discusses George Carlin, Tourette's and the scholarly interest in swearing. She confesses that she found it more difficult to write about racial and ethnic slurs than she did about more conventional cursing. Throughout, she lists many naughty words that readers will greatly enjoy learning more about. Friskier diction would have helped at times, but the book is generally informed, enlightening and often delightfully surprising.

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