On Cussing
Bad Words and Creative Cursing
Zando · Print & ebook · March 26, 2019
F uck the Fuckity Fuckin’ Fucker.
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- Who it’s for
- A brief, funny guide to swear words, their uses, and the force they carry.
- Themes
- Swear-word history and usage, Physical effects of profanity, Creative cursing
- Genres
- Sociolinguistics, Word Origins, Essay Collections
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Start with this bookAbout this book
F uck the Fuckity Fuckin’ Fucker. Readers of Katherine Dunn won’t be surprised that this was her father’s favorite sentence, or that, as a young girl, she heard it as a kind of profane poem, a secret song. For many of us, the language of Geek Love carries a similar staying power, born of Dunn’s agile use of language and her strange, beautiful diction. And as a true exegete of the expletive, she remained undividedly devoted to obscenity—both as scholar and practitioner.
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In On Cussing, Dunn sketches a brief history of swear words and creates something of a field guide to their types and usages, from the common threat (“I’ll squash you like a shithouse mouse”) to the portmanteau intensifier (“Fan-fucking-tastic”). But she also explores their physiology—the physical impact on the reader or listener—and makes an argument for how and when to cuss with maximum effect. Equal parts informative and hilarious, this volume will delight Dunn’s legion of fans, but it’s also a must-have for anyone looking to more successfully wield their expletives, be it in writing or in everyday speech.
The Art of Cussing
A brief, funny guide to swear words, their uses, and the force they carry.
Come here for
- A history and field guide to expletives, from threats to intensifiers
- A close look at how obscenity works in speech and writing
Expect
- Informative humor alongside Dunn’s agile, vivid language
- Attention to the physical impact of a well-placed swear
Where it sits
| Sociolinguistics | 54% |
|---|---|
| Essay Collections | 43% |
| Word Origins | 34% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- American Lit Crit
- 21st Century Literature
- Authors
- Katherine Dunn
- Publisher
- Zando
- Published
- March 26, 2019
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- Swear-word history and usage · Physical effects of profanity · Creative cursing
- Reading lane
- American Lit Crit