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On Cussing: Bad Words and Creative Cursing
Paperback
Literary CriticismWriting Instruction
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ISBN13: 9781947793262
Publisher: Tin House Books
Published: Mar 26 2019
Pages: 64
Weight: 0.15
Height: 0.50 Width: 4.30 Depth: 6.00
Language: English
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.
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.
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