tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3434602314756730550.post3358517857555876260..comments2024-03-28T05:15:00.483-07:00Comments on Buddies in the Saddle: Owen Wister and @#$%&! languageRon Scheerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15357501069513854664noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3434602314756730550.post-53631293694720965152011-08-09T06:58:41.345-07:002011-08-09T06:58:41.345-07:00As in most things, I am of two minds on this langu...As in most things, I am of two minds on this language issue. Part of me does admire –at times – the clever euphemistic outcome that a different set of sensibilities necessitates... I am thinking of Hemingway in For Whom the Bell Tolls having people say "fornicate yourself." But for the most part, I think it is pure class-centered B.S. Anglo-Saxon rooted expletives were part of the language in Shakespeare's day and in the days of Jesse James. If the character in the story is the kind of character who cusses and swears... but does not in the story, then the story falls flat because the character and the story can only be as real as the language. Fiction is rooted in truth... and can be more real than things that are true. Euphemisms and untruths only lesson fiction. That is my blankety-blank two-cents worth.markhinton@montanawriter.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04011489039472425705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3434602314756730550.post-20027142289204799562011-08-09T06:50:05.608-07:002011-08-09T06:50:05.608-07:00Leah, I've read THE VIRGINIAN 2-3 times and al...Leah, I've read THE VIRGINIAN 2-3 times and always have enjoyed it.<br /><br />Chris, growing up with family-friendly movies and TV, I can go either way. I was surprised by how I became accustomed to the language in DEADWOOD. But see my comment to Patti below.<br /><br />Walker, cowboys, muleskinners, and others on the frontier had a reputation for inventive and colorful swearing. Most of it, unfortunately, including the raunchy songs, has been lost to us.<br /><br />Elisabeth, you're exactly right about the audience. Loved the story from PENROD. To my knowledge, I've never read Tarkington.<br /><br />Patti, DEADWOOD writers wanted the language to reflect the lawlessness of the camp; I can buy that, but much of the profanity seemed too "modern" to me. Kept seeming anachronistic.Ron Scheerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15357501069513854664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3434602314756730550.post-71647872221442080282011-08-08T13:52:39.576-07:002011-08-08T13:52:39.576-07:00Deadwood really change how I thought about the Wes...Deadwood really change how I thought about the West. Quite a shock.pattinase (abbott)https://www.blogger.com/profile/02916037185235335846noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3434602314756730550.post-56994509666219267532011-08-08T12:28:48.077-07:002011-08-08T12:28:48.077-07:00The point is, of course, that these books were int...The point is, of course, that these books were intended to be read by the polite company you mentioned in your first paragraph. I think the change in publishing standards reflects more on the readers than the writers - reflects what the public is willing to read.<br /><br />Speaking of blanks - right now I'm reading Booth Tarkington's <i>Penrod</i> (1914), and in one chapter a boy writes a story in adventure-magazine style, complete with the villain's dialogue consisting mostly of dashes. :)Elisabeth Grace Foleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02073159989691222645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3434602314756730550.post-40634779482838800182011-08-08T10:49:12.609-07:002011-08-08T10:49:12.609-07:00ADVENTURE MAGAZINE had the policy of using dashes ...ADVENTURE MAGAZINE had the policy of using dashes for swear words like "hell" or "damn". Which is ok with me because then I can insert even stronger oaths. <br /><br />Despite the complaints about the language used on the HBO western series, DEADWOOD, I've read that cussing was quite common in the 1800's west.<br /><br />This was a - - - -good post, Ron.Walker Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16089880902426182100noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3434602314756730550.post-1671740932299059222011-08-08T09:11:13.315-07:002011-08-08T09:11:13.315-07:00It's funny, because in reading reviews of some...It's funny, because in reading reviews of some Westerns I commonly see reviewers griping about "the unnecessary bad language" that "ruins and otherwise good book." Me, I'd rather not see it sugar-coated, but to each their own, I guess. Then again, I'm a fan of the Western genre, movies in particular, in spite of my general loathing for most of the "classic" movies that are more viewer-friendly.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10070278104646895235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3434602314756730550.post-46514483835400001332011-08-08T08:38:35.352-07:002011-08-08T08:38:35.352-07:00Ron, I'm currently reading The Virginian and e...Ron, I'm currently reading The Virginian and enjoying it immensely. These are fine examples of getting a point without saying the actual words.Leah J. Utashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08497599109798015888noreply@blogger.com