Paul Hobday

Dirty Words Paul Hobday

"Dirty words" elicits certain taboo concepts, like "socially unacceptable." For writers, language taboo represents an obstacle-a limitation on what can be said. But does social and legal control over what is, and is not, acceptable truly hinder writers today, or do they employ dirty words despite censorship? This essay examines three genres-literature, high and low; comedy; and television, in order to better understand the impact social constraints of this sort have on writers and artists