Klarinet Archive - Posting 001382.txt from 1998/07

From: "Arnold Teres" <johnathant@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] Re: klarinet Digest 30 Jul 1998 08:15:02 -0000 Issue 347
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1998 18:39:33 -0400

Bill Hausman wrote:

<And in exactly WHICH Shakespeare work does the word F*** appear? There is
a subtle difference between bawdy and lewd which has been lost lately.>

Well you got me - sort of - In McBeth the Porter scene (I think it's at the
begining of act 2) has a character suggesting that he would rather be
knocking the women than listening to someone else knocking on the door.
Granted, this is not the F*** word but the intent is clear. You are correct
in your comment regarding the difference between bawdy and lewd but I'll
stand by my statement that the other authors I mentioned WERE lewd. My point
is that lewd is commonplace and not anything new.

Steven Goldman wrote:

<Surely you have confused suggestive or titillating for crass and lewd. The
former takes wit, the latter just hormones>

I agree that you have a good distinction between suggestive and lewd but my
point is that the authors and pieces I mentioned WERE lewd. Read the Nun's
Priest's tale in Chaucer - he has a murdered little boy "floating amoungst
the turds" in a cesspool. In the Miller's tale a wife farts in her husbands
face and later he is burnt in the arse by a hot poker. Chaucer also has
young lovers fornicating in a tree while an old husband watches. I think
this goes a bit beyond suggestive. Mark Twains 1601 starts with a farting
contest and goes downhill from there - and it goes pretty far down hill!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------