Observing that the English swore far less in the 1920s than in wartime, Robert Graves sets out to inquire into the nature and uses of foul language before it disappears. He considers taboo and blasphemy, the claim that hard swearing proves virility, the rhythm of a good oath, regional and class differences, and the censorship that kept the subject out of print.
A short, witty and still-provocative essay from the author of Good-Bye to All That. Download the free EPUB.