A Cursory History of Swearing (Annotated)

Enriched Edition. The Origins, Psychology, and Cultural History of Profanity, Taboo Language, and Human ExpressionBy Julian Sharman

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Length3h 57m

About this audiobook

Julian Sharman's *A Cursory History of Swearing* offers an engaging historical survey of profane and obscene language, tracing how oaths, curses, and vulgar expressions have functioned in English-speaking culture. Its subject is treated not merely as an inventory of forbidden words, but as a study of social custom, religious feeling, linguistic change, and the shifting boundaries of politeness. The book's title signals its deliberately light, conversational manner: Sharman combines anecdote, quotation, historical observation, and moral commentary in a style characteristic of nineteenth-century popular antiquarian writing. Beneath its wit lies a serious interest in the relationship between language and authority, particularly the power of institutions to define verbal transgression. Writing in the Victorian period, Sharman belonged to a culture deeply concerned with propriety, self-control, and the regulation of public speech, yet fascinated by the persistence of irreverence in everyday life. That tension provides an important context for the work. His historical approach reflects the period's enthusiasm for collecting curiosities and explaining contemporary manners through the customs of earlier generations. By examining swearing across religious and social contexts, he reveals how linguistic taboos express anxieties about class, morality, gender, and communal identity, while also exposing the limits of respectable censorship. This book will reward readers interested in the history of the English language, Victorian culture, folklore, and the sociology of taboo. It is especially valuable for those who wish to understand profanity as a cultural practice rather than a merely comic or offensive phenomenon. Scholarly in its observations yet accessible in presentation, *A Cursory History of Swearing* invites modern readers to reconsider how words acquire—and lose—their power to shock. This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience. - Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance. - Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.