Reviews

On Cussing: Bad Words and Creative Cursing by Katherine Dunn

emath98's review against another edition

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slow-paced

2.0

jdanderson16's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging funny informative lighthearted reflective fast-paced

4.0

boltonmi's review against another edition

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4.0

A fun easy read about offensive words. Some of the best cussing combinations I’ve ever read.

philibin's review against another edition

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4.0

This is part history lesson and part creative writing assignment. In whole, it is an enjoyable essay on cussing in literature. Its use, its power, and more importantly, its overuse.

hmuraski27's review against another edition

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funny informative fast-paced

3.0

krakow54's review against another edition

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funny informative fast-paced

4.0

pennym_'s review against another edition

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informative fast-paced

3.0

this is a fine quick read. i didn't realize it was more of a writing resource than a linguistic deep-dive into cussing, which is what i was hoping for. but it is fine for what it is!

emily_stimmel's review against another edition

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funny informative lighthearted reflective fast-paced

5.0

franchescanado's review against another edition

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funny informative lighthearted fast-paced

3.5

jenna_cross's review against another edition

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funny informative lighthearted reflective fast-paced

5.0

This is a lively display of the mutating fads of cussing throughout history. Dunn discusses how writers have used curse words in different works and what they were trying to accomplish with those word choices. She explains how some succeeded and why. She also gives examples of how authors failed to execute a point to the fullest by avoiding cussing or by using more tepid language than the scene or character deserved. I stumbled across this short gem as I sought out a Pacific Northwest author’s work to read for my IRL book club. This was a little aperitif from a local Portland, Oregon author to whet my appetite for the novel that was ultimately picked. Thank you.