In his book "Dr. Bowdler's Legacy" Noel Perrin tells us in the first chapter that a big change of morality took place with the turn of the nineteenth century in England. He puts it as follows: "... the first new generation of the nineteenth century (grew) up more strait-laced, inhibited, and conventional than its parents, so that sons discussed their fathers' wild oaths, and daughters worried about their mothers' loose sexual behaviour." According to Perrin one of the cornerstones of this new way of thinking was that the people began to acquire a more reserved attitude towards sexuality. The chief cause of this tendency was what can be called the rise of the idea of delicacy, or "the new prudery". From the middle of the eighteenth century onwards, delicacy came to be regarded as a special and precious characteristic - especially among women. Basically, it means that people felt offended as soon as they were confronted with sexuality in whatever form. Blushing and fainting were outward indicators of this new propriety. Another consequence was that people began to keep away from anything that might be a burden on their conscience.
An important result of this trend was the emergence of the idea of expurgation in literature. That is people simply started to remove "words or scenes that were considered likely to offend or shock".
The pioneering work in this field was Dr. Bowdler's "Family Shakespeare", which was published in 1807. Dr. Bowdler's aim was - according to the fashion of his time - "to exclude from this publication whatever is unfit to be read aloud by a gentleman to a company of ladies". In another passage he says that he wants to enable a father to read one of Shakespeare's plays to his family circle "without incurring the danger of falling unawares among words and expressions which are of such a nature as to raise a blush on the cheek of modesty ...".
As he says in the preface to the first edition, Bowdler was primarily concerned with profanity and obscenity. In this essay I will constrict myself to the field of obscenity in its sexual dimension.
In the first part of my paper I will watch a Victorian at work by examining Bowdler's version of "Romeo and Juliet" and comparing it to Shakespeare's. What kind of words and passages does he change and in what way does he revise them? Does he treat different terms in different ways?
Table of Contents
- General Introduction
- Dr. Bowdler's "Family Shakespeare"
- Methods
- The original and the expurgated version of "Romeo and Juliet" compared
- Comments
- Bailey's and Johnson's dictionaries
- Methods
- Wordlists for Bailey and Johnson
- Comments
- Summary
Objectives and Key Themes
The main objective of this paper is to investigate the changing attitudes towards sexuality in 18th and 19th century England, focusing on how these changes manifested in literature and dictionaries. The paper examines Dr. Bowdler's expurgation of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" and compares it to the original, exploring the types of words and passages altered and the underlying strategies employed. It also analyzes the treatment of sexual language in dictionaries by Bailey and Johnson to assess whether the Victorian emphasis on sexual prudery was a unique phenomenon or a continuation of earlier trends.
- The evolution of attitudes towards sexuality in England during the 18th and 19th centuries.
- The practice of literary expurgation and its reflection of societal norms.
- A comparative analysis of Dr. Bowdler's alterations to Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet."
- An examination of the inclusion (or exclusion) of sexual language in 18th-century dictionaries.
- The relationship between changing societal mores and the representation of sexuality in literature and language.
Chapter Summaries
General Introduction: This introductory chapter sets the stage by discussing Noel Perrin's assertion of a significant shift in English morality at the turn of the 19th century, marked by a growing reserve towards sexuality. It introduces the concept of "delicacy" or "new prudery" as a key factor driving this change, leading to the practice of literary expurgation. The chapter outlines the paper's structure, focusing on Dr. Bowdler's "Family Shakespeare" and a comparative analysis of 18th-century dictionaries to examine the evolution of attitudes toward sexual language.
Dr. Bowdler's "Family Shakespeare": This chapter delves into the life and work of Dr. Thomas Bowdler, the creator of the famous "Family Shakespeare." It explores the immense success of his expurgated edition, attributing it to factors such as the increasing prevalence of delicacy, the growth of the reading public, and positive reviews. The chapter lays out the methodology for analyzing Bowdler's revisions, categorizing them into groups based on the nature of the original language (sexually charged imagery, lower register terms, standard register words, religiously offensive language, and other rude terms). The chapter then establishes the methodology for determining whether altered words belonged to standard or lower registers.
Keywords
Sexual language, literary expurgation, Dr. Bowdler, Shakespeare, Victorian morality, 18th-century dictionaries, Bailey, Johnson, delicacy, prudery, societal norms, language registers, slang.
Frequently Asked Questions: A Study of Changing Attitudes Towards Sexuality in 18th and 19th Century England
What is the main objective of this paper?
The paper investigates the changing attitudes towards sexuality in 18th and 19th century England, focusing on how these changes manifested in literature and dictionaries. It examines Dr. Bowdler's expurgation of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" and analyzes the treatment of sexual language in dictionaries by Bailey and Johnson.
What are the key themes explored in this paper?
Key themes include the evolution of attitudes towards sexuality in 18th and 19th century England, the practice of literary expurgation and its reflection of societal norms, a comparative analysis of Dr. Bowdler's alterations to Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet", an examination of the inclusion (or exclusion) of sexual language in 18th-century dictionaries, and the relationship between changing societal mores and the representation of sexuality in literature and language.
What sources are analyzed in this paper?
The paper analyzes Dr. Bowdler's expurgated version of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" in comparison to the original text, as well as dictionaries by Bailey and Johnson. The analysis focuses on the changes made by Bowdler and the treatment of sexual language in the dictionaries.
What methodology is used to analyze Dr. Bowdler's alterations?
The analysis of Bowdler's revisions categorizes alterations based on the nature of the original language: sexually charged imagery, lower register terms, standard register words, religiously offensive language, and other rude terms. The methodology also determines whether altered words belonged to standard or lower registers.
What is the significance of Dr. Bowdler's "Family Shakespeare"?
Dr. Bowdler's expurgated edition of Shakespeare was immensely successful, reflecting the increasing prevalence of "delicacy" or "new prudery" in Victorian England and the growth of the reading public. Its analysis reveals much about changing societal attitudes towards sexuality and the censorship of literature.
What is the significance of analyzing Bailey and Johnson's dictionaries?
Analyzing Bailey and Johnson's dictionaries helps assess whether the Victorian emphasis on sexual prudery was a unique phenomenon or a continuation of earlier trends. It provides a broader historical context for understanding the evolution of attitudes towards sexual language.
What are the key findings of the paper (in brief)?
The paper aims to demonstrate how attitudes toward sexuality changed over time, reflected in both literary censorship and lexicographical choices. The comparison between the original and expurgated versions of "Romeo and Juliet" and the analysis of dictionaries will highlight this shift.
What are the keywords associated with this study?
Keywords include: Sexual language, literary expurgation, Dr. Bowdler, Shakespeare, Victorian morality, 18th-century dictionaries, Bailey, Johnson, delicacy, prudery, societal norms, language registers, slang.
What is the overall structure of the paper?
The paper includes a general introduction, a chapter on Dr. Bowdler's "Family Shakespeare," a chapter on Bailey and Johnson's dictionaries, and a summary. Each chapter employs specific methods for analyzing the chosen texts to illuminate the changing attitudes towards sexuality.
- Quote paper
- Thomas Eger (Author), 2001, Words and phrases that are to do with sex in literary and spoken English - Responses to offending language from the eighteenth and nineteenth century, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/56313
