Novels Beyond Good Taste

Novels beyond Good Taste: Sex, Profanity, and Violence—Where do you draw the line?

Our culture seems to encourage graphic sex, profanity and violence in novels, television, movies, and music. These floodgates continue to swing wider and wider: blatant sexual scenes leaving nothing to the imagination, crude profanity even used by children, and violence to such extremes that our mind becomes numbed to sadist, ritualistic horrors.

Where do you draw the line?

These issues came to mind as I started to read two recent novels. I opened each novel with great expectation based upon recommendations from several authors. But within a few pages I stopped reading. With great disappointment, I set aside these novels and moved on to other writers. I just could not  recommend these writers to readers visiting this blog. I did not want to walk through the gutter with these writers, even though both are very gifted and promising novelists. 


I was disappointed on several levels. First, I bought these books based upon recommendation from other writers whose opinions I trusted. However, I quickly realized that my expectations—explicit sex and profanity in this case—were vastly different from those who gave these recommendations. Secondly, I was disappointed that these two young writers felt it necessary to use their talents in such a way that—in my opinion—cheapened their craft of writing. And lastly, I was disappointed because I thought these would be great novels to experience. Unfortunately, my expectations were dashed by writing that I consider to be in bad taste.

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not a prude waiting to censor everything that surfaces in print. As a former law enforcement officer I’ve probably been exposed to the dark side of human depravity more than the average citizen. I worked undercover details targeting drugs, vice, and gang crimes. I had the dubious honor of graduating from LAPD’s Vice School to learn firsthand about how the sex trade is plied on the streets of that city. I’ve traveled to most of the Level 4 security prisons in California, interviewing many inmates whose language and lifestyle would disgust the most hardened detective in one of Michael Connelly’s novels. I’ve witnessed some of the most horrendous crimes one human can inflict on another, images still haunting me today

So this is not an article about censorship. It is, however, an article about good taste and ulterior motives in writing. About giving readers the best possible product writers are capable of creating.  I read widely in order to learn from a variety of authors who’ve learned the craft of writing. As a reader, I believe we have an expectation that what we're about to read ought to entertain, enlighten, and captivate within the bounds of good taste. The trouble is defining good taste. And, here in is the difficulty we face. How do you define it?

For example, writers often cite the need to use profanity based upon a desire to create realisms in their art. This same argument is often used to justify the depiction of violence and sex. But might there be other underlining reasons? For example, might a writer create controversy through the use of titillating, prurient writing in order to boost sales? To help them stand out in crowd to gain the attention from agents, editors and publisher in this competitive world of publishing? Or, are these authors being realistic by thinking the buying public wants this kind of story.

Maybe they are right. Maybe this is what the public wants to read. I hope this is not the case.

Let’s get back to the idea of good taste. As a reader, I don’t need all the ugliness and depravity of life thrown in my face when I sit down with a novel. As a reader, I want these authors to draw me into their world. I want to take this journey they’ve created, to live with the characters they’ve breathed life into. Don’t justify this bond between us as a literary license to drag me through the garbage of life. As a reader, I want all this created in good taste. I don’t think I am alone.

As a writer, we should respect our readers.

So what about violence and horror? Is graphic detail necessary? Do we, as writers, need to squeeze every ounce of terror from our victims to captivate readers' attention?

A writer strives to use the reader’s imagination as a canvas, painting an image with carefully chosen words to get a point across. We don’t need every gory detail spelled out to the very last drop of blood. A few chosen words will fill our reader’s imagination with vivid details of the event. Remember sitting in a dentist chair and imagining what’s about to happen? A quick glance at the tools laid out on a tray. Those pointy things you know will hurt. That goggled-eyed dentist staring back at you without blinking. The sound of the drill firing up. We get the picture. Flash to the next scene where the patient’s jaw feels like ground-up hamburger. Our minds will fill in the scene with more panoramic color than the highest definition screens on the market.

What about profanity?  Do we need profanity spewing out for us to get the point this character comes from the wrong side of the tracks? Does this somehow justify the need for realism in our character?

George Washington wrote: “The foolish and wicked practice of profane cursing and swearing is a vice so mean and low that every person of sense and character detests and despises it.”  So you want to show that your character is low class? Do you want to convey to the reader that this character let loose with a string of expletives? There are many ways to get this message across. For example, Mark Twain wrote in Roughing, “I was … blaspheming my luck in a way that made my breath smell of brimstone.” Did we get the picture? Did he use profanity?

We have come a long way since those times. Other writers struggled with this same issue. Ernest Hemingway stated: “I’ve tried to reduce profanity but I reduce so much profanity when writing the book that I’m afraid not much could come out. Perhaps we will have to consider it simply as a profane book and hope that the next book will be less profane or perhaps more sacred.”

In Stephen King’s book On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, he discussed this issue: “As it happens, I agree with my mother: profanity and vulgarity is the language of the ignorant and verbally challenged. Mostly, that is; there are exceptions, including profane aphorisms of great color and vitality.” He goes on to say that if he were writing “about toffs or smart college folks” he’d hardly ever use a dirty word. But, he writes, “I grew up as part of America’s lower middle class, and they’re the people I can write about with the most honesty and knowledge.” So, in King’s mind, profanity is justified at times in order to be artistically honest.

Is profanity acceptable under some circumstances? Maybe. Maybe not.

There may be instances when no other word will suffice. But a writer ought to challenge themselves to convey these feelings and emotions in such a way that the reader is keenly aware of the meaning without the author resorting to profanity. Using Mark Twain’s example above, he gets the point across using the words “blaspheming” and “brimstone.”  Granted, he’s not averse to a little swearing. In his biography, the famous writer states: “Under certain circumstances, urgent circumstances, desperate circumstance, profanity provides a relief denied even to prayer.” As always, Twain uses humor—not profanity—to get his point across.

And then there is sex.

A sales adage puts this simply: “Sex sells.” They must know, because sexuality is used to sell everything from cars to toothpaste. I mean, how sexy do you have to be to brush your teeth? Sex has been used to sell cell phones, carpet cleaner and bug spray. Sexuality carries over into all forms of literature, movies and other entertainment. And very little is left to our imagination.

Is this necessary. Again, writers can paint vivid word pictures without the raunchiness that permeates our culture. Author James Scott Bell wrote about this subject in a Killzone article several months ago. The article dealt with key words that draws readers’ attention. He jokingly titled his article, “The Thrill of Sex with Cordite in the Air” in order to make his point. On the subject of sex, Jim suggested another way to approach this subject without undue explicitness:

You know what works better? The reader's imagination. If you "close the door" but engage the imagination, it's often more effective than what you describe in words. Rhett carrying Scarlett up the stairs—do you need words to know exactly what happens?

One of the best sex scenes ever written is in Madame Bovary, the carriage ride with Emma and Leon (Part 3, Chapter 1 if you're interested). All the description is from the driver's POV, who cannot see into the carriage. Read it and see if you can do better with body parts and a thesaurus.

Now, I do appreciate well written sexual tension. That's a major theme in great fiction, especially noir and crime. So were the great 40's novels and films any less potent for not showing us what we know went on in the bedroom? (Killzone, March 21, 2010, “The Thrill of Sex with Cordite in the Air”)

You’re right, Jim. We get the point.

And James Scott Bell practices what he preaches. In his second Buchannan novel—Try Darkness—you can feel sexual tension between his main character, Ty Buchanan, and Sister Mary, a nun. Yes, a nun. In this three-book series, these two characters work together in a series of criminal investigations in which basketball becomes their common denominator, a sport they both excel in. Early in Try Darkness, they’re battling for control of the basketball:

I had to admire her doggedness. She’s the type who’d go to the mat with the devil himself if she had to.

But I still wouldn’t let her get the ball.

Then I was on my back, holding the ball to my chest. Sister Mary was on top of me, refusing to let her hands slip off the ball.

Her body was firm and fit and I looked at her face thinking thoughts one should not think of a woman pledged to a life of chastity.

I stopped laughing and let her have the ball.

She took it and rolled off me.

Neither of us said anything.

Then a voice said, “Now, isn’t that a pretty picture?”

Father Bob stood at the other end of the court, hands on hips.

One displeased priest. 

(Try Darkness, by James Scott Bell, Center Street/Hachette Book Group, ©2008)

The reader clearly gets the picture. Bell paints these words into our minds with feeling, action and intent. A great example of sexual tension. And this tension between Ty and Sister Mary carries throughout all three novels without one scene approaching bad taste.

Q4U: Where do you draw the line?