# Profanity in Aubrey/Maturin novels **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 12, 2005, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/profanity-in-aubrey-maturin-novels/316686 "2005-08-12T04:10:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2005, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/profanity-in-aubrey-maturin-novels/316686/1 "2005-08-12T04:10:19Z")
I can’t figure out what Patrick O’Brian is doing. Here are some quotes, from _Desolation Island_, although it happens in all the books I’ve ready. > [@Charlotte Aubrey](#): > > ‘Because Fanny put on mine; and she fetched me a swipe with her slipper, the \_\_\_\_\_ swab’, said Charlotte, with barely contained passion. And then there’s this: > [@Killick](#): > > ‘Those bleeding caulkers at the Yard’, he muttered,‘don’t know their fucking business…’ And then… > [@skipper of the La Fayette](#): > > ‘Oh \_\_\_\_\_ the Pope’ So, given that O’Brian isn’t shy about spelling about profanity – what’s with the dashes? Why does he censor some speech and not others? ---
**Author:** ![Atticus\_Finch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ec9cab/32.png) [@Atticus\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atticus_Finch)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2005, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/profanity-in-aubrey-maturin-novels/316686/2 "2005-08-12T05:26:03Z")
I’ve wondered the same thing. My WAG - there’s a different ‘hierarchy’ of swear words in the early 1800s. Perhaps “damn” is more unpleasant than “fuck” and hence more worthy of expurgation. It could also be that O’Brien doesn’t want his characters swearing all the time, and just throws in the odd swearword for emphasis, leaving the rest dashed… ---
**Author:** ![Tracy\_Lord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@Tracy\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tracy_Lord)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2005, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/profanity-in-aubrey-maturin-novels/316686/3 "2005-08-12T10:16:23Z")
I never took the time to go all the way through and test my hypothesis, but could it/would it be related to the social class of the character speaking? Looking at the quotes provided, it could also be related to the concept being related by the profanity: KIllick swears for color, but the Lafayette man expresses a (to some) blasphemous opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2005, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/profanity-in-aubrey-maturin-novels/316686/4 "2005-08-12T13:41:51Z")
I asked this same question some time back, and got no definitive answers. Someone suggested that perhaps it was the result of having had different editors. ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2005, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/profanity-in-aubrey-maturin-novels/316686/5 "2005-08-12T16:14:34Z")
> [@Tracy Lord](#): > > I never took the time to go all the way through and test my hypothesis, but could it/would it be related to the social class of the character speaking? > > Looking at the quotes provided, it could also be related to the concept being related by the profanity: KIllick swears for color, but the Lafayette man expresses a (to some) blasphemous opinion. I don’t believe the author intended that comment to be understood as blasphemy. I don’t believe the skipper was the least bit Popish. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2005, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/profanity-in-aubrey-maturin-novels/316686/6 "2005-08-12T17:30:32Z")
I think **Tracy Lord** ’s hypothesis has some merit. Other examples (that I must do from memory, as the book is not with me) from Cap’n Aubrey himself: he is unhappy that there are women on his ship (being transported to Australia) and when told that one of them is about to give birth, he replies “undoubtedly it’ll be another \_\_\_\_\_\_ woman.” On the other hand, Jack’s use of “damn” is spelled out on several occasions, which refutes **Atticus Finch** ’s. So captains and their children get dashes. Able seamen get spelled out.