Stephen King's use of the F-Word

[Moderator]

Up here in Maine we used to say "frigging". And "Jesum Crow" instead of the bad words...but he writes like we talk in the right crowd. Long, cold winters make for colorful language.

Thank you! That's right, it wasn't fricken, it was frigging that people freaked out about.

[Sundrop]

Right now I'm reading Bag of Bones (finished 11/22/63 last week). When the main character in the book swears it's almost always the Big One -- which is about every 4-5 pages. It must be the only swear word the guy knows.

What I don't understand is that instead of using many of the other 4-letter words out there, it seems that King, for the most part, uses the F-word in character conversation in many of his books. If there's a swear word used in character dialog, 8 times out of 10, it's the F-bomb. That's my perception. It's almost comical at times. It's like King has a fascination with that particular cuss word.

Again, I have to say that it's all about the story for me. I finished Bag of Bones a few weeks ago, and didn't pay any attention to how many times the main character used any cuss words, much less the F-bomb
I guess I'd rather enjoy the story than count curse words....but hey, that's just me

[J.T. Adams]

I do remember King's reply in an interview when asked about this very thing, and to paraphrase his answer he said simply; it's how people I grew up and lived around talk.

Goes with the write what you know thing I guess.

[DeathStalker]

Thank you! That's right, it wasn't fricken, it was frigging that people freaked out about.

They say memory is the second thing to go.

[Out of Order]

How about fragging................?

[Haunted]

Definition of frigging (from Google, I substituted the letters with ***)


•a "polite" replacement for the word "f***ing." This word is more acceptable in public, but everyone knows what it means, so it should still not be used in polite company. Also fricking.

Geeminee...I honestly did not know that. And I thought I was being good.

[momone53]

I've seen additional swearing that I notice more than the F-bomb. Most notably two that start with C (one for male anatomy one for female anatomy). I actually noticed those more, although they didn't really bother me, sorta made me laugh. Also, If you've ever worked in a law firm, behind our office doors the F-bomb is prolific. People swear and Sai King writes honestly.

[Sigmund]

I have to agree. Sometimes the character or situation just begs for a f%8#!!!

I have heard people say, 'Yes, Ma'm' or 'Yes, Sir' with more disrespect, contempt and vile than 'f' ever could convey.

Just my two cents.

Peace.

[Moderator]

They say memory is the second thing to go.

Umm...I can't remember, what was that first thing?

[Out of Order]

Umm...I can't remember, what was that first thing?

Hearing................?