Devilishly good:
Selected Works, by John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester, ed Frank H Ellis (Penguin, £4.99)
On the front cover of this brief selection is a discreet roundel which proclaims: "the original writings of the libertine poet". The idea, I suspect, is to attract filmgoers who have seen Johnny Depp in The Libertine, out this week. It is easy to react snobbishly, but Depp tends not to involve himself in worthless films and besides, you can at least note the physical resemblance between Depp and Rochester. Crucially, though, the book only costs a fiver and I am amused by the idea of commuters reading a work of Restoration poetry in public places, particularly when it so often contains the word "fuck". (If such language offends you, then now might be a good time to stop reading this review.)
For Rochester, if people know anything about him, is the poet who uses rude words a lot. And not just the f-word. The c-word is one of his favourites, too, as a word and the thing it refers to. I wonder how the Americans are going to react to the Rochester film, if that word appears in it. For Americans, the word is a vile misogynist insult, used only towards women. Here it is used only to insult men, and with ambiguous significance. Used to describe the vagina, it is not automatically insulting. Don't take my word for it - ask Germaine Greer. [...]
This entry was posted by eeksypeeksy
on Wednesday, October 27, 2004 at 9:09 AM.
You can skip to the end and leave a response.
» Post a Comment