Profanity, Disgust, and Dangerous Literature: A
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PROFANITY, DISGUST, AND DANGEROUS LITERATURE: A HERMENEUTICAL ANALYSIS OF THE CATCHER IN THE RYE AND THE CHOCOLATE WAR A Dissertation by MYCHELLE HADLEY SMITH Submitted to the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Chair of Committee, Patrick Slattery Committee Members, Lynn M. Burlbaw Cathleen C. Loving Theodore George Head of Department, Yeping Li August 2015 Major Subject: Curriculum and Instruction Copyright 2015 Mychelle Hadley Smith ABSTRACT Varying levels and types of colloquial language are considered inappropriate, especially profanity. Obscene language is one aspect applied to the R-rating for movies and television shows. Profanity also plays a large role as a deterrent in books; consequently, profanity is a popular motive for banning books in schools and libraries. What if instead of turning away from profanity, readers could analyze and understand the reasons and meaning behind the profane words? Hermeneutics, used as a philosophical lens, allows for deeper understanding of textual language. If interpreted through educational and historical context with the aid of hermeneutics, profanity becomes a useful literary element within the text. Rather than banning books from high school curricula, educators and students can interpret the meaning and underlying purpose of profanity in literature. This study utilizes hermeneutics as a lens for understanding the role of profanity in two young adult novels: The Catcher in the Rye and The Chocolate War. Profanity usage in both novels is indicative of the realistic nature of the characters’ lives and struggles. Students need to know that their interpretation—of a text, of the world, of themselves—is important. The reader-response approach to literary criticism allows for an intimate relationship to develop between the reader and the object of interpretation— in this case the text. Analysis and discussion of the experiences that human beings have and our ability to share these experiences through language and fusions of horizons in Gadamer’s hermeneutics allows for true education—ensuring understanding can take place. ii DEDICATION To my mother and father, Patricia and Scott. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my committee chair, Dr. Patrick Slattery for his guidance as a mentor and his continued support to pursue the dangerous and provocative. I would also like to thank my committee members, Dr. Loving, Dr. Burlbaw, and Dr. George for their guidance and support throughout the course of this philosophical experience. I would especially like to thank my parents for their continued support and encouragement. I extend my gratitude to my husband, Travis, for his motivation and encouragement. Lastly, I extend a special thanks to Holden Caulfield and Jerry Renault. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT ………………………………………………………..……………..……ii DEDICATION …………………………………………..…………..…………………iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS…..…………………………………...………………..……..iv TABLE OF CONTENTS…………………………………..……….……….……...……v LIST OF FIGURES…………………………………..…………….……….…….…….vii LIST OF TABLES………………………………..………………….……………...…viii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION……………..……...………………….……….……… 1 Problem Statement .…….…..…………………..………...……………..……… 2 Theoretical Framework …….……………………………….………….………. 3 Research Questions …….…………………………………...………………….. 4 Research Objectives …...……………………….………..……….……..……… 5 Significance of the Study …………………………………………………….… 6 Plan for the Dissertation……………..………...…………………………...….. 6 CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW….…..……………………….…………….. 8 Derrida’s Deconstruction……………………………………………..………… 9 Introduction to Hermeneutics.…………………………..………………...…… 12 Biblical Hermeneutics……………..……………………………………………14 Conservative Philosophical Hermeneutics: Schleiermacher………..……….. 16 Gadamer’s Hermeneutics………………………………………………...…… 19 Introduction to Disgust……...…….…………………………………..……… 25 Moralization of Disgust…………………………………………..….………. 26 Disgust and Society…………………………………………….….….……… 30 Disgust and Food…………………………………………………….….…….. 34 Introduction of the Fifth Sense: Hearing ……………………………………. 35 Profanity: Elicitor of Disgust …………………………..…………………… 36 Word Aversion………………………………………………….….…….……. 42 Literary Analysis: Reader-response Criticism.…….……...………………...… 45 Curriculum Theory……………………..……………………………………… 50 Censorship by Banning Books .……………………………………….….…… 59 The Catcher in the Rye ………………………………………………………... 71 The Chocolate War…………………………………………..................……… 72 v Page Literature Review Conclusion ………………………………………………… 75 CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY.………………………………………..……...….... 76 Introduction ……..……………………………………...………………………76 Research Perspective ……..…………………………………………………… 76 Research Design ………………………………………………………………. 77 Research Questions ………………………………….……………………….. 78 Focus ………………………………………………….………………………. 79 Key Facilitator for Creating Experiences ……….………………………..…… 80 Subjectivity..………………………………………………………...…………. 80 Referential Adequacy and Structural Corroboration ………………………….. 80 CHAPTER IV EXPERIENCES…………………………………………………….…. 82 Introduction …………………………..……………………………………...…82 Methodology Summary…….………………………………………..…….……82 Novel 1: The Catcher in the Rye……………….…...…………….…………… 83 Novel 2: The Chocolate War……..………..….………..……..……..………… 99 CHAPTER V DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS …….……………………...…. 121 Introduction …….……………………………………..………………...…….121 Research Question One …………………………...……………………….….121 Research Question Two ………………………………………………..…….. 127 Research Question Three…………………………………………………..…. 137 Limitations …………...………………………………………………………. 142 Future Research ……...………………………….………………………….... 143 Conclusion …………………………………………………...…………….… 146 REFERENCES ...……………………………………...………………………….….. 150 vi LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1 Conceptual Framework……………………………………...…….……. 9 Figure 2 Progression of Hermeneutics Leading to Gadamer………………....…. 20 Figure 3 Book Challenges by Reason 1990-2009 ……………………...……… 68 Figure 4 Initiators of Book Challenges 1990-2009…………………….…..…... 69 Figure 5 Book Challenges by Institution from 1990-2009 …………….…..…… 70 Figure 6 Profanity Usage in The Catcher in the Rye…………….…….…..……. 89 Figure 7 Profanity Usage in The Chocolate War …………...………….……… 109 vii LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1 Frequency of Profane Words in The Catcher in the Rye………………. 88 Table 2 Frequency of Profane Words in The Chocolate War………..…….…...108 viii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION As a first year high school teacher in 2009-2010, I was given the task of selecting novels for my ninth and eleventh grade students to read. I wanted to select novels that the students could relate to, not just read about from a distance. I selected from a small variety of book titles that were already ordered and neatly organized on my classroom shelves. As the year progressed, parents came forth claiming that the material was not acceptable due to the profanity and mature content in the books. Literature such as Of Mice and Men, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and The Crucible was suddenly under attack. During my first year of teaching, I began my quest to better understand censorship such as banning books. This quest led me to investigate profanity’s role in curriculum. While taking a Curriculum Theory course during my Master’s Degree study, I was introduced to philosophical hermeneutics in Patrick Slattery’s (2006) textbook, Curriculum Development in the Postmodern Era. Two years later in my doctoral degree coursework, my interest in hermeneutics developed further in the Philosophy of Education course. I decided to create a hermeneutical analysis of colloquial language, specifically profanity, and apply this analysis to discuss high school reading curriculum. Specifically, I was concerned with the two novels, The Catcher in the Rye and The Chocolate War. Writings, studies, and research involving hermeneutics are plentiful, as is material on profanity; however, the two have not yet been joined in the realm of educational philosophy research. The problem I would like to solve is: What role does 1 profanity have in high school English reading curriculum and how can philosophical hermeneutics be applied to interpret profanity? Problem Statement Varying levels and types of colloquial language are considered inappropriate, especially profanity. Obscene language is one aspect applied to the R-rating for movies and television shows. Profanity also plays a large role as a deterrent in books. Profanity is a popular motive for banning books in schools and libraries. Of the 5,099 books banned since 2000, 1,291 books were banned due to offensive language (Frequently Challenged Books of the 21st Century, 2014). What are students missing due to the rejection of over 5,000 books? Is profanity limiting the reading possibilities for high school students due to schools deeming the literature obscene? What if instead of turning away from profanity, readers could analyze and understand the reasons and meaning behind the profane words? Hermeneutics, used as a philosophical lens, allows for deeper understanding of textual language. Understanding allows the “layers of tradition, prejudice, and conscious evasion” to be set free (Slattery, p. 129, 2006). By analyzing the image of profanity, I am able to examine the influences of profanity in literature on a philosophical level. Hermeneutics will be used as a methodological tool for “recovering meaning that is essential to understanding” (Malpas, 2013). If interpreted through educational and historical context with the aid of hermeneutics, profanity becomes a useful literary element within the text.