On Farting: Language and Laughter in the Middle Ages (The New Middle Ages)

262 Pages·2010·1.36 MB·English

by  Valerie Allen

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THE NEW MIDDLE AGES
BONNIE WHEELER, Series Editor
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ON FARTING
LANGUAGE AND LAUGHTER IN
THE MIDDLE AGES
Valerie Allen
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ONFARTING
Copyright © Valerie Allen, 2007
All rights reserved.
First published in hardcover in 2007 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN® in the
United States – a division of St. Martin’s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue,
New York, NY 10010.
Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe and the rest of the
world, this is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers
Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills,
Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS.
Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above
companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world.
Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States,
the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries.
ISBN: 978–0–230–10039–8
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Allen, Valerie
On farting : language and laughter in the Middle Ages / Valerie Allen.
p. cm. —(The new Middle Ages)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0–312–23493–7 (alk. paper)
1. Flatulence—Social aspects. 2. Flatulence—History. 3. Flatulence in
literature. I. Title. II. Series: New Middle Ages (Palgrave (Firm))
GT2840.A45 2007
306.4—dc22 2006046360
A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library.
Design by Newgen Imaging Systems (P) Ltd., Chennai, India.
First PALGRAVE MACMILLAN paperback edition: May 2010
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in the United States of America.
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CONTENTS
List of Plates and Figure xi
Acknowledgments xiii
List of Abbreviations xv
Introduction: The Midden Age 1
THE BEGINNING 9
Old Farts 9
For the Edification of Copious Shitters and Costive
Maidens Whose Hours at Siege Should Be
Profitably Employed 15
“Sometimes I Sits and Thinks, Sometimes I Just Sits” 20
Hard Lessons 22
Logic 101 25
The Music AlbumMusical Bum 27
Butts and Instruments: Nature versus Art 30
The Musical Universe 33
Canticus Canticorum [Song of Songs] 35
Broken Air 38
The Nose Knows 42
I / Thou 45
One Flesh 53
Pneuma 62
A Short Excursus on Wind 66
Till Death Us Do Part 68
Inspiration 76
Stuck in the Lavatory 80
“There was an old lady who swallowed a fly...” 87
Farting at the Devil 90
Filthy Lucre 94
Shitting Ducats 97
Duck-Rabbit, Face-Bottom 106