“A Helluva Read”: Profanity in Adolescent Literature

Abstract

Although the use of profanity has been examined in a number of types of media, to our knowledge profanity has not been examined in adolescent literature. Thus, the frequency and portrayal of profanity was coded in 40 bestselling adolescent novels. Results revealed that some novels did not contain a single instance of profanity, whereas others contained hundreds of often very strong profanity. When profanity was used, characters were likely to be young, rich, attractive, and of pronounced social status. Novels directed at older adolescents contained much more profanity. However, age guidance or content warnings are not found on the books themselves. Discussion is provided regarding the implications of the findings and the appropriateness of including content warnings in adolescent literature.

Notes

^a Original amount in parentheses.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sarah M. Coyne

Sarah M. Coyne (Ph.D., University of Central Lancashire, 2004) is Assistant Professor in the School of Family Life at Brigham Young University. Her research interests include media and adolescents.

Mark Callister

Mark Callister (Ph.D., University of Arizona, 1997) is a Full Professor in the Department of Communications at Brigham Young University. His research interests include general media effects and advertising.

Laura A. Stockdale

Laura A. Stockdale (MSc, Brigham Young University, 2011) is a Ph.D. student at Loyola University. Her research interests include media and adolescents.

David A. Nelson

David A. Nelson (Ph.D., University of Minnesota, 1999) is Associate Professor in the School of Family Life at Brigham Young University. His research includes parenting and aggression.

Brian M. Wells

Brian M. Wells (BSc, Brigham Young University, 2010) is a Ph.D. student studying statistics, specifically survey designs.