DirtyTalkingGirl posted a link to Matthew Hunt’s exhaustive history of the word cunt.

In keeping with Pussy Talk’s aim to provide good reads “for horny people who think too much”, I’ve been digging out my favourite thought-provoking links on female bits. Today, it’s the essay by Matthew Hunt called Cunt: A Cultural History.

Much to chew on here about the most offensive word in the language, as it’s been described by many observers of the human comedy. Well, maybe. Like many other women who refuse to cringe, I reclaim “cunt” proudly in these pages, but Hunt makes some pointed observations on the process of re-appropriation, too.

I had a chance to read The Meaning of Everything: The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary while downwith the flu this winter and I appreciate Hunt’s work all the more for it. If you’re not as interested in word origins parts may seem esoteric. Other sections are more interesting for those curious why one of the older known (and in their time perfectly ordinary) words should have become “the worst possible word you can use.” Those looking for affirmation will enjoy the observation that the word has overtones of both womanhood and knowledge — it’s no etymological coincidence that one can conceive a child and conceive an idea. Those like DTG who want to reclaim the word there are plenty of pointers. Finally, those looking for further reading will find an exhaustive bibliography.

The great thing about sex is the harder you study the harder it gets. Check it out. For future reference there’s a link in my sidebar too.