[Date: 1601.] Conversation, as it was the Social Fireside, in the Time of the Tudors. or simply 1601 is the title of a humorous work by Mark Twain, first published anonymously in 1880, and finally claimed by Twain in 1906. Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was a famous and popular American humorist, writer and lecturer. ... 1880 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1906 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

Written as an extract from the diary of one of Queen Elizabeth's servants, 1601 was, according to Edward Wagenknecht, "the most famous piece of pornography in American literature." It was more ribaldry than pornography, however; its content was more in the nature of irreverent and vulgar comedic shock than of "obscene" erotica. Nevertheless, in the United States, prior to the court decisions (1959-1966) that legalized the publication of Lady Chatterley's Lover, Tropic of Cancer, and Fanny Hill, the book continued to be considered unprintable, and circulated clandestinely in privately-printed, limited editions. Its characterization as "pornography" would be satirized in 1939 by Franklin J. Meine in the introduction to an edition of the work. Ribaldry is the third and somewhat neglected genre of sexual entertainments, something different from either pornography or erotica, yet is often confused with them. ... Pornography (from Greek πορνογραφια pornographia — literally writing about or drawings of harlots) (also informally referred to as porn or porno) is the representation of the human body or human sexual behaviour with the goal of sexual arousal, similar to, but (according to some) distinct from, erotica. ... The term vulgar originally meant of the common people, from the Latin vulgus. ... Obscenity has several connotations. ... An erotic photo Erotica, from the Greek eros, “love”, are works of art, including literature, photography, film, sculpture and painting, that deal substantively with erotically stimulating or arousing descriptions. ... 1959 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1966 was a common year starting on Saturday (link goes to calendar) // Events January January 1 - In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa ousts president David Dacko and takes over the Central African Republic. ... Lady Chatterleys Lover is a sexually explicit novel by D. H. Lawrence written in 1928. ... Tropic of Cancer cover Tropic of Cancer is a sexually explicit novel by Henry Miller, first published in 1934. ... Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure, also known as Fanny Hill is a novel by John Cleland. ... Satire is a literary technique of writing or art which exposes the follies of its subject (for example, individuals, organizations, or states) to ridicule, often as an intended means of provoking or preventing change. ... 1939 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Excerpt

According to the diarist,

In ye heat of ye talk it befel yt one did breake wind, yielding an exceding mightie and distresfull stink, whereat all did laugh full sore.

The Queen inquires as to the source, and receives various replies. Lady Alice says

"Good your grace, an' I had room for such a thundergust within mine ancient bowels, 'tis not in reason I coulde discharge ye same and live to thank God for yt He did choose handmaid so humble whereby to shew his power. Nay, 'tis not I yt have broughte forth this rich o'ermastering fog, this fragrant gloom, so pray you seeke ye further."

From there, the talk proceeds to jokes about "maidenheddes," cod-pieces, bollocks, arses, "tools," and includes three of George Carlin's "Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television." George Carlin in the film Jersey Girl George Dennis Carlin (born May 12, 1937 in New York City) is an Irish American (I used to be Irish Catholic, now Im an American. ... The Seven dirty words are seven words that were prohibited from use on broadcast media in the United States, including both over-the-air television and radio stations. ...

External links

• (16 chapters) Full text of Mark Twain's 1601
• Text of Mark Twain's 1601
• Free eBook of 1601 at Project Gutenberg