Regarding the McDermott letter reprinted March 18 as the "letter of the month." To swear or not to swear is not the question. The question is whether literature, including drama, is to be presented in its original form as written by the author.
Perhaps the most infamous sanitizer of literature was Thomas Bowdler (1754-1825), who rewrote Shakespeare and other authors' works to fit his notions of decency. This is a perilous road to travel down, for it allows the views of the bowdlerizer to take precedence over the truth. The truth, whether one likes it or not, is that Shakespeare, Tennessee Williams and most of the Nobel laureates wrote works that captured the life and language of their times.
People do swear and always have. Perhaps some folks find that offensive. I do, depending on the situation.
Far more offensive, however, is the thought of a theater company producing a play in a bowdlerized version. There is no case to be made that the U. theater people are corrupting youth. Virtually every university student is over 18 and therefore legally an adult. Adults should not be sheltered from reality. A student who strongly objects to using profanity while performing a role in a play should take some other class.
Miriam Murphy
Salt Lake City