Editing Ribaldry (section)

== Blue literature ==
As a part of English literature, blue literature dates back to at least [[Middle English]], while bawdy humor is a central element in works of such writers as [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]] and [[Geoffrey Chaucer|Chaucer]]. Examples of blue literature are also present in various cultures, among different social classes, and genders.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Szwed|first=John|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d5p0BAAAQBAJ|title=Crossovers: Essays on Race, Music, and American Culture|date=2006-10-19|publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press|isbn=978-0-8122-1972-2|pages=168|language=en}}</ref> Until the 1940s, writers of English-language blue literature were almost exclusively men; since then, it has become possible for women to build a commercial career on blue literature.<ref name=":0" />{{rp|170}} While no extensive cross-cultural study has been made in an attempt to prove the universality of blue literature, oral tradition around the world suggests that this may be the case.<ref name=":0" />{{rp|169}}