In
literature, "scatological" is a term to denote the literary
trope of the
grotesque body. It is used to describe works that make particular reference to excretion or excrement, as well as to
toilet humor. Well known for his scatological tropes is the late medieval fictional character of
Till Eulenspiegel. Another common example is
John Dryden's
Mac Flecknoe, a poem that employs extensive scatological imagery to ridicule Dryden's contemporary
Thomas Shadwell. German literature is particularly rich in scatological texts and references, including such books as
Collofino's
Non Olet. A case which has provoked an unusual amount of comment in the academic literature is
Mozart's scatological humour. Smith, in his review of English literature's representations of scatology from the Middle Ages to the 18th century, notes two attitudes towards scatology. One of these emphasises the merry and the carnivalesque. This is found in
Chaucer and
Shakespeare. The other attitude is one of self-disgust and misanthropy. This is found in the works of the
Earl of Rochester and
Jonathan Swift. == See also ==