diff --git a/INSTALL b/INSTALL
index 3d1f8bd..c591387 100644
--- a/INSTALL
+++ b/INSTALL
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ Configure.sh has a few options that can be set:
 --enable-pandoc-header	Use pandoc-style header blocks
 --enable-superscript	A^B expands to A<sup>B</sup>
 --enable-amalloc	Use a debugging memory allocator (to detect leaks)
+--relaxed-emphasis	Don't treat _ in the middle of a word as emphasis
 --with-tabstops=N	Set tabstops to N characters (default is 4)
 
 3) Installing sample programs and manpages
diff --git a/README b/README
index 1857bc8..96df998 100644
--- a/README
+++ b/README
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@ DISCOUNT is free software;  it is released under a BSD-style license
 that allows you to do as you wish with it as long as you don't attempt
 to claim it as your own work.
 
-
 Most of the programs included in the DISCOUNT distribution have
 manual pages describing how they work.
 
diff --git a/configure.sh b/configure.sh
index e904828..b69b66b 100755
--- a/configure.sh
+++ b/configure.sh
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ ac_help='--enable-dl-tag	Use the DL tag extension
 --enable-pandoc-header	Use pandoc-style header blocks
 --enable-superscript	A^B becomes A<sup>B</sup>
 --enable-amalloc	Enable memory allocation debugging
+--relaxed_emphasis	underscores aren'\''t special in the middle of words
 --with-tabstops=N	Set tabstops to N characters (default is 4)'
 
 LOCAL_AC_OPTIONS='
@@ -25,6 +26,9 @@ fi'
 locals() {
     K=`echo $1 | tr '[a-z]' '[A-Z]'`
     case "$K" in
+    --RELAXED_EMPHAS*)
+		echo RELAXED_EMPHASIS=T
+		;;
     --ENABLE-*)	enable=`echo $K | sed -e 's/--ENABLE-/WITH-/' | tr '-' '_'`
 		echo ${enable}=T
 		;;
@@ -112,6 +116,10 @@ else
     AC_SUB	'AMALLOC'	''
 fi
 
+if [ "$RELAXED_EMPHASIS" ]; then
+    AC_DEFINE	'RELAXED_EMPHASIS'	1
+fi
+
 [ "$OS_FREEBSD" -o "$OS_DRAGONFLY" ] || AC_CHECK_HEADERS malloc.h
 
 [ "$WITH_DL_TAG" ] && AC_DEFINE 'DL_TAG_EXTENSION' '1'
diff --git a/generate.c b/generate.c
index 7a85bd0..813e550 100644
--- a/generate.c
+++ b/generate.c
@@ -941,29 +941,25 @@ text(MMIOT *f)
 		    }
 		    break;
 #endif
-	case '*':
-	case '_':   if ( tag_text(f) )
-			Qchar(c, f);
+	case '_':
 #if RELAXED_EMPHASIS
-		    else if ( peek(f,1) == c ) {
-			for ( rep = 1; peek(f,1) == c; pull(f) )
-			    ++rep;
-
-			Qem(f, c, rep);
-		    }
-		    else if ( (isthisspace(f,-1) && isthisspace(f,1))
-			   || (isalnum(peek(f,-1)) && isalnum(peek(f,1))) )
+		    /* If RELAXED_EMPHASIS, underscores don't count when
+		     * they're in the middle of a word.
+		     */
+		    if ( (isthisspace(f,-1) && isthisspace(f,1))
+			    || (isalnum(peek(f,-1)) && isalnum(peek(f,1))) ) {
 			Qchar(c, f);
-		    else {
-			Qem(f, c, 1);
+			break;
 		    }
-#else
+		    /* else fall into the regular old emphasis case */
+#endif
+	case '*':   if ( tag_text(f) )
+			Qchar(c, f);
 		    else {
 			for (rep = 1; peek(f,1) == c; pull(f) )
 			    ++rep;
 			Qem(f,c,rep);
 		    }
-#endif
 		    break;
 	
 	case '`':   if ( tag_text(f) )
diff --git a/tests/emphasis.t b/tests/emphasis.t
index fa26c5c..99ef911 100644
--- a/tests/emphasis.t
+++ b/tests/emphasis.t
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 
 rc=0
 MARKDOWN_FLAGS=
+MARKDOWN_VERSION=`./markdown -V`
 
 ./echo -n '  *hi* -> <em>hi</em> .............. '
 
@@ -57,4 +58,23 @@ else
     rc=1
 fi
 
+./echo -n '  A_B .............................. '
+case "$MARKDOWN_VERSION" in
+*RELAXED*)
+    if ./echo '_A_B' | ./markdown | grep -i 'A_B' > /dev/null; then
+	./echo "ok"
+    else
+	./echo "FAILED"
+	rc=1
+    fi
+    ;;
+*)  if ./echo '_A_B' | ./markdown | grep -i 'A</em>B' > /dev/null; then
+	./echo "ok"
+    else
+	./echo "FAILED"
+	rc=1
+    fi
+    ;;
+esac
+
 exit $rc
diff --git a/version.c.in b/version.c.in
index 0f4b349..3bd4213 100644
--- a/version.c.in
+++ b/version.c.in
@@ -15,5 +15,8 @@ char markdown_version[] = VERSION
 #endif
 #if USE_AMALLOC
 		" DEBUG"
+#endif
+#if RELAXED_EMPHASIS
+		" RELAXED"
 #endif
 		;