Sorry! The English and Their Manners - Brossura

Hitchings, Henry

Brossura

ISBN 10: 1848546653 ISBN 13: 9781848546653

Casa editrice: John Murray Publishers Ltd, 2013

Riassunto

Most of us know a bit about what passes for good manners - holding doors open, sending thank-you notes, no elbows on the table. We certainly know bad manners when we see them. But where has this patchwork of beliefs and behaviours come from? How did manners develop? How do they change? And why do they matter so much to us? In examining our manners, Henry Hitchings delves into the English character and investigates our notions of Englishness. Sorry! presents an amusing, illuminating and quirky audit of English manners. From basic table manners to appropriate sexual conduct, via hospitality, chivalry, faux pas and online etiquette, Hitchings traces the history of our country's customs and courtesies. Putting under the microscope some of our most astute observers of humanity, including Jane Austen and Samuel Pepys, he uses their lives and writings to pry open the often downright peculiar secrets of the English character. Hitchings' blend of history, anthropology and personal journey helps us understand our bizarre and contested cultural baggage - and ourselves.

Su questo libro

Recensione:

'A writer of apparently limitless learning and intelligence, who writes works of scholarship masquerading as popular narrative non-fiction . . . the man is something else' (Guardian)

'An excellent history, just don't read it at the dinner table . . . this insightful book will give you pause the next time you wipe your nose on the duvet or - social death! - top up your host's glass at a New Year's Eve party' (The Times)

'Amusing and enlightening . . . he is particularly insightful in depicting the evolutionary shift manners have taken since they were first codified on paper in the Middle Ages' (Financial Times)

'[Hitchings] is a lovely writer, full of interesting ideas and neat turns of phrase' (Daily Mail)

'Hitchings has made a bold, entertaining and often imaginative, assault on a fundamentally impossible subject' (Observer)

'Manners is a fascinating subject, and Hitchings handles it with all his customary wit, knowledge and elegance' (Mail on Sunday)

'Highly entertaining and absorbing book' (Daily Telegraph)

'Understated elegance . . . it is itself an impeccably well-mannered and deeply English product' (The Spectator)

'Witty and sharp . . . full of diverting nuggets and anecdotes . . . elegantly written' (Sunday Times)

'A scholarly study of English manners' (Country Life)

L'autore:

Henry Hitchings was born in 1974. He has contributed to many newspapers and magazines and is theatre critic for the Evening Standard.

Su questa edizione

• Editore: John Murray Publishers Ltd
• Data di pubblicazione: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1848546653
• ISBN 13: 9781848546653
• Rilegatura: Copertina flessibile
• Numero di pagine: 400