![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Etiquette! And the proper usage of it.
Sep. 27th, 2005 11:17 pmThe part of the day not spent in class, I was running about town attempting to find books about Victorian etiquette from libraries. I say libraries, for there were a couple. Basically the school one, and the Boston Public Library. I was quite in luck at the BPL, for not only did I find a rather smelly, Learning How to Behave: A Historical Study of American Etiquette Books (from the 1940s) but also a reprint of the 1879 Our Deportment, or the Manners, Conduct and Dress of the Most Refined Society; Including Forms for Letters, Invitations, Etc., Etc., Also Valuable Suggestions for Home Culture and Training. Apparently, there was no etiquette for short titles.
A man must have written this book. Look! We have here the etiquette for "Conversing with Ladies":
A gentleman should never lower the intellectual standard of his conversation in addressing ladies. Pay them the compliment of seeming to consider them capable of an equal understanding with gentlemen.
It is all hilarity. I drew a feminist killing a knight on Meredith's whiteboard tonight to proclaim that the activists killed chivalry (since I was reading about all the proper manly etiquette to be used around women that no longer happens. Tipping a hat to a lady? Heaven forbid! I don't think she took offense, though, because when I came home from choir practice, a book on the repressed female was waiting outside my door (I had written underneath my drawing that I was looking for any books on the Victorian female, and was hoping she would have something since she is a GCS major). I like Meredith. And Jen. I ate dinner tonight with her, and we complained about how much work we have to do.
Oh! I'm going to buy two etiquette books tonight, just watch me. One a reprint and one an actual 1856 one! Probably in horrible condition, but I want! And I'm sure it will be useful someday...
And I need mom to hunt down a book of manly etiquette that I have in a box in Florida when they go down there next week. Why is it that the books I need are so far away. I think there is another one I have there that would also prove useful for this assignment. An assignment I'm still confused about exactly what I'm supposed to be doing. Apparently a reading report on the history of books of etiquette. Well, something like that. I have a month to figure it out.
Oh, and I asked Jen what her favorite flower was. She said carnation. According to this spiffy book, a yellow carnation means disdain. So I can now call her Lady Disdain! And I didn't know that sapphire was considered the birthstone for April, I always thought it was diamond.
Oh, and according to this book, I have my parents and their neglect of watching how close I hold a book to my face (and allowing me to wear my glasses all the time) to blame for my near-sightedness.
Dorkiness ETA: Just bought two Victorian Etiquette books, one from 1856 and the other a reprint of an 1864 book. Now I can really win over the boys when they come a-visiting!
A man must have written this book. Look! We have here the etiquette for "Conversing with Ladies":
A gentleman should never lower the intellectual standard of his conversation in addressing ladies. Pay them the compliment of seeming to consider them capable of an equal understanding with gentlemen.
It is all hilarity. I drew a feminist killing a knight on Meredith's whiteboard tonight to proclaim that the activists killed chivalry (since I was reading about all the proper manly etiquette to be used around women that no longer happens. Tipping a hat to a lady? Heaven forbid! I don't think she took offense, though, because when I came home from choir practice, a book on the repressed female was waiting outside my door (I had written underneath my drawing that I was looking for any books on the Victorian female, and was hoping she would have something since she is a GCS major). I like Meredith. And Jen. I ate dinner tonight with her, and we complained about how much work we have to do.
Oh! I'm going to buy two etiquette books tonight, just watch me. One a reprint and one an actual 1856 one! Probably in horrible condition, but I want! And I'm sure it will be useful someday...
And I need mom to hunt down a book of manly etiquette that I have in a box in Florida when they go down there next week. Why is it that the books I need are so far away. I think there is another one I have there that would also prove useful for this assignment. An assignment I'm still confused about exactly what I'm supposed to be doing. Apparently a reading report on the history of books of etiquette. Well, something like that. I have a month to figure it out.
Oh, and I asked Jen what her favorite flower was. She said carnation. According to this spiffy book, a yellow carnation means disdain. So I can now call her Lady Disdain! And I didn't know that sapphire was considered the birthstone for April, I always thought it was diamond.
Oh, and according to this book, I have my parents and their neglect of watching how close I hold a book to my face (and allowing me to wear my glasses all the time) to blame for my near-sightedness.
Dorkiness ETA: Just bought two Victorian Etiquette books, one from 1856 and the other a reprint of an 1864 book. Now I can really win over the boys when they come a-visiting!
