A Short History of Rudeness: Manners, Morals, and Misbehavior in Modern America
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Book Overview
The perceived breakdown of civility has in recent years become a national obsession, and our modern climate of boorishness has cultivated a host of etiquette watchdogs, like Miss Manners and Martha Stewart, who defend us against an onslaught of nastiness. Touching on aspects of both our public and private lives, including work, family, and sex, literary and social critic Mark Caldwell examines how the rules of behavior inevitably change and explains why, no matter how hard we try, we can never return to a golden era of civilized manners and mores.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0312263899
ISBN13:9780312263898
Release Date:July 2000
Publisher:Picador USA
Length:288 Pages
Weight:0.65 lbs.
Dimensions:0.7" x 5.3" x 8.8"
Customer Reviews
4 ratings
Well-written, thought-provoking and well-researched
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
Really excellent book on a neglected subject. A bit too focussed on NYC and neglects the South, but overall an excellent read. Highly recommended.
this book has made me more polite, ha ha
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 26 years ago
now I'm going to be polite to everybody. woohoo
Witty and accessible
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 26 years ago
Completely free of the elitism and moralizing that you usually find in etiquette books, Caldwell bypasses the usual bemoaning of how low our standards are, and instead concentrates on how, when, and why standards of polite behavior have changed over the years.
Caldwell's Short History is Spot On
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 26 years ago
Caldwell covers the history and contemporary culture of manners (or, rather, the lack thereof). He reminds us that while courtesy is anything but common these days, anything less is uncivilized. Sharp and, even pointed when it needs to be, this book puts etiquette in its place: everywhere. For a teenage view point of contemporary manners, a good title would be Alex Packer's HOW RUDE!-which provides a historical and cultural basis, as well as a practical one, for why teens should behave themselves.
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