Cecil B. Hartley

This is one of those accidentally funny books.
Granted some of the book is quite helpful in manners so if you ignore the crazy parts its not a bad instruction book.

On to the funny:

During the dinner party monologue I kept picturing someone's spinster aunt glaring at the end of the table glaring at the guest. The inner monologue getting more and more angry as it goes along.

The next oddly funny part was the end of the ballroom section.

It was mentioned to be careful dancing with a girl because if you move too fast because she might bump into another women with disastrous results. And by disastrous results the book meant that the other girl's charm-bracelet would hurt your date in such a way as to cause her to bleed profusely on her own dress.

So many questions at this point. First: how much psi would one's blood have to be under in order to soak ones own dress from a charm prick. Damn those corsets. Second: what on earth were they wearing for charms... ginsu knives?

Then there was the whole “be careful if the girl accidentally promises to dance with two men on the same dance but didn't realize it.” Apparently a great many a ballroom brawl has been started by this and you may end up with a horrible gash on your cheek or your arm in a sling.

Then the dangers of the waltz: with people galloping around the room with a vigorous waltz you run the risk of breaking your own foot by falling and possibly some bone in her body. … all from the waltz.

I love reading about the Victorian time and I have to say this is the first time I have every heard anything about this with ballrooms. I find it impossible any of this is even close to happened but I so want to read a story with this in it.

From the 101 tips section of the book.

30. avoid personality: nothing is more ungentlemanly.

I'm not joking. This is a quote.

There is more but this was my list of highlights.

If you don't mind digging amongst the helpful tips this makes a funny read. XD… (altro)

This is one of those accidentally funny books.
Granted some of the book is quite helpful in manners so if you ignore the crazy parts its not a bad instruction book.

On to the funny:

During the dinner party monologue I kept picturing someone's spinster aunt glaring at the end of the table glaring at the guest. The inner monologue getting more and more angry as it goes along.

The next oddly funny part was the end of the ballroom section.

It was mentioned to be careful dancing with a girl because if you move too fast because she might bump into another women with disastrous results. And by disastrous results the book meant that the other girl's charm-bracelet would hurt your date in such a way as to cause her to bleed profusely on her own dress.

So many questions at this point. First: how much psi would one's blood have to be under in order to soak ones own dress from a charm prick. Damn those corsets. Second: what on earth were they wearing for charms... ginsu knives?

Then there was the whole “be careful if the girl accidentally promises to dance with two men on the same dance but didn't realize it.” Apparently a great many a ballroom brawl has been started by this and you may end up with a horrible gash on your cheek or your arm in a sling.

Then the dangers of the waltz: with people galloping around the room with a vigorous waltz you run the risk of breaking your own foot by falling and possibly some bone in her body. … all from the waltz.

I love reading about the Victorian time and I have to say this is the first time I have every heard anything about this with ballrooms. I find it impossible any of this is even close to happened but I so want to read a story with this in it.

From the 101 tips section of the book.

30. avoid personality: nothing is more ungentlemanly.

I'm not joking. This is a quote.

There is more but this was my list of highlights.

If you don't mind digging amongst the helpful tips this makes a funny read. XD… (altro)

Man was not intended to live like a bear or a hermit, apart from others of his own nature, and, philosophy and reason will each agree with me, that man was born for sociability and finds his true delight in society. Society is a word capable of many meanings, and used here in each and all of them. Society, par excellence; the world at large; the little clique to which he is bound by early ties; the companionship of friends or relatives; even society tete a tete with one dear sympathizing soul, are pleasant states for a man to be in.

Taking the word in its most extended view, it is the world; but in the light we wish to impress in our book it is the smaller world of the changing, pleasant intercourse of each city or town in which our reader may chance to abide.

This society, composed, as it is, of many varying natures and elements, where each individual must submit to merge his own identity into the universal whole, which makes the word and state, is divided and subdivided into various cliques, and has a pastime for every disposition, grave or gay; and with each division rises up a new set of forms and ceremonies to be observed if you wish to glide down the current of polite life, smoothly and pleasantly.… (altro)