This thought-provoking book explores the widespread phenomenon of respectability and its pervasive influence on society. Centered on 19th century Britain, the author examines the damaging effects of this social construct, which he argues has stifled progress and bred moral cowardice. The author traces the origins of respectability to the puritanical Victorian era, with its rigid social hierarchies and emphasis on outward appearances. Victorian values are shown to have cast a long shadow, with the bourgeoisie emerging as staunch upholders of respectability. The book argues that this preoccupation with conformity and the accumulation of social status comes at the expense of individuality, intellectual honesty, and true morality. Through incisive analysis and real-life examples, the author exposes the many ways in which respectability warps human behavior and stifles social advancement, ultimately concluding that this insidious social disease can only be eradicated through a radical shift in values, prioritizing authenticity and compassion over superficial status-seeking.
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Excerpt from The Blight of Respectability: An Anatomy of the Disease and a Theory of Curative Treatment
Shakspere, Dryden, Fielding, and Burns as respectable men? No great man has ever been, or ever can be, of the respectabilities, for the simple reason that the great are not ordinary, and the ordinary alone are respectable. Have you ever read or heard of a truly noble man or woman who was also respectable? Nobility of character and a reputation for respectability, the two things are utterly incompatible! Sup posing it possible for an original mind to pursue the preposterous chimera of respectability, where would such a mind find itself ultimately? Prone and lazy on the unclean straw of intellectual habits, an impotent among impotents, or a sheep among sheep.
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Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
Excerpt from The Blight of Respectability: An Anatomy of the Disease and a Theory of Curative Treatment
"You live a respectable man, but I ask If its worth the trouble." George Meredith. "The Beggar's Soliloquy."
Respectable is a word that has been wrested from its true meaning of worthy of respect, and applied to the most sordid characteristics and conditions of human life. Respectability, like vulgarity and prudery, is an Anglo-Saxon attribute appertinent chiefly to the huge middle-class part of society. It is not the fetish of "the upper ten thousand," nor do the majority of the working class bow down before it. Respectability stands for gentility, and the genteel folk are not often of the orders aristocratic and proletarian, but of the bourgeoisie. To call a decent, intelligent man respectable is to dub him genteel, and to label him so implies that he has reached about the lowest level of mental degradation.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
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Librería: Forgotten Books, London, Reino Unido
Paperback. Condición: New. Print on Demand. This thought-provoking book explores the widespread phenomenon of respectability and its pervasive influence on society. Centered on 19th century Britain, the author examines the damaging effects of this social construct, which he argues has stifled progress and bred moral cowardice. The author traces the origins of respectability to the puritanical Victorian era, with its rigid social hierarchies and emphasis on outward appearances. Victorian values are shown to have cast a long shadow, with the bourgeoisie emerging as staunch upholders of respectability. The book argues that this preoccupation with conformity and the accumulation of social status comes at the expense of individuality, intellectual honesty, and true morality. Through incisive analysis and real-life examples, the author exposes the many ways in which respectability warps human behavior and stifles social advancement, ultimately concluding that this insidious social disease can only be eradicated through a radical shift in values, prioritizing authenticity and compassion over superficial status-seeking. This book is a reproduction of an important historical work, digitally reconstructed using state-of-the-art technology to preserve the original format. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in the book. print-on-demand item. Nº de ref. del artículo: 9781331662815_0
Cantidad disponible: Más de 20 disponibles
Librería: PBShop.store US, Wood Dale, IL, Estados Unidos de America
PAP. Condición: New. New Book. Shipped from UK. Established seller since 2000. Nº de ref. del artículo: LW-9781331662815
Cantidad disponible: 15 disponibles
Librería: PBShop.store UK, Fairford, GLOS, Reino Unido
PAP. Condición: New. New Book. Shipped from UK. Established seller since 2000. Nº de ref. del artículo: LW-9781331662815
Cantidad disponible: 15 disponibles
Librería: Buchpark, Trebbin, Alemania
Condición: Hervorragend. Zustand: Hervorragend | Sprache: Englisch | Produktart: Bücher | Keine Beschreibung verfügbar. Nº de ref. del artículo: 25976783/1
Cantidad disponible: 1 disponibles