Sunday, November 16, 2014

What Would Galateo Say?

Il Galateo was good advice written by Giovanni Della Casa (1503–56). Ostensibly written for young noblemen of his time, the book has had wider appeal in post-Renaissance times. The following excerpt is entitled "Dress."

When you go into public, let your dress be genteel, and suitable to your age and station of life. He that does otherwise, shows a contempt of the world, and too great an opinion of his own importance. On this account, the citizens of Padua were always greatly offended, and thought themselves insulted, if a noble Venetian appeared in their streets not in his full dress gown, but in a short coat; as if he fancied himself taking a walk at his ease, in some country village.  
Let your clothes not only be made of good broad cloth but lay it down as a constant rule, in adorning your person, to conform to the custom of the country you live in and also to the fashion of the present times: tho' the dress, which we now use, may perhaps be less convenient and less suited to the human body, than that of the ancients either really was, or as learned men fancy it was.  
In like manner, if the whole town wear their hair cut short, I would not have you ostentatiously display your fine locks at full length; or, if the rest, of your countrymen wear beards, I would not have you alone appear without one: for this would be to make yourself singular, and contrary to other people.  
Whereas, in our common intercourse with mankind, we ought by no means (without some necessity, which shall hereafter be explained) to run counter to the common customs of the world: for this, beyond any other offence we can be guilty of, will render us odious to mankind. There is no reason in the world then, why, in things of this kind, you should oppose the opinion of the public to which you ought always, in a moderate way, to conform; lest you should be left to enjoy your own fashion alone.
Read the whole thing

24 comments:

ricpic said...

Many's the times I've thought how much easier it must have been to live in a time when it was a given that, with the exception of ditch diggers, every man was expected to wear a shirt and tie with a suit or sport coat and trousers. Uncomfortable but worry free as to appropriateness. Oh, and also a hat, be it cap or fedora. Look at street shots of America circa 1940. Essentially not that much difference (other than the quality of the cloth) between banker and grocer.

But maybe this post is getting at something altogether different.

Who knows anymore on a site where Lem has gone from a great Dali quote to something liberal approved but insipid by Ann Frank.

Synova said...

So what do you think of Ann Frank, ricpic?

I read Georgette Heyer (I recommend her romances to men, also) and she often describes how people dress. The first paragraph of this reminds me of a passage in one of her stories (The Unknown Ajax) where Claud dresses up to show his cousin the local town, and he dresses as if he's going to parade in London. Claud's entire existence focused on his clothes and on the goal to become someone that other people copied. His family roasts him for it constantly. And so he brings his much more reserved cousin to the town and begins to parade, impressed at how much the local town folk admire his costume, until his cousin finally tells him to stop or go on alone if he's going to be a spectacle.

But you got the idea that while Claud was laughable, and while it *was* a spectacle, that the townspeople really did like to see him and would look forward to his next visit, and that he probably did understand that he was providing entertainment of a fashion, but the girls liked him and his attention very well and thought he was excessively grand.

And the first paragraph made me think of that... that had Claud dressed like a farmer, the farmers would have despised him for not dressing to his station.

Synova said...

I realize that saying that she describes how people dress doesn't make it sound like her books would be good for men, but it's more the sort of description of the surroundings than wallowing in fashion.

Synova said...

The book I'm reading of hers now (Talisman Ring) is set earlier, possibly pre-American Revolution, and the main character arrives to visit his uncle's deathbed and shocks the staff with his insensibility of going to see his uncle with unpowdered hair.

The uncle, even on his deathbed, is powdered and patched and clutches a lace handkerchief.

It's all very gothic and fun, with a mystery and murder, too.

chickelit said...

It's all very gothic and fun, with a mystery and murder, too.

Were any bodices ripped in the reading?

chickelit said...

The punctuation in that Galateo piece is terrible. I copied it verbatim.

Synova said...

No bodice ripping! Someone will sometimes kiss someone if they're really overcome with feeling but often enough not even kisses.

Georgette Heyer published from 1927 to when she died in 1973.

chickelit said...

lest you should be left to enjoy your own fashion alone.

I like the author's dry wit. This is the second piece of Galateo that I posted on Lem's. The other is here.

edutcher said...

Words to live by.

Christy said...

I liked the bit tho' the dress, which we now use, may perhaps be less convenient and less suited to the human body, than that of the ancients either really was, or as learned men fancy it was.

In Heyer's The Grand Sophy as Sophy is dressing in her Paris gown for dinner, a young cousin reports that the scold, the Honorable Henrietta, soon to marry into the family, says clothes are not the most important thing in the world. Sophy replies "Of course not, except when one is dressing for dinner."

Synova said...

Insty linked to this...

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/120272/lena-dunham-zuckerberg-controversies-dangers-feminist-overreach

Apparently it doesn't take ladies with guns scantily clad in leather on your shirt to get attacked for wearing sexist clothing. All it takes is a gray t-shirt.

Chip Ahoy said...

Read the whole thing...

Okay.

IT is td be obfcrvcd then, that what-f ever is ofFenflve of difagreeable to aity one of our fenfes, or contrary to our ♦ natural inftin^fs and tkjires : And further^ whatever raifes In our minds an idea of any Ithmg filthy or indecent ; or what ihocks our underftanding: I fay, that every thing and every action of this kind, as being ^eatly difpieafing to others, is carefully to be avoided.

Ha ha ha he talks funny.

And Claud sounds like Boy George

Synova said...

Christy, The Grand Sophie is one of my favorites. I hadn't gotten used to the notion that it was common enough to marry cousins when I first read it though, so that bit was really weird and a little bit ew.

Sophie is a terrific character. So many authors have the same character in every book even if that same character has a different name and different history. Heyer could write the Grand Sophie and she could write the heroine in Friday's Child. The heroes are different people, too.

Sir Archy said...

To Mrs. Synova.

Madam,

Unwilling as I am to play the literary Critick, I confess little Patience with Romances set in distant Times & Places. There are commonly groaning Bookshelves of worthy Literature writ in any polite Age, so that a discerning Reader should lack nothing for his Diversion or Improvement by delving into the antient Authors himself. As for those barbarous and rude Ages, so often intersperst betwixt the polish'd, even these, I say, have left us Authors of note, whose Writings are more worth the Reader's Time than silly Modern Inventions, cook'd up on the Spur of the Moment out of the Brains of Authors more concerned with escaping Grub Street than making a worthwhile Contribution to Literature.

Having said with Reluctance what I pray may not be taken amiss, I am,

Madam,

Your humble & obt. Servant,
Sir Archy

Christy said...

Synova, exactly! And she makes us like the fluttering dimwit interested only in clothes (male or female), the sturdy dull housewife, the stolid farmer.... Types we've somehow been taught not to admire.

Sir Archy, Heyer is much admired by the Pulitzer prize-winning critic Michael Dirda. This makes me sanguine in my devotion to the authoress. For me, historical novels have always served as a gateway to the real stuff. Heck, the tome on hieroglyphs I lugged around all 4th grade was probably inspired by a Three Stooges adventure. Or maybe Nancy Drew. Did Nancy Drew have an Egyptian mystery? Anyhow, I'm sure it was some silly tale that piqued my interest.

Unknown said...

My father wore a suit and a tie to work each and every day until he retired.

bagoh20 said...

I disagree, and who exactly are these people who define proper attire. Maybe the President should appoint another czar, because clearly we have a problem here.

bagoh20 said...

The problem in our society is too much conformity, not too little. We follow for no identifiable reason other than it popular or in style, or someone in authority told us so. That's brain dead, and the source of all our biggest problems, including our current fossilization.

bagoh20 said...

We would be a lot better off we stopped listening to Grubers in suits. Suits imply competence, but anybody can put one on. We need to start judging people by performance, not appearances. I am not impressed by a sharp pants crease or a guy who is simply clean and articulate. I have much more use for and can do more good with a dirty plumber, construction worker, or drone operator in a cartoon shirt. At lest he doesn't show up wearing a lie.

chickelit said...

@bagoh20: You're like the Renaissance Man disagreeing with the Renaissance Man.

bagoh20 said...

I think the renaissance has gone too far. We need to check our dress up privilege.

Amartel said...

Diversity of appearance disguises uniformity of thought. And the appearance diversity isn't even all that diverse. (Barbed wire arm tattoos and tramp stamps are the 21st century Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac.) I hope a nice suit on a man or woman never stops symbolizing professional excellence (or at least competence). We should maybe stop focusing on the packaging (hope and change), and the advertising (free stuff!) and examine the substantive content before we buy the product.

TTBurnett said...

Here are Elizabeth Scalia's thoughts on Shirtgate.

From her Facebook link to the piece:

"Grim expressions tell us that women are in possession of ponderous brains, thinking heavy thoughts about justice and science and freedom and clothes."

TTBurnett said...

Here's the Hawaiian shirt that should have been worn.