Arrogance; subliminal hatred, a different and possibly cultured approach to modern manners – those – are all different things one could argue when reading Hitching’s eye-catching novel. Granted these are vicarious; yet honest thoughts, they are ever-so-present in Henry Hitchings Sorry! the English and Their Manners. The novel, perhaps, quickly dives deep into a subliminal region of anger; racing thoughts, launching a full-scale assault on the meaning of manners and manners in modern culture.
Hitching’s arguments; rants, and sweat-boiling rages are often to similarly caused by things we experience in real life. A trigger of Hitching’s rage, may be considered, perhaps, always differentiating meanings of what one may consider “manners”. He felt that in modern day, societal culture, has evolved and that modern manners could be decoded as an evolving roundabout of modern societal advancements that resulted in the birth of new social movements; relationships, and codes.
Hitchings, perhaps, could be considered an uninhibited writer. His intelligence; his exponential approach to learning, he collectively has mastered what it means to multitask. His narrative on manners, a non-fiction, reaches deeply into what we, as a society, define modern manners as today. His argument of evolution is, to say the least, plausible by all means necessary.
If anything sets or resonates true with Hitching’s arguments, it, perhaps, is the fact that his limitless approach to the in-depth history of manners and their evolution is like roaming tirelessly through an empty forest in the middle of Siberia. His uncultured approach to the way manners have evolved, indeed, could be seen as sort of a paradox, considering, his argument that manners still even exist in a culture, today, whereas, they more than often do not.
An interesting feat in Hitching’s book, perhaps, is the uncharacteristically strange accidental intermittent approach to manners across numerous regions. It became apparent during a historic approach to manners, that, he had steadfastly began to struggle to dutifully differentiate manners across each region and their time period. Therefore, perhaps, this lends essence to the reason why he titled his novel Sorry! The English and Their Manners – because – he then solely focused on the English and the evolution of their manners.
While it may depend entirely who one asks, the argument that manners in England were born within the church, is actually pretty accurate. Hitching’s subliminal argument that our ability to know better, or not to, do things like “sneezing without covering our face” or “blowing our nose in our hands” is an ability in which we as humans contain that allows us to maintain a sense of morality in the ways in which we affect and approach others. Do we limit those powers? The definitive answer, is, one may decide that for themselves. But, Hitchings’, believes that if we relinquish those abilities to know better (and the affect we have on others) than we are limiting our mannerly abilities that were gifted upon us over hundreds of years of practice and common sense.
As interestingly unique; poignant, and effortless as Sorry! The English and Their Manners actually is, it, teaches readers one thing. Hitching’s was a man of tradition; uniqueness, and inner wisdom not seen in many people. A perpendicular perspective of wisdom that by no means could centrally be challenged, without, an indirect effort to understand what Hitchings’ truly meant by his argument that manners still exist.
References
Hitchings, Henry Sorry! The English and Their Manners 2013 January 1 Picador Books
