Modesty Of Men In The 18th Century

Modesty of Men in the 18th Century The eighteenth century is the Age of Enlightenment, and a time period where people began to seek the philosophies or opinions of men, and shift away from Gods word and principles to be their direction in life. People began to develop their own mindsets and ideas toward life According to New World Encyclopedia, “The Enlightenment advocated reason as a means to establishing an authoritative system of aesthetics, ethics, government, and even religion, which would allow human beings to obtain objective truth about the whole of reality”. The Enlightenment played a vital role in how people viewed their life and the propriety in which men and women carried themselves. Often time’s people focus their attention

When a man showed flattery to a woman, he had to show it with a certain dignity and elegance. . A book called The Dignity of Manners for Men in the eighteenth century mentioned the behaviors the between men and women by stating, “ Revolutionary-era conduct writers did not think of the relationship between women and men the same way they thought of the relationships between class and age inferiors and superiors. Very little of their fairly plentiful advice to women about encounters with men conformed to the standard suggestions for proper behavior with superiors” (Hemphill 108). The statement proves that behavior between sexes, especially higher social classes meant a certain behavior was expected toward women from men in superior class. Manners were a major ordeal for men toward women and their overall demeanor within social environments. The reflection of a man and his manners towards people establish a standard to how people will perceive

Although manners play a primary role when people exchange words, there are certain guidelines that The Accomplished Gentleman book composes, to ensure men use constraint in the discussions they hold in society. Stanhope has a total of thirty-five rules recorded, but there are a few that are significant to comprehending why rules are fundamental for men to use to their advantage when talking in public. One of the rules is “Carefully avoid talking either of your own or others people domestic concerns” (50). Stanhope mentions how discussing personal business or affairs with an induvial is not proper nor modest in any social gathering. Men should keep to ordinary exchange among their peers and never allow the discussion to be profound in order for modesty to be displayed through a man’s character. Addition to keeping personal subjects excluded, is to ensure to “Always look people in the face when you fpeak to them, otherwife you will be thought confcious of fome” (49). The principle of looking at someone’s face while they are talking is modest and respectful to the individual speaking. Throughout the eighteenth century people attended gatherings such as salons. A Salon is “an assembly of guests in such a room, especially an assembly, common during the 17th and 18th centuries, consisting of the leaders in society, art, politics, etc.” (Dictionary.com). These events consisted of constant