The Unexpurgated Code: A Complete Manual of Survival & Manners is a 1975 non-fiction humorous book by J. P. Donleavy.
Overview
The book is a guide for people who feel that they should belong to the manner born[1] - that is, not having to work and generally living a life of luxury.
Chapters:
- Social Climbing
- Extinctions and Mortalities
- Vilenesses Various
- In Pursuit of Comfortable Habits
- Perils and Precautions
Advice
The book consists of hundreds of anecdotes and events one may encounter throughout life, and how to deal with them. Some examples include:
- Upon Embellishing your Background
- Accent Improvement
- Upon the Sudden Reawakening of your Sordid Background
- Ass kissing and other types of Flattery
- Suicide
- Cannibalism
- Upon Saucy Assemblages
- Upon Marrying a Lady for Her Money
- Stripping and Streaking
- When the Overwhelming Desire to Goose a Lady Cannot be Suppressed
- Upon Being a Member of the Titled Classes
- Blowing upon Your Soup
- Wife Beating
- Shabby People
- Shabby Shabby People
- Shabby Shabby Shabby People
Quotations
Shaving: "Hey why are you growing that beard."..."I say, you unpleasantly unfortunate radoteur, I'm not doing a thing. You're shaving every day."
When Some Supercilious Cunt Asks Is There Anything Wrong: "Yes, you evil little man, I'm looking at your tie."
How to Prevent People from Detesting You: "Don't try."
The Psychologist: "This smug son of a bitch."
References
- Donleavy, J. P. (1975). The Unexpurgated Code: A Complete Manual of Survival & Manners. New York: Dell Publishing Co. ISBN 0-440-19229-3.
Notes
- ^ The phrase To the manner born originates in Hamlet by William Shakespeare. cf Bartleby's New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy
External links
This page was last edited on 28 February 2024, at 17:13