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Galateo

Or, The Rules of Polite Behavior

Edited and Translated by M. F. Rusnak
“Since it is the case that you are now just beginning that journey that I have for the most part as you see completed, that is, the one through mortal life, and loving you so very much as I do, I have proposed to myself—as one who has been many places—to show you those places in life where, walking through them, I fear you could easily either fall or take the wrong direction.”

So begins Galateo, a treatise on polite behavior written by Giovanni Della Casa (1503–56) for the benefit of his nephew, a young Florentine destined for greatness.
           
In the voice of a cranky yet genial old uncle, Della Casa offers the distillation of what he has learned over a lifetime of public service as diplomat and papal nuncio. As relevant today as it was in Renaissance Italy, Galateo deals with subjects as varied as dress codes, charming conversation and off-color jokes, eating habits and hairstyles, and literary language. In its time, Galateo circulated as widely as Machiavelli’s Prince and Castiglione’s Book of the Courtier. Mirroring what Machiavelli did for promoting political behavior, and what Castiglione did for behavior at court, Della Casa here creates a picture of the refined man caught in a world in which embarrassment and vulgarity prevail. Less a treatise promoting courtly values or a manual of savoir faire, it is rather a meditation on conformity and the law, on perfection and rules, but also an exasperated—often theatrical—reaction to the diverse ways in which people make fools of themselves in everyday social situations.
           
With renewed interest in etiquette and polite behavior growing both inside and outside the academy, the time is right for a new, definitive edition of this book. More than a mere etiquette book, this restored edition will be entertaining (and even useful) for anyone making their way in modern civilized and polite society, and a subtle gift for the rude neighbor, the thoughtless dinner guest, or the friend or relative in need of a refresher on proper behavior.

144 pages | 4 halftones | 5 x 7 | © 2013

History: European History

Literature and Literary Criticism: Romance Languages

Medieval Studies

Reviews

Galateo holds an important place in the long and rich history of etiquette books.”

Judith Martin | New York Times Book Review

“Throughout, the book reveals a sophisticated understanding of human sensitivity, of our deep-rooted hunger for respect. . . . In its brevity, Galateo can almost be viewed as a kind of Renaissance Elements of Style, with the understanding that ‘style’ here means courteous behavior. Rusnak’s introductory essay, copious notes, and bibliography usefully fill out some of the book’s historical context. But the counsel itself remains timeless.”

Michael Dirda | Washington Post

“Della Casa’s advice is consistently delightful and pointed.”

Boston Globe Brainiac Blog

“A delightful new translation.”

Stephen Greenblatt | New York Review of Books

“[Galateo] mixes sagacity with delicious asperity. Modern foodists would be aghast (and perhaps fall blessedly silent) at the advice on how to behave at a dinner party: ‘You must not do anything to proclaim how greatly you are enjoying the food and wine, for this habit is for tavern keepers.’ Della Casa is wonderfully irritated by people who interrupt constantly (they ‘surely make the other person eager to punch or smack them’), and people who describe their dreams in excruciating detail. It is somehow reassuring to know that idiots and bores are the same throughout the ages.”

Guardian

“Recommended.”

D. Stewart, Ohio University | Choice

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