Yes, I think the phrase "proper gentleman" is so interesting in the context of this book, which explores what it means to be a man of honor, and reveals that sometimes a man may be one, but not the other. And some men are beautifully able to be both, though Grey finds the path of honor is not always immediately clear, especially when the conflicting pressures of public and private honor are brought to bear. This passage links the notion of the "proper gentleman" to the public sphere: well-tailored clothes and the surface of things. It contrasts with the "men are beasts" physicality of their sexual intimacy later. But I still think John's sense of himself as a gentleman is irrevocably bound up with his sense of honor and other aspects of his masculinity; it's not just a surface thing for him. -- LJG Discussion board

[ Show ]

Support VoyForums

[ Shrink ]

VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

Monday, April 20, 0:16:45 [ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, 2, 3, [4], 5, 6, 7, 8 ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 08:52:42 11/04/07 Sun
Author:

pamelalass (rambling!)
Subject: Yes, I think the phrase "proper gentleman" is so interesting in the context of this book, which explores what it means to be a man of honor, and reveals that sometimes a man may be one, but not the other. And some men are beautifully able to be both, though Grey finds the path of honor is not always immediately clear, especially when the conflicting pressures of public and private honor are brought to bear. This passage links the notion of the "proper gentleman" to the public sphere: well-tailored clothes and the surface of things. It contrasts with the "men are beasts" physicality of their sexual intimacy later. But I still think John's sense of himself as a gentleman is irrevocably bound up with his sense of honor and other aspects of his masculinity; it's not just a surface thing for him.
In reply to: teddie 's message, "Pamelalass, I also like the contrasting images of the buttoned up and proper personae of John and Percy, compared to the memory of the disheveled and clothes undone-ness of Percy. This could also be said of a man and woman in a proper public setting vs. in the privacy of the bedroom, of course. Considering the forbidden nature of John and Percy's leanings, this scene says so much more for me." on 06:37:33 11/04/07 Sun

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

[ Contact Forum Admin ]

Forum timezone: GMT-8
VF Version: 3.00b, ConfDB:
Before posting please read our privacy policy.
VoyForums^(tm) is a Free Service from Voyager Info-Systems.
Copyright © 1998-2019 Voyager Info-Systems. All Rights Reserved.