The Unexpurgated Code
The Unexpurgated Code: A Complete Manual of Survival & Manners is a 1975 non-fiction humorous book by J. P. Donleavy.
Overview[edit]
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[edit]
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[edit]
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[edit]
- Donleavy, J. P. (1975). The Unexpurgated Code: A Complete Manual of Survival & Manners. New York: Dell Publishing Co. ISBN 0-440-19229-3.
Notes[edit]
- ^ The phrase To the manner born originates in Hamlet by William Shakespeare. cf Bartleby's New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy