`This is a highly original and in many ways brilliant text. It is a model of how historical/process sociological research ought to be conducted and written-up. The author's subtle blending of theory and data is outstanding' - Eric Dunning, Professor of Sociology, University of Leicester `Wouters has written a book both broad in scope and deep in analytic reach. Exploring changes in courtship norms over the last century in English, Dutch , German and American books of manners, he discovers changes which confirm the theory of informalization. Relations between the sexes are, he shows us, less regulated from outside and more from inside. This change calls – paradoxically – for both an emancipation of emotion and an ever sharper cultural eye on ways of managing emotion. The book carries Elias’s classic, The Civilizing Process one giant step further. An important contribution and a fascinating read' - Arlie Russell Hochschild, University of California This dazzling book examines changes in American, Dutch, English and German manners, regarding the changing relationships between men and women. From the disappearance of rules for chaperonage and the rise of new codes for courting, dates, public dances and the work place, it shows how women have become their own chaperone by gaining the rights to pay for themselves, to have a job and be a sexual subject. This original and thought-provoking book: · provides empirical evidence showing how younger generations removed their courting from under parental wings and how the balance of power between the sexes shifted in women’s favour; · monitors changes in codes regarding sexuality by focusing on the balance between the desire for sexual gratification and the longing for enduring intimacy; · documents the balance of controls over sexual impulses and emotions shifting from external social controls to internal ones; · compares nationally different trends, particularly between the USA and Europe, focusing on the American dating system and its resulting double standards; · argues that the initial greater freedom of American women has turned into a deficit. Cas Wouters teaches Sociology at Utrecht University

Sex and Manners is dazzling book that examines changes in American, Dutch, English and German manners books regarding the changing relationship between men and women. It examines the disappearance of rules for chaperonage and the rise of new codes for public transport, public dances, courting, dates and the work place.

From the man who closed the lid forever on the "toilet seat debate" in the New York Times bestseller Essential Manners for Men comes the follow-up book that paves the way for couples everywhere to fix relationship problems before they start. Peter Post offers the secrets to a long and happy marriage or partnership—without psychoanalysis or prescription medication. The good news: often just a few simple words or actions can mend a rift. Essential Manners for Couples reveals how easy it can be to keep the spark in your relationship. With self-deprecating humor, clarity, and wit, Peter recounts couples' most mischievous manners foibles (his own included). Essential Manners for Couples is based on Emily Post Institute surveys, Peter's years of fielding thousands of etiquette questions, popular demand from couples attending his national lectures and workshops, and his experience as a husband and father. Peter looks at couples' private lives and public lives, revealing the common "flashpoints"—the places, situations, and times when inconsiderate behavior is most likely to invade your blissful coupledom. He offers "etiquette imperatives"—simple truths and concise nuggets of advice not to be ignored, including: Permissive flirting: How to define parameters and enjoy verbal combat with the opposite sex. The "Chore I.Q." test—are you really divvying up the workload fairly? When you hate her friends: socializing with the enemy. Enter children: Good parents still spend time together as a couple. Bedroom etiquette—getting beyond the headache excuse. Interactions with in-laws—smooth merge or crash and burn? Where to go for the holidays: surviving family visits and how to say "no." Balancing life with your other significant other—your work ... and much more. Essential Manners for Couples is a must-have resource for the couple who wants to celebrate their union and strengthen it. As Peter Post says, "By using the principles of etiquette, couples can avoid many of the potholes on the road of their shared life, and the ones they do hit are smaller and more manageable." With this book in hand, you'll enhance your relationship, head off hostilities, and have fun doing it.

"What is a gentleman, and why should every man aspire to be one? Does the ideal still have any value in the age of feminism, 'toxic masculinity,' and 'Men Going Their Own Way?' Traditional books on manners and gentlemanly behavior have always claimed that manhood is defined by certain universal principles. But these norms have now changed so radically that the standard advice, tried and true as much of it remains, requires new formulation to be useful to the modern man" -- back cover.

Bedside Manners is the definitive, fun and irreverent guide to all those burning, often embarrassing, sometimes even too-delicate-to-discuss-with-your-girlfriend questions. No subject is too taboo for sex-and-relationship expert Josey Vogels. She knows that today’s woman doesn’t need another guide to building the perfect relationship or how to trap a man—what she needs is practical advice, snappy comebacks for sticky situations and solutions to bedroom dilemmas that keep dignity intact and the action hot. Complete with special etiquette rules for first times, real-life most embarrassing sex moments and gems of etiquette from the past sprinkled throughout, Bedside Manners will give women the information they need to get the satisfaction they want.

From a bold new feminist voice, a book that will change the way you think about your sex life. Fifty years after the sexual revolution, we are told that we live in a time of unprecedented sexual freedom; that if anything, we are too free now. But beneath the veneer of glossy hedonism, millennial journalist Rachel Hills argues that we are controlled by a new brand of sexual convention: one which influences all of us—woman or man, straight or gay, liberal or conservative. At the root of this silent code lies the Sex Myth—the defining significance we invest in sexuality that once meant we were dirty if we did have sex, and now means we are defective if we don’t do it enough. Equal parts social commentary, pop culture, and powerful personal anecdotes from people across the English-speaking world, The Sex Myth exposes the invisible norms and unspoken assumptions that shape the way we think about sex today.