Gentleman [ Taste & Manners / Politics & Society ]
… nobility or gentry who derived his wealth from the possession of land, of an estate. The word gentleman signified a high status that set a man apart from the lower orders, or plebeians. However, from the late seventeenth century British … for public recognition to match their financial success. One way of achieving this was through claiming gentlemanly status through their personal achievements and merit. 1 . Margaret R. Hunt, The Middling Sort: Commerce, Gender, and the … for more specific guides to gentlemanly self-presentation, necessary to avoid the risk of challenge to his self-made status. In these guides we see a shift towards a polite style of sociability that was now adapted to the relationships …
Benevolence | Middling sort | Politeness | Rank
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