Customer Reviews

The Compleat Gentleman

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Brad Miner goes beyond the popular and common definition of "gentleman" in our society and digs out the true background and meaning in his book The Compleat Gentleman: The Modern Man's Guide to Chivalry. I somewhat knew that the term "gentleman" used to be more of a title than an attribute, but I didn't realize all that was meant by the term as it evolved over the years. Miner's book gives you plenty to think about, while at the same time learning a whole new vocabulary based on his writing style...

Contents:
Massed Against the World; The Knight - A Short History of Men on Horseback; The Gentleman - A Singular Sanity; The Warrior - How to Die with Your Boots On; The Lover - Romance and Folly; The Monk - The Ear of Your Heart; Chivalry in a Democratic Age; The Art of Sprezzatura; Acknowledgments; Bibliography; Index

I think what struck me most about this book and the subject are the parallels to another code from Japan... bushido. Rather than being a "polite" person and thus being termed a gentleman (as is common in our current society), Miner goes back to the days of the knights and the code they lived by. Being a gentleman was a quest to attain a level of manhood that rose above the common people. A gentleman was someone who understood that there were things worth dying for (honor being one of them), and he was prepared to do so. He was to be of high moral character, which negated the person who was "born into" the title based on his birth or genealogy. "Courtly love" was the form of romance best typified by the gentleman, It was a mix of fantasy and reality, elevating the image of a woman to one much higher than society normally placed on her. A gentleman is also a lover of truth and learning. Miner uses the image of a monk to portray that aspect of the gentleman's character. It also implies a form of silence as well as being "in" the world but not necessarily being "of" the world. He brings these images and practices forward to our times in the Democratic Age chapter, to help the reader figure out how best to apply these learnings and characteristics to a modern society that doesn't place as much value on being a gentleman as they did in the Middle Ages.

For me, I took the most interest in the final chapter on sprezzatura. It's defined as having discretion and decorum, non-chalance and gracefulness. We'd probably define it as being "cool". It's being able to do difficult things without making it look hard... having a high level of self-control... being able to keep secrets and practice restraint. This is an image that resonates with me, and I'll likely be reading this chapter over quite a few times. I also kept thinking that perhaps being a gentleman was the European equivalent of the samurai code of Japan. Learning, martial spirit, arts and gracefulness... It's not an exact one-to-one correlation, but there are some striking similarities.

The Compleat Gentleman is definitely an interesting read that is highly researched by Miner. His writing style is rather lofty, and you *will* need a dictionary to look up some of the words he uses. I don't know that I quite follow all of his parallels and draw the same conclusions (I found the Lover chapter rather difficult to track on), but the overall effect is still present... following the code of being a gentleman is an art sadly lost on far too many men today.

Brad Miner is a treat. A friend of William F. Buckley's and an editor of his "National Review," Miner has a sesquipedalion vocabulary that could keep up with Buckley's.

If you enjoy learning, read it with a dictionary in hand.

What one might think would be a dry subject (the history of chivalry) is certainly not such, and it gives a keen insight as to the origins of certain terms and traditions, such as "winning one's spurs," and exactly why Friday the 13th is considered unlucky.

"The Compleat Gentleman," draws a direct line from the knights of old to their modern equavilents - soldiers - and then explains why the qualities of leadership, civility, and standing on principle, still obtain today.

He also sheds great light on Aurthurian legend, and the legacy of the man who was later promoted as Arthur. That alone is a worthy insight.

Miner explains how civility alone is NOT chivalry, and why. This is a book for those who want to understand the underpinnings of ordered liberty.

When I interviewed Miner about his book, he was forthright and candid about it, and displayed an incredible depth of knowledge on his subject matter.

[...]

I loved the first edition of this book; the new edition is even better. You'll want to have a dictionary at hand--Miner loves words--but the book is like the best history course you ever took in college: alternately funny and inspiring and endlessly interesting. I wish every young man would read the book.

This book is a joy to read for anyone longing to escape the confines of our decadent culture. The history of gentlemanliness, chivalry, courtship, and honor that comprises the first portion of the book is sound and thorough enough, but the point of this text comes toward the end, where Miner explains what it is to be a gentleman in today's society. He shows how it is possible and gives examples of modern day gentlemen (largely centered around the military and the heroes of 9/11).

The argument for chivalry stumbles when the author tries to make a case for martial combat. Simply, our age cannot condone martial combat because technology has eliminated the possibility of honorable combat. School shootings and the prospect of nuclear war are proof that we should find a better outlet for physical prowess. Sport is the closest thing I can think of, but it is not mentioned in the book.

The big problem with Miner's examination is his exaltation of coolness. The way he puts it, cool (sprezzatura) is the ultimate aim of the gentleman. And while a solid case can be made for sprezzatura, coolness means nonchalance and insouciance, and those things do not always lead to refinement and excellence. Indeed, coolness is the primary aim of our culture these days and it leads directly to all the problems that Miner is trying to correct with the compleat gentleman.

It is a fine collection of refreshing ideas and is well worth the read despite its near-fatal flaw. The author is diligent in locating the source of words and ideas and it is worth the read just to know where the word `romance' came from. Ultimately, the book will probably add some energy to the growing movement toward a more civilized society.

I have recommended this book to all sorts of men (and women) as a guide for those who wish to be (or wish to live with) a gentleman. It would be a terrific life-long gift for a young man about to begin making his way in the world. Brad Miner has written what deserves to be a new classic. This is not a book for the "macho man." Although it does recommend that a man should know how to fight (and be willing to do so) when necessary, it is also very clear that a gentleman is one who recognizes when it is not necessary. It is not a book for the "metrosexual" either; it will not tell you how to dress because, contrary to popular wisdom, clothes do not make the man. Someone who wishes to be a "dandy" can learn to look the part, but this is a book about living the part. A knight (the author's model gentleman) is a collection of specific virtues, not a suit of armor and a sword. I expect to re-read this book several times over the next few years because I am sure there are things I missed the first time through. Like many classics, reading it is like peeling an onion. Each reading will, I expect, reveal new layers of meaning and bring new insights. My very great thanks to Mr. Miner, for a marvelous bit of work!

Let me start by saying that this book contains absolute GOLD. The word Gentleman does not mean "Gentle Man" but rather a "Gentile Man," which roughly means a man of high status.
I love the premise of this book, but found myself slightly bored with all of the history. Miner could have cut a lot out of the book and still gotten his point across very easily.
At times I found myself saying "okay great, but what's your point?"
I really wanted to like this book more than I did, but all of the history and storytelling got in my way.

Conclusion:
If you like history and are looking for a historical perspective on Gentlemen then this book would be great, but if you're just looking for techniques on how to be a "compleat gentleman" try a book like "The Way of the Superior Man" by David Deida. Also, if you're Christian "Wild at Heart" by John Eldredge is excellent.

I purchased the book as a gift for my husband. He loved the book as it upholds many of the traditional principles he strives to live by. If your idea of a gentleman is the pacifist wimp who hides his cowardice behind a facade of tolerance this book is definitely not for you. This is a book for real men, upright, chivalrous, and strong. It is an excellent piece of work and is an ideal gift for young men who aspire to be the best they can be.

The book treats on a very valuable subject in a fairly straightforward yet erudite way. The cultural references are clear and the author goes out of his way to make them so. The subject is, of course, unfashionable as are many things of true value but, still, I wish some celebrity with an enormous following took it up seriously and risked himself or herself to popularize it. It would be a far nicer world to live in if the "gospel" took root. In the meantime, the book is helping me with raising my own standards, and with understanding just why they ought to be raised. It also provides a lot of food for thought and reflection to a serious person. I wish Mr. Miner would also write a book on what it means to be noble (noble-minded and hearted). That is another subject that is hardly ever mentioned nowadays, and whose contemplation could have a positive influence on our confused world. I intend to re-listen to "The Compleat Gentleman" often.

This is quite a useful book for men seeking to calibrate their moral compass. It includes a great deal of very readable digression, yet stays close to basic theme, which I would summarize as the theory and practice of manhood. Loved it!

The text was decently written, however it is very repetitive. As the book is split up into the the sections of knight, gentleman, warrior, lover, monk he tries to cover a little bit of everything. Some sections were expansive in relations to others (the chapter on Monk is barely more than a pamphlet). He tries to drill in the essence of combat in one form or another over and over again as if it is the most important piece. He tries to instill to do your duty and always be prepared to fight, but in the same breath openly states he's a draft-dodger. His views on religion in the book might as well have been written by the vatican, and takes off-the-cuff and backhanded shots at other institutions or groups (i.e. referring to masons as "nests of schemers"- when was the last time you heard about a freemason sexually assaulting a kid and having it covered up by the 'home office'?)

Was it a o.k. read? Sure. Was it a complete treatise on the construct of a gentleman? Hardly.

Buy a copy of "The Art of Manliness" coupled with "The modern Gentleman" and add a dash of "Hagakure" and it will be covered a little better.