An infectiously funny guide to post-deflowerment decorum, with illustrations by a master of the absurd. For more than half a century Miss Hyacinthe Phypps has been offering guidance on proper behavior. Her simple rules of propriety and common sense have helped a generation of girls over the threshold to womanhood. Recognizing the need that prevails more today than ever before, Miss Phypps has been persuaded to bring back into print this priceless volume of her words of advice, delightfully accompanied by Edward Gorey’s ink and watercolor illustrations, that have been so valuable on so many occasions. It is the publishers’ fondest hope that this book will serve the current generation of young ladies as it served their mothers.
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"This is a useful and instructive manual, a necessity to any well-stocked library, and possibly the most inappropriate graduation gift since the Sex and the City box set."—Jezebel.com
About the Author
Edward St. John Gorey (1925–2000), gave to the world over one hundred works, including The Gashlycrumb Tinies, The Doubtful Guest, and The Wuggly Ump; prize-winning set and costume designs for innumerable theater productions from Cape Cod to Broadway; and a remarkable number of illustrations in publications such as the New Yorker and the New York Times. Gorey’s masterful pen-and-ink illustrations and his ironic, offbeat humor have brought him critical acclaim and an avid following throughout the world.
Mel Juffe was an editor, writer, correspondent, and teacher at the New York Journal-American, the New York Post, Radio Free Europe, and New York University.
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25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
What to say, what to say,
This review is from: The Recently Deflowered Girl: The Right Thing to Say on Every Dubious Occasion (Hardcover)
Everybody has those moments -- you have a problem or a personal encounter, and you can't think what to say. "The Recently Deflowered Girl: The Right Thing to Say on Every Dubious Occasion" provides you with the right thing to say on... well, occasions that involve being deflowered. It's a prim, genteel little guide with a deliciously naughty theme, and Edward Gorey's pen-and-ink drawings just make it better.
Anyway, every page presents you with a dilemma centering around deflowerment, which usually encounters some kind of problem: blind dates, marimba players, at a doctor's office, at a gypsy seance, after a wedding (not by your hubby), during a whodunnit by a Chinese detective, in a Moroccan harem, by a famous crooner, after eating possibly drugged lychee nuts, by an old friend of your family, by a complete stranger, in a Parisian dive in front of all the patrons, and so on. In every situation, the person who "takes flower" presents you with a somewhat awkward response after the fact -- refusing to tell you their name, debunking an alibi, the revelation that Things Aren't What They Seem, the awkwardness of using the elevator the remark that your parents are in the next room, the return of your husband while you're having sex with the bellboy, et cetera. Sometimes these are absurd, sometimes they are all too likely. Fortunately, Miss Hyacinthe Phipps has advice for each of these scenarios -- she provides a witty and appropriate quote for each scenario ("How did your wife get HER parents' consent?") and a little nugget of wisdom afterwards ("Your sorority can probably arrange for a later curfew by applying directly to the Dean of Women") which usually ignores basic post-flower awkwardness or embarrassment, and focuses on the real issue at hand. The biggest problem with "The Recently Deflowered Girl" is that it's too short -- there are a scant twenty scenarios of awkward flower-taking etiquette. However, it's still immensely fun for the short while it lasts, especially since most of it is written in a sort of manners-book style -- sort of if Emily Post had written a guide to post-coital witticisms and awkward situations. It's a bit stilted, but very funny since there is no effort at titillation, just witticism ("At seance conducted by smooth-talking gypsy, you ask him to produce spirit of Rudolph Valentino. Spirit of Valentino appears and you are deflowered"). And each scenario is accompanied by a tasteful little pen-and-ink picture of the people involved, usually a the most social awkward part of the entire encounter -- sometimes in a state of undress, sometimes just in the street, at a party, or whatever. Miss Manners never got half so entertainingly naughty as "The Recently Deflowered Girl: The Right Thing to Say on Every Dubious Occasion." It's too short, but still immensely funny.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Pleasing Arrangement Indeed!,
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This review is from: The Recently Deflowered Girl: The Right Thing to Say on Every Dubious Occasion (Hardcover)
A charming instructional on the value of diplomacy in the face of eminent disaster. Or maybe better, post-deflowerment oneupmanship. Positively Victorian, 'The Recently Deflowered Girl' maintains, above all else, that ones dignity must remain intact, and salvaging ones integrity - when more is lost than just face, is what we live for.
And it is thusly that Gorey's plaintive yet tender pen & ink portrayals of the moment of consequence, preceeding either disaster or recovery, best serves. Mel Juffe's advice can be worth memorizing too, as his wise words may come in handy when one feels all is about to be lost, that being deflowered of dignity can be best salvaged not by incredulity, but by a swift, delicate, yet diplomatic, reframing of the moment. A refreshing little volume, and rewarding collaboration. -- G. Emil, [...]
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Witty and delightful!,
By Shelley D. Brook "boxinghelena" (Home of the 95, 2000 & 03 Stanley Cup Champions!) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)
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This review is from: The Recently Deflowered Girl: The Right Thing to Say on Every Dubious Occasion (Hardcover)
I remember seeing this book online when it was out-of-print and rare to find. I envied the lucky person who had it. I was so excited when I found out it was being re-printed. It is quite witty and just a delight to read. A definite buy for Gorey collectors.
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