Audiobook Sample
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- Title: Etiquette in Society, in Business, in Politics and at Home
- Author: Emily Post
- Narrator: Various Readers
- Length: 21:45:00
- Version: Abridged
- Release Date: 01/01/2011
- Publisher: LibriVox
- Genre: Self Development, Health & Wellness
- ISBN13: SABLIBX978078
As I settled into my favorite armchair with a cup of oolong tea – the same chair where I first discovered Jane Austen’s social commentaries – I pressed play on this LibriVox production of Emily Post’s seminal work. What unfolded was not merely an etiquette manual, but a vibrant audio tapestry of Jazz Age America’s social anxieties and aspirations.
The multiple narrator approach creates an intriguing polyphony that perfectly suits Post’s comprehensive guide. Each section’s different voice mirrors how etiquette varies across social contexts – the crisp enunciation during business chapters contrasting with warmer tones in domestic sections reminded me of my research on performative speech across Japanese tea ceremonies. There’s something delightfully meta about experiencing a book on proper vocal delivery through varied oral interpretations.
Post’s text itself is a fascinating cultural artifact. Her description of proper wedding invitations (“the engraved note paper thick and rough in texture”) transported me to my grandmother’s cedar chest where she kept her 1930s Shanghai debutante cards. The chapter on dinner party seating arrangements particularly resonated with my academic work on power dynamics in conversational spaces – Post’s rules about alternating genders at table being an early attempt at social engineering.
The audiobook shines in its treatment of Post’s nuanced class commentary. When the narrator reads, “Nothing so blatantly proclaims a woman no lady as the loud use of voice,” you can hear the careful modulation in the reader’s own delivery – a beautiful instance of form mirroring content. Some sections about servant management feel jarringly archaic to modern ears, yet the production wisely lets these stand as historical documents rather than softening them.
What surprised me most was discovering Post’s proto-feminist streaks. Her advice for women in business (“A woman should dress as inconspicuously as possible”) reveals both constraints and quiet rebellions of the era. This reminded me of teaching Edith Wharton’s novels, where surface decorum often masks seismic social shifts.
While the audio quality varies slightly between volunteer readers (a charming hallmark of LibriVox productions), this actually enhances the listening experience. The occasional background hum and differing microphone qualities create an intimate, almost epistolary feel – as if we’re hearing different members of a 1922 literary society taking turns reading aloud.
Modern listeners might chuckle at instructions about handling calling cards or proper glove lengths, but Post’s core philosophy – that manners spring from empathy rather than pretension – rings profoundly true. The chapter on writing condolence letters moved me unexpectedly with its blend of prescribed form and genuine emotional intelligence.
Compared to contemporary etiquette guides like Judith Martin’s works, Post’s original text offers richer historical texture, though less practical utility for today’s digital world. The audiobook format particularly benefits the extensive sections on vocal inflection and conversational pacing – concepts better demonstrated than read silently.
For fellow cultural scholars, this production offers endless analysis opportunities. The very act of listening to 1920s etiquette rules through 21st century earbuds creates delicious cognitive dissonance. I found myself taking notes for my next Digital Humanities seminar on how audio formats transform our reception of historical texts.
In scholarly appreciation of social scripts both preserved and transgressed,
Prof. Emily Chen
