Etiquette, Eating, and Eloquence: Two Leading Ladies of the English Language

Etiquette, Eating, and Eloquence: Two Leading Ladies of the English Language
Two writers, one of them a doyen of etiquette, Judith Martin, the other a grand mistress of gastronomy, M.F.K. Fisher, bring a cosmopolitan elegance to the page, and are in a class all their own. Aleksey Matrenin/Shutterstock
Jeff Minick
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Ask someone who knows the movies to name an actor and actress who best depicted sophistication, grace, and style on the big screen, and odds are that Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant will pop up in that conversation.

“Sophisticated” is an adjective often linked with both of these stars. In nearly all his roles, from the dark comedy “Arsenic and Old Lace” to the suspense-filled “North by Northwest,” Cary Grant projected the consummate gentleman, impeccably attired, and a model of manners, wit, and masculinity. The inimitable rhythms of his voice with its practiced Mid-Atlantic accent—softened vowels and discarded R’s—buttressed this image of poise and urbanity.
Jeff Minick
Jeff Minick
Author
Jeff Minick has four children and a growing platoon of grandchildren. For 20 years, he taught history, literature, and Latin to seminars of homeschooling students in Asheville, N.C. He is the author of two novels, “Amanda Bell” and “Dust on Their Wings,” and two works of nonfiction, “Learning as I Go” and “Movies Make the Man.” Today, he lives and writes in Front Royal, Va.
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