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Essay Subject: Analysis of the flamboyant Crisp as a fashion plate, a dandy, a homosexual, and well-known author of "The Naked Civil Servant."... More...

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Paper Abstract: Analysis of the flamboyant Crisp as a fashion plate, a dandy, a homosexual, and well-known author of "The Naked Civil Servant." Paper Introduction: DANDYISM, AND THE WRITINGS OF QUENTIN CRISP The dictionary defines a “dandy” as “a man excessively and ostentatiously refined in dress and affected in manner; a fop…” Is the idea of being “ostentatiously refined: an oxymoron? Quentin Crisp was not the first to flout what the rest of society felt was Convention. There were Beaudelaire, Oscar Wilde, Rimbaud- among others. No doubt, the whole idea of dandyism and “fashion” out of the ordinary all began with Beau Brummell, who seems to have been among the most noted fashion-plates of his day. In fact, as the son of a wealthy man, his greatest “fame” came at Eton where he “was distinguished chiefly for his taste in dress which afterwards made him an autocrat of fashion.” Unlike the legendary Brummell (he was a real person, who died insane) dandyism is not being an autocrat or imposing Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. It is perhaps sad topoint out that the goal of those who are (or feel) different, is somehow toblend in. The Crisps who continue to be sprinkled throughout society todayare proof that the Emperor's New Clothes are real, if a bit gaudy. 419[1 ] Crisp, The Naked Civil Servant p. 26[14] Crisp: How to Become a Virgin p. 3 [8] Crisp, Quentin: How to Become a Virgin (1981) New York: QualityPaperback Club, p. Using as building materials selected elements from his owncharacter."[5] As Crisp explains himself, there is no attempt to persuade anyone elseto join his type of life-style. He was not handsome, tall, or very attractive. So, what are we to think, and what are we to make of the Crisps of ourworld? Quentin Crisp was notthe first to flout what the rest of society felt was Convention. Again, to quote him: "Style is never natural; itsnature is that it must be acquired. This is actually what Crisp disdains- stereotyping. I, (1997) New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company.Crisp, Quentin: The Naked Civil Servant (1968) New York: Quality Paperback Book Club.Crisp, Quentin: How to Become a Virgin (1981) New York: Quality Paperback Book Club.Crisp, Quentin: How to Have a Lifestyle (1998) Los Angeles: Alyson Books.Crisp, Quentin: Resident Alien (1996) New York: Quality Paperback Book Club.Encyclopedia Americana: "Beau Brummell" (1956) New York: Americana Publishing Co. Vol.4.Th-----------------------[1] Britannica World Language Dictionary (1997) p. For Crisp, and many others like him inthe world, getting attention was important- whether it was a positive or anegative reaction. To the last question, Crisp himself has a caveat: "It is universallyagreed that men are neither heterosexual nor homosexual; they are justsexual."[11] While there are many heterosexual men who would hotly disagree(even though a majority of adolescent males tend to "experiment" at leastonce or twice), the fact remains that Crisp seems to insist that appearanceis multi-sexual, and that no specific reference should be drawn from how(outrageously) a man dresses. Crispfollows the "rules and regulations" of Dandyism, which seems to declare:"The man who is rich and idle, and who, even if blasé, has no otheroccupation than the perpetual pursuit of happiness...he, in short, whosesolitary profession is elegance, will always and at all times possess adistinct type of physiognomy..."[13] Crisp aspired to the life of the idlerich, even though he was not born with that proverbial silver spoon inhis....umm...mouth. In other words, there wasand is a sort of decadence about the whole "art" of the Dandy, even intimes of transition, when public morality is changing, and the ultra-conservatives hold on to the status quo ante with all their televangelistmight. It was getting noticed, and proving to oneself that thepersona does matter. Infact, as the son of a wealthy man, his greatest "fame" came at Eton wherehe "was distinguished chiefly for his taste in dress which afterwards madehim an autocrat of fashion."[2] Unlike the legendary Brummell (he was areal person, who died insane) dandyism is not being an autocrat or imposingfashion or behavior on others. 281[15] Crisp: Resident Alien p. 325[2] Encyclopedia Americana: "Beau Brummell" (1956) Vol 4, p. This is not to denigrate eitherCrisp or others who fancy themselves as that special, stylish modish groupof dandies. Doesit really merely announce his sexual preference? "Polo" to him would surely always remain theprovince of rich, handsome men swinging long wooden mallets astride theirponies. "There is a whole book to be writtenabout being the one among the many, the way in which your size andluminosity seem to increase as you become the focus of a crowd's attention,and the way in which the crowd sees something, some quality in you that youcannot name, simply because you stand alone and above them."[9] Crisp's journey took him from the times when being "queer" was farmore of a moral outrage than it seems to be today. It is a dizzy, dazzling structure that he erects abouthimself. Crisp, while outrageously made-up and costumed, had little interestedin attending gyms for some sort of "workouts". Unlike many gays who arecloseted, at least in public- or were during the time Crisp writes about-he flaunted his sexuality and dressed accordingly, and gave no heed to thestares or guffaws of others. "The idea of beauty whichman creates for himself imprints itself on his whole attire, crumples orstiffens his dress, rounds off or squares his gesture; and in the long runeven ends by subtly penetrating the very features of his face."[3]Benjamin, in his Beaudelaire essay also claims that dandyism is theperpetual pursuit of happiness, and would usually apply to someone who hasbeen brought up in luxury. The rest of us will have to adapt to him."[12] His point inhis lifetime of dandyism and somehow of "posturing" is to prove that thereare some books that CAN be judged by their covers, but that in effect thatshould not prevent anyone from reading and learning from them. Quentin Crispmay have been the Columbus, or Eric the Red of Flamboyance in the modernera. 1[4] Crisp, Quentin: The Naked Civil Servant (1968)New York: QualityPaperback Club p. As one peruses the final paragraphs of "The Naked Civil Servant" Crispspeaks for all the gays and gay or straight Dandies of the world byproclaiming his unhappiness. In fact, one could almost say that Dandyismwas trying to go counter against accepted fashion and behavior- anythingbut to be considered "ordinary". 212[17] Benjamin: "Dandyism" p. 193[13] Benjamin, "Dandyism" in The Painter of Modern Life and Other Essays ,p. 563[16] Crisp: The Naked Civil Servant p. Who taught them style, one may well wonder. 72[5] Crisp, Quentin: How to Have a Lifestyle (1998) Los Angeles: AlysonBooks p. Notmerely the stereotyped limp-wristed "Nancy boy (as the English termeffeminate gays), but morally and physically and emotionally weak, andtherefore easy prey for those who seek dominance over anyone that can bedominated. It is interesting to note, however, thatCrisp also seems to insist that how a man dresses reveals his sexualnature. Perhaps a hint comes in a quote he writes aboutfrom a ballet teacher when he was still very young: "Quentin does exactlyas he pleases. He realized that his situation was ofhis own doing, and that what he seemed to have craved the most was somesort of power. "I wanted dominion over others in order to redress thebalance. If he is tryingto tell the world that anyone who dresses like a dandy is somehow"available" for same-sex assignations, then he should have studied a fewmore statistics which prove that effeminacy is not necessarily the onlysignal about a man's sexual preferences. 63 [3] Benjamin: Charles Beaudelaire: The Painter of Modern Life and otherEssays (1995) New York: Chronicle Books, p. But,while he was not a crusader, per se, he did write: "I urgently feel that ifgay people want to be happy, they must vacate their secret world, they muststop frightening not only the horses but also their riders."[8] Crisp, from the time he was barely into his teens, craved attention.His style of clothes and outrageous make-up (at a time, he explains in "TheNaked Civil Servant", when eye-shadow was considered sinful even for awoman) were his weapons for standing out from the rest of the "ordinary"crowd. Crisp is to be taken mostly seriously, but also with a grain of salt.Yet, whatever he says and however he says it, he is free ofpretentiousness, except in the dandy personality he had created years ago,and to which he was now attached like some sort of permanent Krazy Gluethat would not let him free, even if he wanted to. In other words, there is no proselytizing.It is a more outspoken version of Popeye's saying "I yam what I yam!"Dandies, basically, have no thought of being "accepted", and perhaps thisis where the Quentin Crisp dandy is different from the average homosexualor lesbian who wants, rather desperately, to be accepted, and yet not tohave to chance. "For anyone whose appearance is highly eccentric, it isusually first meetings that are a special ordeal...It began with notevincing any surprise as all the office boys fled through the doors nearestto them, firstly to fall about the corridors laughing withoutrestraint..."[4] What Crisp was after- and he was merely the most notorious in thesense of flamboyancy- was to create a special life style that he could callhis own. In a sense, he actually invented the persona that the world knewas "Quentin Crisp". 193[12] ibid, p. No doubt, the whole ideaof dandyism and "fashion" out of the ordinary all began with Beau Brummell,who seems to have been among the most noted fashion-plates of his day. He did write that "a man cannot be considered handsome unless his neck is thicker than his head...Theonly reason I have remained a feeble specimen is that, when I was youngenough for my shape to be capable of augmentation, I lived in England wherebodies are never mentioned."[15] Crisp, therefore is a perfect model forthe many who believe that to be a Dandy means to focus on style andfashion, and not on abs and pecs. Calvin might remind him of an early Protestant. "Men whose bedroomhabits differ markedly from those of their friends have troubles."[1 ] It is only fair, however, having read of and about and from Crisp thatseveral questions be asked and answered. Dandyism is deliberate. Crisp himself says: "Style is anidiom arising spontaneously from the personality, but deliberatelymaintained."[6] Crisp, as a self-proclaimed guru of style and dandyism,literally invented himself (and that notion cannot be repeated too often inany commentary on Crisp). And, Tommy wouldbring to his mind The Who and his adventures with some rock stars whotreated him respectably, rather than "Hilfiger" which might seem to be somesort of Swiss word of derision. But, he was in a fairly limited sphere until television decided topresent "The Naked Civil Servant" followed by Crisp's appearance on everyradio and television talk show, and beginning to hobnob with all those who,like Andy Warhol predicted, would have their fifteen minutes of fame. The finishing touches of style must beself-taught, but the basic exercises that lead to style can be learned fromothers."[7] Re-reading this sentence, one horrible "learning" example of adandy style comes to mind: "A Clockwork Orange", Stanley Kubrick'sadaptation of the Anthony Burgess book where the (anti-)hero, Alex, and his"droogs" all dressed in the height of fashion, still committing rape,robbery, and murder. As he explained in one of his books "During my workingyears, never, over a long period, did I earn more than 12 pounds aweek."[14] And, so for reasons other than being idle and rich, neverthelesshe took on that elegant persona and demeanor, much as Oscar Wilde roamedLondon and Ireland dressed as a Victorian fop. Hesaid he only received 35 British pounds for the television rights, but ofcourse, he ended up earning much more- not because he was a fine actor, butbecause he had cleverly invented himself as the greatest living Dandy in aworld of grey-flannel suits and designer jeans. 299[9] Crisp, Quentin: Resident Alien (1996) New York: Quality Paperback BookClub, p. Crisp was really one of the first to havea sort of "gay pride" something that is now "celebrated" in Gay Pride Dayparades where Crispian outrageous fashions are the standard apparel. It was not to stand out as an "ordinary" person, but to define acombination of looks and wardrobe, even make-up that defined the man assomeone of taste and wit, who plodded ahead in his own worldly sphere,oblivious to the comments or opinions of others. It is Crisp's concluding emotional sentences that go against whatBenjamin writes: "The distinguishing characteristic of the dandy's beautyconsists above all of an air of coldness which comes from an unshakeabledetermination not to be moved."[17] Not only does the modern dandy want to be moved (the coldness is adefense mechanism), but he also wants to move others. First, of all, what's the point?What is Crisp attempting to "say" with his overly extravagant dandyism?And, second, how is the general public supposed to react (if at all)? Perhaps, near the end ofhis life, he achieved the greatest "Dandy" role of them all, in the movie"Orlando" (based on a Virginia Woolf novel) where he portrayed Elizabeth I,the "Virgin Queen". 8[7] ibid p. 7[6] ibid, p. Crisp not only reveled in hisdandyism, but in his outspoken homosexuality. This rather over-generalized observation does not really apply toQuentin Crisp, a notoriously exhibitionist British "wit" who came to famein America with the documentary of "The Naked Civil Servant, based on hisown book published in London in 1968. As long as one somehow finds a similarity between Wilde and Crisp,let it be stated quite firmly, that Wilde had talent, Crisp did not aspireto the status of genius. He went for job interviews, with make-up and"fancy" clothes. He would certainly eschew the"designer label" crowd. There are professional men, bluecollar men, even men in the military whose dress would not "give them away"as being gay or bi-sexual. That is not to saythat all dandies are gay, but surely the ads for new stylish male clothing,as seen in GQ and other magazines have the sort of models that are mostattractive to homosexual tastes. 29 The first question- what is he trying to say and prove- is moredifficult to answer simply. As he himself wrote: "Style is not the man, it issomething better. Crisp tended to bring "dandyism" out of the closet. But, to most of the world, less willing or able to deal withthe non-normal" among us, being a dandy has implications of weakness. He merely wanted to show off. Crisp, at the close of his "The Naked Civil Servant" almost-but not quite asks for a little pity. However, becoming an outrageous fashion platewas not his revolt against normalcy, or a cry of sadness, but rather anattempt to be something and someone. DANDYISM, AND THE WRITINGS OF QUENTIN CRISP The dictionary defines a "dandy" as "a man excessively andostentatiously refined in dress and affected in manner; a fop..."[1] Is theidea of being "ostentatiously refined: an oxymoron? The idea of the restof "us" adapting to him has been coming for a long time now. 193[11] Crisp, ibid, p. Works CitedBenjamin : Beaudelaire: The Painter of Modern Life and Other Essays (1995) New York: Chronicle Books.Britannica World Language Dictionary: "Dandy" Vol. There wereBeaudelaire, Oscar Wilde, Rimbaud- among others. A lifetime of being constantly at the mercy of left me, eventhough mercy was undoubtedly shown, crushed and seething with a lust fortyranny."[16] In the laws of nature, and the animal jungle, the weak always sufferat the hunger and fangs of the powerful. But, he made himselfthe object of stares and attention. If Crisp were still living, he might enjoy the attempts of manyadolescent boys to "dress" somewhat spectacularly for the "raves" wherethey not only dote on the ambience, but the drugs like Ecstasy whichenhance their "separateness" from society. For one thing, we need to stop considering them victims- evenwilling ones. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.

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