著者

内村 理奈

出版者

お茶の水女子大学大学院人間文化研究科

雑誌

人間文化論叢 (ISSN:13448013)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.8, pp.113-122, 2005

被引用文献数

2

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In the Ancien Regime period of France, etiquette demanded appropriate gestures involving hats and it is assumed that these gestures contained the innermost secrets and intentions of manners of that period. Using a dance manual as the basis of the study, this paper explains in detail etiquette involving hats and considers its meaning. Dance was considered a means of acquiring graceful comportment and dance manuals were one way of teaching young aristocrats basic manners in comportment in their daily life. In particular, the movement and position of the hands and feet when saluting with a hat were explained in detail, and skill in performing appropriate salutations in accordance with daily circumstances required considerable practice. These gestures of aristocrats were held in high regard because they were considered expressions of grace. The meaning of grace in those days referred to the grace of God, a spiritual quality that should naturally flow from within a person in the form of elegant motions as an external expression of the ideal of unity of a person's physical and spiritual being. Therefore, the aristocracy\ went to great efforts to make themselves stand out visibly as special beings through graceful gestures which required training of both body and mind.