Book Review: How to Behave Badly in Elizabethan England

How To Behave Badly In Elizabethan England by Ruth Goodman

Ms. Goodman is at it again! We're back to the 16th century, this time learning about social mores by violating them.

As usual, the writing is conversational and informative. Unlike the temporal ("a day in the life") organization of How To Be A Victorian or How to be a Tudor, How to Behave Badly is divided thematically. The six chapters cover difference way to misbehave, including offensive language, gestures, violence, poor hygiene, etc. With introduction and conclusion, the book clocks in at 293 pages.

I like how edifying the book was--I learned more than I expected to about the origins and class implications of 'swashbuckling', as well as how to bow sarcastically. I also liked how the author dissected the composition of verbal insults, and that she addressed the gender divide in both physical altercations and offensive language.  There was also attention paid to changes in good/bad behavior over the time of the book (nominally Elizabeth I's reign of 1558-1603, but including sources from c.1460-c.1700).

This book is a fun read, and manages to be thorough without becoming a reference book. As previously mentioned, the voice is generally conversational, such that it feels like conversing with an enthusiastic and well-informed friend. There are, however, times it reads a bit like a negated etiquette manual--because the author summarizes the correct behavior described in etiquette manuals in order to discuss how to subvert that behavior. The sources available for this time and topic do color the presentation and contents: in addition to etiquette instructions showing what should be done (and occasionally deploring what is done but shouldn't be), a decent amount of the bad behavior comes from the extreme cases that caused legal disputes: trial summaries from the insults that warranted slander proceedings and the fights that caused injury or property damage. There's also a certain amount of recourse to contemporary literary characters who typify boorish or foolish behavior.


Stars: 5

Accuracy: High. Sources are cited in-line, and a primary-source-heavy bibliography is included.

Overall Impression: An amusing read, and full of good background information for people who interpret the 16th century. It draws heavily from contemporary advice literature and legal records, but I think it delivers on the promise to show bad behavior.