I too have struggled with this. As Jon Quitslund says, the problem with
"cool," good though it is, is class: Gladys Brooks has a devastating
little first ironic and then tragic poem about ghetto kids that starts "We
real cool"--not what Castiglione had in mind, of course, even if one
eliminates Brooks's irony. My problem with "yuppie" is also class unless
one thinks of Castiglione's readers as merely *trying* to be
courtiers--which of course is often the case but only in real life, not in
the text, or not overtly. I have no word of my own to offer except
"aplomb," sort of, which isn't even English. I write the Italian on the
board and at least a few years ago was able to define it by its opposite:
sprezzatura is *not* having the sound that the then tennis top seeds made
as they hit the ball (you remember--"UNNGGHH"). Or "never let them see you
sweat." Anne Prescott
> At times I have used Hemingway's "grace under pressure" as a modern
> equivalent to 'sprezzatura'. The 'pressure' being one's desire to impress
> the social group watching the performance, while making them believe that
> no effort at all was used in making the presentation.
>
> To draw upon popular culture, the writers of 'The West Wing' write with
> this concept in mind. Josh, CJ, and Sam (before he resigned) can
> extemporize a speech, a news-bite or a quip with apparent aplomb (yuppie,
> I guess). What makes the ease of response possible (we are meant to
> believe) is years of education, a native intelligence and a fervently
> passionate belief in the justness of their cause. All are part of the
> 'spezzaturian' package; as true for Duke Urbino's court as Jeb Bartlett's
> (not George W's) White House.
>
>
> Linda Vecchi Dept. of English Memorial Univ. of Newfoundland
>
>
> On Mon, 2 Jun 2003, Charles Butler wrote:
>
>> I was asked by a student what the English for 'sprezzatura' is. Having
>> explained that it was one of those notoriously untranslatable words, it
>> struck me that 'cool' comes pretty close. It has the same implications
>> of
>> effortless accomplishment, unfazedness, caring deeply about impressing
>> people while affecting not to care, etc. But it seems such a
>> quintessentially 20th century word that I hesitate to suggest it. Any
>> thoughts?
>>
>> Charlie Butler
>>
>> "Run mad as often as you chuse, but do not faint!"
>>
>
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