Literary notes about decorum (AI summary)
In literature, "decorum" functions as a multifaceted term that captures both the ideal of proper behavior and the aesthetic of refined presentation. It is often employed to describe the expected conduct in both public institutions and personal interactions—illustrating, for instance, the organized order required of community leaders [1] and the dignified bearing in military or civic life [2]. Classical texts invoke decorum as a standard for rhetoric and ethics, reinforcing its role in cultivating both elegance and moral propriety [3][4]. At the same time, some authors challenge its rigid expectations by critiquing how strict adherence can stifle individual expression or impose unfair restrictions on gender roles [5][6][7]. Thus, across diverse contexts, decorum remains a powerful literary device that reflects the dynamic interplay between societal expectations and personal virtue.
- After the deacons came the elders or priests, charged with the maintenance of order and decorum in the community, and to act every where in its name.
— from The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon - I understand that General Arnold, who bears a good character, has the command of the city, and that the soldiers conducted with great decorum.
— from American Historical and Literary Curiosities: Second Series, Complete by J. Jay Smith - Ex quo magis emergit, quale sit decorum illud, ideo quia nihil decet invita Minerva, ut aiunt, id est adversante et repugnante natura.
— from De Officiis by Marcus Tullius Cicero - id, quod dici Latine decorum potest; Graece enim πρέπον dicitur.
— from De Officiis by Marcus Tullius Cicero - Decorum, indeed, is the one thing needful! decorum is to supplant nature, and banish all simplicity and variety of character out of the female world.
— from A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft - This from her sister, who had hitherto been a model of feminine decorum, was a blow for poor Miss Matty, and with a double shock she left the room.
— from Cranford by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell - It is an unforgivable breach of decorum to allow a young girl to sit up late at night with a young man—or a number of them.
— from Etiquette by Emily Post
