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AN ANALYSISOF THEGENTLEMAN CULTUREFROMTHE MOVIEKINGSMAN SERIESof gentleman culture and asimple stereotypeof gentleman culture.Typical of this is themovie Kingsman series.“Suits arethe armorof modemgentlemen,Kingsman areknights of the newera.This is a film that exudesstrong Britishstyle frombeginning toend.Whether itsthe sexygentlemanlyaccent or the politeman holdinga longblack umbrella,many detailsin themovie Kingsman seriescan reflectthe stronggentlemanly culture.The agentcodes in thefilm,“Arthur”,“Merlin andLancelot”,are allBritish myths-King Arthurand Membersofthe Knightsof theRound Table.Some relationshipswere alsocited whenquoting thenamesof mythicalcharacters,such as“Arthur”as thehead of the Knightsof theRound tablecorresponding to theleader of the Kingsman,“Merlin as a guideand mechanicto theprophets and wizards,correspondingto the agents.The modernversion ofKing Arthurandthe Knightsof theRound Tableobeyed thelaws of the gentleman,the armingof scienceandtechnology.Even afight cannot losethe demeanor,glasses notbeing dropped,custom suitnotbeing dirty.Compared withthis kind of deepmetaphor,the moreintuitive characteristicssuch as mannerisms,clothes,characters9origins can be moreeasily understoodand imitatedby the public.
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2.1Etiquette inLifeManners makethman.Manners referto courtesyor etiquette,among which,the wordmakethcomes from ancient English,first appearedin theBible,which isequal to makes inmodemEnglish.The reasonswhy thedirector usedmaketh insteadof makesare twofold,onthe one hand,the sayingis themotto ofWinchester college-a renownedboarding schoolinBritain;on theother hand,the sayingis audiencecan sensethat Britain has a long history ofetiquette culturesince ancienttimes.The firsttime Harrymet Eggsy,whose behaviorand ideaslook like a street gang forlackof normalfamily care,and he was abad guyat looseends.Then whatHarry didin thebarto thosegang ofhooligans reallyrefreshed hisvalue andphilosophy of the world.WhenEggsy wasfaced with the deliberateprovocation of the gang,Harry,at first,tried hardtopersuade themto giveup but in vain.Then Harrywalked to the doorwith elegantmanners,and closedthe doorand windowscalmly,then thegangsters weremet withheavy beatbyHarrys extraordinarymethods ofcombat,during whichHarry foughtwith niceand neatsuits,this,in essence,is anembody of gentlemen manner.Thus,the journeyof howEggsy—the maincharacter,turns into a gentlemanfrom amember of the streetgang.After joiningKingsman,Eggsy bringshis potentialquality of gentleman intofull playthrougha numberof tests.Once in a roomfull ofwater,every othermember onlyfocuses onhow to protecthimself,while Eggsyfaces thechallenge andfinds away outby breakingglassesof thewindows withhis fists,displaying hisbravery likea knight.In anothersimulatedtest ofloyalty,even ifhe wastied to the railway,he stilldefends theoath to his lifeevenat therisk of being killedby therunning traintowards him,which shows that he is quitealoyal person.During one of his training ofhigh altitudebailout,he triedhis bestto protectallwomen teammembers,which showedhis innerrespect forwomen.Finally,there cameatest ofkilling asmall dogby gun,because he was unwillingto pullthe triggerto killhisbeloved dog,which lefthim losethe chanceofbeingan agent.However,though failed to bean agent,he fullydisplays his affection andfaith to his people.More importantly,Harry passedthe essenceofgentlemen culture toEggsy duringanumber oftests.Harry once said thata true gentleman should be withproper attireandelegant manners,moreover,what reallycounts arethe gentlemanly manner emittingfromthe inside-out.From thenon,gentlemanlymannerhas graduallybecome themotto ofEggsyslife.Since heparticipated inhistraining,from thevery firsttime he and othermemberspulled togetherto overcomeall kinds of difficulties,he was able tofight alonebravely;even duringa dinnerwith theKing,he remainedneither humblenor pushy,then heshouldersthe responsibilityto savethe princess-also hisgirlfriend-in greatdanger,allthese canshow Eggsy was of noble manner,chivalry as well asgentleman manner.Being polite—the basicprinciple of the Britishnobility,the coreof which is that,though affectedby suchfactors ascustom of different regions,popular items,age and socialstatus,gentlemen willchange theirdresses accordingly,each of them followsthe samegentlemanlymanner wheneverit ispossible.Therefore,to knowwhat realgentlemanculture is,it is not onlyto bepolite toothers,but alsoneeds long-time practiceand carefulstudy,then onecan masterthe keypoints ofhowto become atrue gentleman.
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2.2Gentleman DressingCodesA suit is themodern gentlemansarmor.English people are peculiarabout theirclothes,so a man can be easilypicked outby hisdress,and thetrue mancan berecognized by hisgraceful appearance and hewears properlyand neatlyall thetime.Men of the kindaresupposed tofollow the rules ofdressing in various socialoccasions.In the18th century,thereal menshouldbecharacterized by a bag,a waistcoatwith abelt and a newsnuffbox aswellas asword.A gentleman,at least,needs three types ofclothes:the firstone isdouble-breasted gownwith kneelength,the secondtype is normally swallow-tailed coatwithturn-down collarwith itscolor determinedby ondifferent situations.In thisway,agentle personshould preparea coupleof casualwears forvarious dailyactivities.In the movie Kingsman series,the mostfrequently—operated placeis atailors shopwhichmainly makessuits,while theprototype of the shopis the British well-known SavileRowTailor thathad providedservice for many Englishnobility such as formerprimeminister Churchill,the crownprince Charles,so it can besaid that the shopand itsproductsare associatedwith Britishnobility andgentlemen tradition.Harry,an experiencedagent,emerging from the shopfrom the first sceneto hisdeath,always putson elegantsuits withstandardblack suit-deep blueas itscolor design.Deep blueis asynonymous with gentlemanand nobility,because itprevails amongmost of the advancedreadymade suitmade inSavileRow street.When itcomes to the selectionof newagent,the costumedesign of the threemendirectly showstheir socialstatus-pure dandyfrom Englisharistocracy,which createsastrong contrastin clothesthat wornby Eggsy—then ahooligan.The firstone wearsblueblazer with tailored collar and single-breasted metalbuttons,matching Britisharmy tie withflowing stripes,British slantpocket,cotton twillpant aswell asbrown SalvatoreFerragamo.The secondone putson suit withtailoredcollarandtwo-row buttonsingle-breasted asitsmain style,a slantpocket withits cover.While thethird candidatewears Jacket-name of aleisure suitmade fromdeep bluewoolen,though appearsleisurely,but hisHermes beltshowshe is also of noble origin.Though theapparel of the threecandidates is not formallydressed,the waythey dressup themselvesobviously strictlyfollow the way asa gentlemandoes,saying everythingabout Britishnoble peopleand theirdandy character.While when itcomes toEggsy,heisquite differentfrom thosethree on the basisof differentgrowthbackground,so it is notuncommon forhim towear abaseball capand Stegamcoat,with apairof jeansand sneakers,which wastypical ofstreetgangat thattime.After determiningto be an agent with gentlemanmanner,Eggsy followedHarry to atailors shopin whichmost suitshanged arepresented byclose-up view.After carefulconsideration,Harry chosea traditionalblack suitfor Eggsy,matching whiteshirt andBritishtiewithslant stripes,and selected a pairof framedglasses,from headto toe,frominside tooutside,Eggsywasdressed uplikeatruegentleman,displaying braveryandsmartness of an agentfully,from whichpeople candeeply sensethe successof Britishagentwith gentlemanmanner.After numerousbloody tests,Eggsy becamea realagent withstronggentleman atmosphere,the meaningof anagent has been welldisplayed throughhisbravery andcleverness aswell ashis outwardtemperament asa gentleman,combined withhisproper costume.In the movie Kingsmanseries,the over-emphasis onsuit is a metaphorwhichshows peoplesbelief and inheritance towardgentlemenculture.323Application ofLanguageI thinkmost people,including myself,might believethe wordgentleman^is aspecializedtitle forthose fromhigher circles.As amatter offact,it is an importantstandardto leavea goodfirst impressionbyhisapparel.However,in reality,whether a man isaristocraticor notdepends to a largeextend onhis language.A trueman,even inextremelybad situations,canbefound themaking ofhimself according tohisdeeply rootededucationsince childhood,just likeChinese differsgreatly incharacter based on thefact that they liveindifferent regionsof China,so no matter whata gentlemanbehaves outward,we areboundto sensehis charmand beauty.The gentlemenculture canbe fullydisplayed bycareful languageuse andauthenticBritish English accent and it isprerequisite for a manto betalented from the bottomof hisheart.Actually,gentlemen dontusually referto peoplefromacertain class,wc mightevensay thatsuchaculture containsa philosophyof cooperation,mutual integration,mutualtolerance andcourtesy amongdifferent classes.In themovie Kingsmanseries,a groupofagents cometo theUS toaccomplish secrettask,during whichthey metagents from theirAmerican counterparts,the collisionbetween thetwo organizationsproduce asharp contrastbetweentraditional British Englishaccentand modernAmerican English.The twoEnglishgrow fromdifferent locations,so it isnosurprise that there mustexist acertain differences,especially thedifferent pronunciationadopted byEnglish andAmericans.And the latterdevelops on the basisof theformer,experiencing somenecessary adaptationsto suitAmericans.The peoplefrom theUS thinkBritishEnglishis muchtoo stylized,so theymadesome changesaccordingto their ownpersonality.One exampleof thekind iswhen Eggsycameto Texas—a southernstate ofAmerica,nearly halfof its people areimmigrants fromSouthAmerica and they arefamous forwarmth and openness,influenced bylocal customs,then formeda uniqueculture-cowboy.The popularcowboy influencemade Eggsylike asquarepeg in a roundhole.Even thosewho dontknow Englishcan feel that KingsmanfromAmerica are more openand free,while Eggsyfrom Britainappears alit rigorousandrestrained.Owning tothe changeof history,British speakwith strongfeelings andobviousintonation fluctuation,with frequentchanges inintonation.Anyone whohad communicatedwithBritish peoplewould feelthattheyspeak verypolitely,toa large extent,this wascausedby itslong-time classdivision.So in the beginning,the firstthing Harrytaught Eggsyis not to pay attention tohisappearanceand behavior but the wayEggsy speaks.Thismethod is not onlytrue ofBritain,also trueof ourdaily life,for example,when wetalk tosomebodyon thephone,we dontnecessarily seethe clothesthey wearand theirbehavior,sowe justjudge a person byhis language.Thus,language reallyplays akey rolein ourdailylife,which is the firstimpression lefton others,reflecting thequality andcultivation of thespeaker,that iswhy Harrypaid specialattention tocorrecting Eggsyspronunciation andgrammar.
3.3The Evaluationof EnglishGentleman CultureSpeakingof gentleman,most peoplewould associateitwithgentility ratherthan theknightsand bravesoldiers in the previousparagraphs.However,to peopleof ourgeneration,the impressionof gentleman is mainlyfrom thebig screen:one well-known image—Mr.Bean,is createdby actorRowan Atkinsonwho shapesa charactera childinagrown mansbody”,as hesolves variousproblems presentedby everydaytasks andoften causesdisruptionin theprocess.He actshumorously andfoolishly butwith courtesyand modestyof British people.Another imagewhich cantbe neglectedis James Bond withprofoundeyes,sexy masculinity,in effect,is thetrump cardthat Britishgentlemen conquer the wholeworld.From thecircle offashion,sports tomoviedom,tens ofthousands ofmen wouldemployall availablemeans todress themselvesto bea man of aJamesBond:amanwithstandard heightof
1.8meters,light eyes,black hair,firm strongjaw,western dressandleather shoes,just likeEggsy in Kingsman,appearing attractive.In theend,even Britishprincesswas attracted by Eggsysunique charmof Britishgentlemen manner.Up tonow,highlighted bythe vastamount ofdata on the internet,peoplearestill familiarwith theimagethat graduallyfixed on the screen.With the development ofcapital economy,the paceof modern people has to copewiththe timesthey areliving,so thetemperament andbehavior ofmost peoplewill alsobesuperficial andimpetuous.Just likegentlemen inKingsman,the mainrole of themovieTheWolf ofWall StreetJordan Belfort,actedbyLeonardo Dicarprio,also wearsformally,spending most of histime in the upperclass,but hewas seducedby moneyand lustfor fame.Belfort,once labeledasaRobin Hoodin WallStreet,appeared gentlyand cultivated,finallyreduced himselftoagold stockbroker obsessedwith money,women anddrugs.Under thecoverof nicesuit,the greedand impulsionof thewolf deprivedhim ofhis kindnessandwisdom,at last,he evenbroke hismoral bottomline.In moviesand magazines,there isnobig differencebetween himand otheraristocratic gentleman.As EggsyinKingsman,Belfort dressedhimself neatlyand attractively,whats more,he has a low-pitched andgentlevoice,but inhis mind,the lustfor moneyhas alreadydistorted hishumanity andphilosophyof life.In fact,there aresome similaritiesbetween Belfortand mostmodernpeople,fast-pacedlife andfierce competitionleave theirlives withfickleness.On theone hand,everyonewants to beaman likeEggsy thatcan winrespect from others andconquertheoverallsituation,however,mostofus areso anxiousfor successthat we cant dealwith thesituationcalmly likea gentleman.For mostof thetime,we holdontowhat wehavent got,thus,theoverall situationis undoubtedlyignored.This canbe seenfrom peopleswhether upperclassormanfrom thestreet attiregreatly,everyone expectsto improveself-image bydressingup well.IV.THE ENLIGHTENMENTOF ENGLISHGENTLEMANCULTURE ONMODERN SOCIETYGentleman culture includesthe needfor eachclass tointegrate witheach othertoaccommodate each other9s spirit of mutualcomity.Similarly,for everymodern man,whether itis therhythm of the times,ortheflushing ofmaterialistic moneyflow,anyinfluence of any desireshould notbecome afactor affectingthe conductofa“gentleman”.Especially in modern society,gentleman culturegives thepresent generationmany warningsandvaluable referenceexperience.
4.1The Reinforcementof AristocraticComplexGentleman culture is based on the aristocratic spirit,on theonehand,the aristocraticspirit absorbs someof the values of the middle class,on theother hand,the middle classgenerally alignswith the upper echelonsof society.This downwardabsorption andupwardlearnings behaviorleads tothe integrationof the whole socialvalues,making the gentlemanculture becomethe culturalspiritof thewholeof Britishsociety.In fact,this comesfrom astrongnational sentiment”in theblood ofmost Britishancestors-the Anglo-Saxon that isthe cultof the royal Familyand theworship of the aristocratic spirit.The royal family isapersonified spirit and personifiedquality thatrepresents themodern trend.The Englishhavea strongaristocratic complex,throughout historyand they have providedevidence for theformation,evolution andcontinuation ofthis sentimentinvariousforms.Today,for example,Britain stillretains aconstitutional monarchywith theroyalfamily.On April29,2011,the Grand wedding of the BritishsPrince Williamand the civilianwoman Kateattracted theattention of2billion ofviewers aroundthe worldandit has alsosetoff apursuit ofa newprincess anda heateddebate about theroyalfamily in the UK.Fora moment,Kate becamea fashionleader,and someoneeven openedthe“Princess Training,School”dreaming ofbecoming amember ofthe Royalfamily.In manyEnglish literaryworks,we canalso seethe Britisharistocratic complex”,for example,in CharlesDickens5sGreat Expectations,the heroPipe fromthecivilianpopulation,because ofoccasionalfunding,bent onwanting toget ridof civilianstatus,learning aristocraticetiquette,havingaccess toa varietyof uppersocial places.Hardy,a famousVictorian novelist,showed theworshipofthe aristocratic spirit and thecontempt for the ruffiansin thenovel Tessof thedUrbervilles.The auntoftheMr.Darcy,in Prideand Prejudice,resented theidentity oftheheroine andfelt thatshe wasnot worthyof hernephew.Until now,thearistocraticcomplex”of Englishgentlemen affectedpeople all over theworld.In China,for example,capable parentsare willingto sendtheir childrento“aristocratic schoolsat greatcost tolearn allkindsof gentleman etiquette.In India,the divisionof classstatus isstill veryobvious,through thesurname of peopledivided intocivilians andupper aristocracy.
4.2The Promotionof GentryDemeanorIn fact,the gentleman culture focuses on thegentle behavior,the steadyand elegantway of doingthings mentionedin thepreceding article,andwenow admirethe uniquedressme admireis alsobased on the gentlemansparticular spirit.If there isnogentleman spirit”,but onlya gentlemanshell ofthe ornaments,I thinkthe uniqueappearance isonly theappearance.The reasonwhy gentleman culture”hasbeenhand downto generationshasreceived somany peoplespursuit andadmiration andI thinkits impossibletomakeit byitsparticular andcharming dressalone.In fact,nomattermen andwomen,young andold theyall advocatebeing agentlemanand treatothers withhumility andcomity.But infact,not everyonehastogo inthisdirection.Everyone has a warmpart in their character,and beinga gentleman isnottosay thatthey havetobehumble ineverything andbe gentleand elegantto everyone,like theprotagonistin the Kingsman,he alsohad agreat dealof resentmentand confusionabout hisfamily,and hewould dosome illegalthings tovent hisdissatisfaction with the world,butwhat madeKingsman leaderHarry agreewith himis-still tomaintain akind heartwhen hislifewas inadversity orhold thatspecial loveto treatrelatives,colleagues,partners.Beforehe becameanagent,hewasa streetgang whoroamed thelowest rungsof society.But in theend,it washis genuinekindness thatmade hima gentleman”.Being amodern gentlemandoesnt reallyrequire you have afull demeanor,nor doesitrequire youto have a setof etiquette,let aloneyouhaveneat,delicate clothes.The mostimportantthing isthat youhave akind attitudetowards life andbeyourself.In ourlives,thisdemeanor canbe seeneverywhere.Metro busset upthe seatsfor theelderly,the sickand thedisabled,Japan9sandsome otherArabic countriesset upa specialtrain forfemale,every dayyouwill meeta politegentleman whowill say“Lady firstto you.
4.3The Prominenceof PatriotismTheMedieval knightsspiritual historyinfused thenorms ofloyalty intothe gentlemanculture,while Victorianpublic schoolsfurther extendedit tothe patrioticsensations ofthegreat empire,instilling instudents theidea ofambition andloyalty toserve the great causeofthe empire.A gentleman should takeontheresponsibility ofprotecting the country,asfamous philosopherPlato saidoftheGuardians ofthe country,they shouldbe fullofanimated anddeeply attachedtothemotherland.Loyalty isequated withpatriotism,andpatriots shouldcultivate thequalities ofkinship,care,identity andwillingness tosacrifice.There wasa verytypical casein theWorld WarII,the Britishand the German armiesmetonthebattlefield,and the British stillfollowed theancient rulesof engagement,itsmeans avoidinjustice,malice anddeception.They arearmed withlong swordswhen ridinghorses,but wereattacked bytheGermantank andshells.They wouldrather fightto diethanbow tothe enemy,never giveup.Another caseis the famous NormandyLanding War,noone flinchedin theface ofthe advantageousterrain andweapons ofthe enemyand foughtbravelyuntil thelast momentfor hisown country.In themovie Kingsman,when theEggsywent tothe United States ona mission,hewasstill proudandinawe ofhis country in thefaceofthetemptation ofthe UnitedStates.His aestheticappreciation ofthe beautifulsceneryand memoriesofthegood olddays symbolizethe customsof Britainssuperiorcivilization.Of course,this kindof patriotismisnot only in the English gentleman,but alsoveryobvious inour country.The political and economicdifferences betweencountries andideologicaldifferences betweennations existobjectively,but thesame strongpatriotismmakes ushave astrong sense of culturalidentity for the British gentleman culture,so itiseasier tounderstand andaccept eachother.V.CONCLUSIONGentleman culture hasalong historyin thewest.In the development ofseveralcenturies,the westerncountries ledby Britain have formeda setofgentleman culture whichcontainsthe idealofthe gentleman,gentlemans behaviornorms andgentlemans concept,with asenseofheritage ofthe gentleman culture.China hasalso inheritedthe traditionalBritishsociety,although thetwo countrieshave differencesin specificvalue orientation,cultural origin,political system and other aspects,but thisdoes notmean thatour societyisrepulsive tothe gentleman culture.Film isa visualart,the audienceis tocontact the worldwith theeyes.The gentleman culture embodied in themovie Kingsmanseries isan important part ofBritishnational culture.With along historyand profoundcultural accumulation,it canbesaid thatcontemporary gentlemenare allinfluenced bythe British gentleman culture.Therefore,this papertakes the gentleman culture embodiedin themovie Kingsmanseriesasthe research object,and analyzes the historicaland culturalbackground in Britain,generalsituation andcharacteristics ofthe gentleman culture.On theother hand,this paperalsostudies the reflection of English gentleman culture inlanguage anddress,which hasadifferent impacton peopleall overthe worldand triggersreflection ontheir ownculture inmanycountries.This paperhasavery importantpractical significance for us to understandthe British gentleman culture.With the development ofthe times,internet mediaand othertechnologiesaremoreand moredeveloped,and culturalinfiltration is reflected inall aspects.Cultural identityis veryimportant for the development of our country,I hopewe canlearnfrom itand getits essence.16ABSTRACTAs weknow,the gentleman culture originatedin Britainand developedhere.Due toitsunique historicaland culturalheritage,Britain isa countrywith conservativevalues andgreatlyinfluenced bythe monarchy.Through theevolution ofdynasties,British peoplehaveproduced an important feature-conservatism,which isalso reflectedinakindof“ideology“inmodernfilms,which iswhat wecall Britishstyle films.As anexcellentBritish cultural tradition,the gentleman culturehasbeen continuouslyinherited anddeveloped,and has become animportantpart ofthe cultural psychologyrecognized bytheBritish nation.It isalso the main embodiment of nationalspiritandexternal outlook,whichplays animportant rolein cultivatingpeoples spiritualconnotation andbehavior mode,forming a good socialorder.The movie Kingsmanseriesthat havebeen releasedsince2015,combing theelementof thegrowth ofheroes.At thesame time,it reflectsthe traditional British gentlemanthought,which isnotonlya tributetotheclassic agentfilm,but alsocarries the innovationof Britishcultural thought.This paperis conductedbasedonalargeamount ofliterature andthroughrepeated studiesaboutthemovie Kingsmanseries,taking thegentlemanculture inthe filmsas theresearchobjectand expoundsthe historicalbackground anddevelopment oftheformation ofthegentlemanculture in Britain.At thesame time,it explainsthe BritishgentlemancultureembodiedinthemovieKingsmanseries,focusing onthe influence ofgentleman culture on modernsociety.This isof greatsignificanceforChina tolearn fromothercountries9excellent culturesand jointlypromote the development ofhumancivilization.Key words:Kingsman Series;Gentleman Culture;Gentility;Quality;众所周知,绅士文化起源于英国也发扬于此由于独特的历史文化积淀,英国是一个价值观比较保守、君主制有着很大影响的国家英国人经过历代王朝的演变,产生了一个重要特征一保守主义,这也表现为一种“意识形态”出现在现代的电影中,就是我们所说的英伦风电影绅士文化作为英国优秀的文化传统而不断得以继承和发展,成为不列颠民族共同认可的文化心理的重要组成部分,也是民族精神和外在风貌的主要体现,这对于培养人们的精神内涵和行为方式、形成良好的社会秩序发挥了重要作用从年开始陆续上映的系列电影《王牌特工》在特工的传奇故事中融合了英2015雄成长等元素,同时体现出了英国传统绅士思想,既是向经典特工影片的致敬之作,也是承载着英国文化思想的创新之作因此本文依据大量的文献资料,通过反复研究系列电影《王牌特工》,以电影中出现的绅士文化为研究对象,试图阐述英国绅士文化形成的历史背景及发展,解释了系列电影《王牌特工》中所体现的英国绅士文化,重点研究了绅士文化对现代社会的影响这对于我国借鉴学习他国优秀文化,共同促进人类文明发展有十分重要的意义关键词系列电影《王牌特工》;绅士文化;绅士风度;品质;L INTRODUCTIONForBritain,after the establishment ofthe constitutionalmonarchy,the countryhasbasically no more turbulence,nomorerevolutions andsociety hasgradually stabilized.Itwas duringthis periodthatthe word“gentleman”came intobeing,whenitwas moreof aknightandavaliant chivalrous.But bythe19th century,Britain hadmade amazingideological,political,andsocialchanges:Liberalism,Feminism,the WorkersMovement,Socialism,Marxism,and manyother importantmodern reformmovements hadall takenplace;the Britishetiquette systemhad graduallybegun totake shape.This patternofdevelopment inhistory hasformed an ingrained valueorientation inthe Britishmind and theBritish areinfluenced bytheir culturalcustoms,so thatall sectorsof societyare integratedwiththegentlemanculture”,different classesofpeopleare alsocourtly to eachother,andeven becomefriends,which notonly gavebirth tothecultural temperament ofthe wholesociety,atthesame time,ithasmade Britaina famous“state ofetiquette throughouttheworld,sucha cultural systemhas promoted thedevelopment ofthe country andlaid adeepfoundation.This themewas chosenbecause inthe contextof culturalglobalization,the promotionof different regions,different nationalitiesoftheculture shouldbe maximizedtothealien toabsorbthe availablefactors.We shouldexpand thecommonality betweendifferent culturesandrealize cross-cultural exchanges in orderto achieveaculturalintegration withintheworld.Learning thecultural andspiritual connotationsofdifferentcountries isa compulsorycourseinthepresent era.From themovieKingsmanseries we can seethat there are manypoints forpeople tolearnfromthe Britishgentlemanculture,and analyzingthis culturalphenomenon isofpractical significanceforthefuture exchangesbetween Chinaand the United Kingdom.During thisage ofglobalization,intercultural conflicthas become one ofthe criticalissuesthat influenceworld peaceand humandevelopment.Through theanalysis of Englishgentleman culture,itishelpful forustounderstand thecultural gapbetween Chineseandforeign countries and providesome usefulenlightenment andreference forChinasmodernization.Through theinvestigation ofthe core value ofBritishgentlemancultureanditsmanifestation inthe movies,this paperaims todemonstrate theprofound reflectionofBritish gentlemancultureonpersonal,social andinternational influence,and toexplain theBritishattention totheir traditionalculture inmodern times.This articleis divided into fourchapters.The firstchapter isintroduction.Then expoundsthe contentand evolutionofBritish gentlemanculture,and thenanalyzesthecorevalueof English gentlemancultureandthe previousresearch onit inour country.The thirdchapter showsthe自Ims reflectionofEnglish gentlemanculture,from whichthree aspects,language,social etiquette and dresscodeare selected.The fourthchapter focusesonthe influenceof English gentlemancultureon modernsocial life.In aword,the useofthisseries offilms iseasy toarouse theculturalidentity ofpeople athome andabroad,stimulate ourpeoples thinkingontheissue ofculturaladaptation intheir owncountry.
11.AN OVERVIEWOF ENGLISHGENTLEMANCULTUREThe term“gentleman hasalonghistory.The meaningofthe English gentlemanoriginatedfromthetradition offreedom inGreece andRome,and hasformed thespecialmeaning ofBritain itselfinthehistoryofdevelopment,finally madeitasymbol ofBritishnational culture.With thedevelopmentofsociety and the progressofthetimes,peoplesrecognition yearningand pursuitofgentlemanculture havepromotedthedevelopment ofEnglishgentleman education,aswellas thestudy ofgentlemancultureall overthe world.
11.1The Definitionof Gentleman CultureThe definitionof“culture”refers tothe levelat whichsocial groupsdevelop differentmodesof lifeand provideforms ofexpression fortheir socialand materiallife experiences.Culture isthewayand formby whichgroups dealwiththeraw materialsof theirsocial andmaterialexistence.Three aspectsare mentionedin thisdefinition:social groups,life patterns,social experiences.Groups ofsociety candevelop uniquepatterns oflife basedon theirsocialexperience.The cultureofagroup orclass isthe peculiarand particularway oflife ofagroup orclass,itisthe meaning,values andthoughts embodiedin institutions,socialrelations,belief systemsand customs.In modernterms,a gentlemanis anymanofgood characterand politeness.In thepast,Britain hasa stricthierarchy,including theDuke,Marquis,Count,Viscount,Baron,thesefive forthe noble.The restare Lordand Knight,above commoners.A gentleman was thelowestranking manamong British,below the Knight andabove yeomanan attendantin anoblehousehold.As thename implies,this categoryinclude thebaronets thelowest rankofan EnglishClass andthe youngestson ofbaronets.The famousMerriam WebsterintheUnitedStates,made severaleasier tounderstandthe meaningforthe word“gentleman”,that is,“amanofnobleand chivalry,anaristocratic manwith aland”,“a Manofnoblebirth”.Until thegreat politicaland socialchangesofthe19th centurybrought ita broaderand moreessentially highermeaning,theword gentleman,asasymbol ofhierarchy,had becomedubious value.The definitiongivenin successiveeditions ofthe EncyclopediaBritannica isagoodillustration ofthis change.Inthe5th edition1815,A gentlemanisaperson withoutany titlewho mayhaveabadgereward,or hisancestor isa freeman.In the7th edition1845it stillimplies adefinitesocial status:All above the rank of yeoman.In the8th edition1856,itisdefined inthesame wordsas thosequoted abovefromthe5th edition,buttheauthor adds:Out ofcourtesy,the titleis generallygiven toall peoplewho areabovetherankofordinary businessman,andtheir demeanorshowsthattheyhavea degreeof finenessand intelligence.So thecultureabout thisis calledgentlemanculture.Therefore,wecansay thatgentlemancultureisaparticular culture that haslong beencreatedbythereal gentlemarTand isfinally fusedtogether bythe influenceof customs,beliefs,art andwayoflife.Englishgentlemanculture showedhighlight thegentlemansway oflifeandits valuesin socialrelations andinstitutions havea distinctand specialposition.
11.2Gradual Evolutionof EnglishGentleman cultureDuringthe Tudorperiod,Britain graduallyrose froman islandnation onthe fringesofEurope.By thetime ofQueen ElizabethI,Britain hadbecomeoneofthestrongest countriesinEurope bydefeating theSpanish Invinciblefleet andestablishing maritimehegemony.Unlike therest ofthe continentsuch asFrance,Britains autocraticrule hasa uniqueKingin Parliamentand“rule of law constitutionalism,thatis,theKingspolicy must berecognized byParliament.After thecivil unrestand violentwar ofthe17th century,the1688Glorious Revolution^laid thefoundation ofthe Britishconstitutional Monarchy,to makeBritainthe firstcountryinthe worldto movetowards amodern civilization.The GloriousRevolution99ledtoa newera:the limitation ofthethrone,the regularconvening ofParliament,theestablishmentofaneffective linkbetween theexecutive andthe legislature,the emphasisontherule oflaw,and majorchangesinforeign andfiscal policy,resulting inthe worlds mostsuccessful politicalsystemandthe mostactive ideologyand cultureat thattime.The evolutionof politicshas ledtoaunique Britishculturaltraditionof changeintradition,combining traditionalculture witha freeandopensociety.After theGlorious Revolution^,inthemidst ofpoliticalandsocial reform,Britain hasproducedtwo politicaltendencies ofconservatism andradicalism.Radical reformsofconservatism wereintroduced inthe1832:accepting radicalprinciples,but implementingthemin asconservative away aspossible.This pathof changewhich blendsin conflicthasuntil now.After theyear of1832,Britainhasnot experiencedviolent revolution,andnational developmenthas alwaysfollowed apractical approach.This developmentmodelwhich hasbeen formedinthecourse ofhistory hasfinally becomeaningrainedvalueorientation inthe Britishmind.By the19th centuryintheVictorian era,Britain hadcreated dramaticchanges inideology,politics andsociety:Liberalism,Feminism,the WorkersMovement,Socialism,Marxism,and manyother modernmovements hadtaken shapein thatera.The Victorianerawas also a periodof formationof variousBritish rituals,which madeitastate ofetiquette99and elegantSociety”.The wordgentleman comesfrom this period andBritains specific“gentleman”demeanor wasmature andstereotyped duringthisperiod.It seeksto embodythe principle of fair andreasonable competition;the mannerin whichwords anddeeds aredominated by reason;the spiritof perseveranceand courage,in orderto safeguardthe honorofthe individualandthestate.
11.3Core Valuesof EnglishGentleman Culture,Gentleman istheKnightof Modernsociety forthe Britishpeople,the understandingofthewordgentleman“isalsodiverse andnumerous.And inhistory,many famouspeoplehave avery highopinion oftheBritishgentlemanculture,thegreatpoet Hopkinsoncesaid:Even iftheEnglishnation cannotleave anythingelse tothe world,the conceptof agentlemanalone willbe enoughforthebenefit ofmankind.”Britains specialgentleman demeanorembodies:theprincipleoffairand reasonablecompetition;the mannerin whichwords anddeeds aredominatedbyreason;the spiritofperseverance andcourage,in orderto safeguardthe honorofthecountry.This graceblendsthe valueorientation of all classes,breeds theculturaltemperamentofthewhole society,andbecomes apowerful drivingforce andfoundation topromote thedevelopmentofthecountry.The gentlemansrules seemto containall theactions ofaperson.Among them,somequalities areparticularly important:fair competition,self-reflection,courage,loyalty,responsibility andrespect forwomen.An Englishgentlemanshouldbe adeptat bothpen andswordeven thewhole worldin mind.Gentlemancultureistheoutsourcing ofBritishnational culture,basedonthearistocraticspirit;it integratesthevalues ofallclasses intheprocess ofalignment withtheupperclass.This integrationisalong-term process,which isnotimitationofaristocraticspirit,nor isit theembodimentofmiddle-class values.The corevaluesofBritain todayare democracy,theruleoflaw,individual freedom,mutual respectand tolerancewith peopleofdifferentfaiths andbeliefs,includingnon-believers^.The samewithgentlemanculture,the basiccontent ofBritish corevalues isoriginallythe mostbasic andimportant valuesintheBritish historicaltradition,which arewidelyaccepted bytheBritishmiddle class,and hasa hugesocial integrationfunction as themainstream ideologyinBritain,isthegentleman culturesinheritance andsummary.Afterhundreds ofyears,inBritain,almost allmen canreflect thisaccomplishment well,at thesametime,gentlemanculture”has becomethe representativeof worldcivilization,and thisculturehasbecomea symbolicquality fortheBritish.I alsoprovide amore favorableconditionfortheportrayal oftheBritish,which isparticularly differentfromothercountries,which notonly makesthecountrydifferent,but alsoestablishes abright signfor it.
11.4Previous StudyofEnglishGentleman Cultureat HomeandAbroadDomestic researchrefers tothe currentsituation of Chinese researchon Englishgentleman culture.Through thesearch ofCNKI,1182articles ofliterature wereretrievedwith Englishgentleman asthe key word,and2,212articles ofvarious literatureswereretrieved withgentlemans demeanorasthekeyword,so asto seetheinfluenceof Britishgentlemanculture inChinese academiccircles.In addition,therearemany relevantintroductorybooks onEnglishgentlemanculture inourcountry,such asQian ChengdanandChen Xiaoli1997intheBetween Traditionand Change-the Traceabilityof BritishCulturalModel,put forwardthegentlemancultureisthe concentratedreaction ofBritishnational culture.John Lockes GentlemanEducation ThoughtZranslated byYang Hanlin,the BeijingInstitute ofEducational Science and Researchpublished,complied bythegentleman educationmustbeput inthe firstplace.The relatedresearch ofgentlemanculturecanbedividedintothreetypes:gentlemansthematic theoryresearch,gentlemancultureresearch andapplied researchoriented todifferentaudiences,in whichthefirsttwo kindsof resultsare less,thelatteris many.Forexample,Edward Bermains bookLiving Likea Gentleman-totheMiddle Classof TodaysChina,introduces theBritish gentrystyle tothe Chinesemiddleclass,so thatitcanmake theChinesemiddleclassimprove theirtaste oflife,in essence,whichisalso thepromotion andadvertisesofEnglishgentlemanculture.Enrights Learntobea Humorous Gentleman withWenChurchill,selectedapartofChurchiirs speechesand writingstothereader.Its contentinvolvespolitical,ethnic,cultural andotheraspects,withthecelebrity effectto spreadtheBritish gentlemanculture totheworld.Duren JonessGentleman sCode,includes wealth,etiquette,emotion andfashion,among otherthings.In addition,there isalsoacomparative study ofgentlemancultureinChina.Manyscholars fromChina,theUnitedStates andBritainhavesaid thatChinas JunZi”could be,translated as“gentleman correspondingtoeachothers.Some studieshold thatEnglishgentlemanculturehas muchin commonwith Chinesetraditional gentlemanculture.Thereare3papers onthe comparativestudyofgentlemen and“JunZi inChina,namely LiJundongsContrastive AnalysisofChineseJunZi andEnglish Gentlemen.Comparisonbetween Pre-Qin DynastyConfucian JunZiand LockesGentlemanPersonality byGaoLiand others.Shen WenzinsFrom JunZiand Gentlemanto ModernIdeal Personality-on theIntegrationof Humanities,ScienceandTechnology.Overall,wecanfind thatthereisa lotofresearch ongentlemancultureallovertheworld,so itis worthour discussion.HI.AN ANALYSISOF ENGLISHGENTLEMANCULTURE FROMTHE MOVIEKINGSMANSERIESCulture isthe experienceand treatmentof sociallife.It permeatesall aspectsof sociallife.I thinkmost people,including myselffeelthattheword“gentlemanisthe exclusivetitleoftheupper aristocracy,butinfact itisnot.Indeed,becoming agentlemanisoneoftheessential conditionsforagentleman inaddition tohaving theinner characterthat attractstheunique charmof others,neat clothingandthepoliteness thatemanates frominside.InKingsman,thereflectionofBritishgentlemancultureisreflectedeverywhere,describingmany details,such aslanguage,etiquetteanddressing codes.
3.1An BriefIntroduction tothe MovieKINGSMAN SeriesThemovieKingsmanisafilmthatcombines agentstories withtraditional gentlemenculture,in whicha streetgang calledEggsy joineda mysteriousorganization—Kingsman byaccident,after aseries ofdangerous andchallenging tests,heandother membersworkedtogether tostop acrisis successfully,which startedbyascience geekwho intendsto ruintheearth anditspeople,presenting theviewers theprocess ofan ordinaryman turninginto askilledagentwithgentlemen manners,also presentingthe gentlemenculturethatrootedstrongly inBritain,thefamoussaying MannersMaketh Manacts asthemaincluethroughout the film.On topof these,thefilmfocusesontraditionalBritishgentlemen cultureandhow agentlemanwasborn.
3.2The EmbodimentofEnglishGentlemanCulturefrom theMovieKINGSMAN SeriesWiththedevelopmentofthetimes andtheinnovationof scienceand technology,various culturesare quietlyinfiltrated,andthegood andthe badare intermingled.It isalsovery importanttopayattention tothedevelopmentoftheideological qualityofthenewgeneration.Learning theexcellent cultureof othercountriesandtaking itsessence toitsdross isanimportantgoal ofthedevelopmentofthepresent era.The mostdirect wayfor ustoget intouch withother culturesis throughbooks,TV andmovies.The collisionofdifferent culturesmakes usfeel freshand makesus unconsciouslyimitate them,no mattergoodor bad.Decent suitsand hatsare superficialrepresentations inpeoples mindswhenreferring togentlemen.In otherwords,they arean externalform。