The art of speaking according to "Carreño's Manual (1853)

Abstract

"Don't do it, because Carreño's Manual reproaches it"; "Behave yourself, do as Carreño's Manual says". Many Latin American children and young people received slogans similar to these during the second half of the 19th century and a good part of the 20th century. For these reasons, surely our more adult readers know the origin of these phrases, but the younger ones may not. Who is Carreño? What is his Manual? What does he say? And why does he say what he says? The new American nations, on their way to consolidation and identity, turned to various means to educate their citizens. The Manual of Civility and Good Manners, written by the educator and musician Manuel Antonio Carreño, born in Caracas in 1812, was a good option. The publication was born and was published in installments in 1853. As the weeks went by, it became so popular that the following year it was published in its entirety in New York. In the following years, it was republished several times in different Latin American countries. The Manual... consists of two parts: Moral Duties of Man and Civility. Three chapters on duties constitute the first part. The second part begins with the conceptualization of civility and continues, through the articles contained in the chapters, providing guidance on how to behave inside and outside the home. For this issue, the chapters have been selected to deal with face-to-face communication and presentations, including epistolary communication.