A Talent to Annoy

The Mitford sisters are one of my guilty pleasures. I was seduced as a teenager by Nancy's The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate (I think I must have come to them via the 1980 TV adaptation) and then gradually discovered the rest of that glittering, wicked, gifted family. 

A Talent to Annoy collects a selection of Nancy's articles and reviews, mostly from the 1950s and 60s, when she was living in France. Her writing sparkles, even when she's discussing contemporary French politicians and 18th century personalities that mean very little to me. These articles often contain 'teases,' because Nancy did love to provoke as well as to entertain. One tease which had a long afterlife was a piece about the English aristocracy, in which she discussed 'U' and 'non-U' speech, where U stands for upper-class. For example, it's U to say napkin, non-U to use the word serviette. Nancy was actually quoting the work of a linguistics professor from several years earlier, but the article set off an explosion of furious debate in Britain and is still cited today.

I think Nancy must have longed to live in the 18th century French court (pre-Revolution), surrounded by amusing, learned and fascinating (and rich!) people. Each of these pieces is headed by a quote from one of her letters, and her voluminous correspondence, especially to her sisters and to her great friend Evelyn Waugh, give a real flavour of her personality. She used to spend every morning sitting up in bed dashing off letters -- how heavenly, and much more useful for posterity than doom-scrolling.