Definition: The rehearsed spontaneity, studied carelessness, and well-practiced naturalness that underlies convincing discourse. (The opposite of sprezzatura is affectazione--affectation.) See also:
Etymology:
Coined by Baldassare Castiglione in
The Book of the Courtier (1528): "[T]o avoid affectation in every way possible . . . and (to pronounce a new word perhaps) to practice in all things a certain
Sprezzatura [nonchalance], so as to conceal all art and make whatever is done or said
appear to be without effort and almost without any thought about it."
Examples and Observations:
- "Float like a butterfly; sting like a bee."
(Muhammed Ali)
- "And all you got to do is act naturally."
(Morrison and Russell, "Act Naturally")
- "Writers are not mere copyists of language; they are polishers, embellishers, perfecters. They spend hours getting the timing right--so that what they write sounds completely unrehearsed."
(Louis Menand, "Bad Comma," The New Yorker, June 28, 2004)
- "In the presidential debates, everything that the candidates say will have been carefully rehearsed including the ad lib remarks. While the candidate may be good at thinking on his feet, he is not going to risk making a mistake on national TV, with millions watching him. . . . What a candidate has to do is to memorize the answers to a bunch of questions and know how to look sincere. As a TV producer said, 'If you can fake sincerity, you've got it made.'"
(Molly Ivins, 1991)
- "Being prepared is the key to rehearsed spontaneity in public speaking. Before making a remark, pause and look up like you are searching for something to say. The audience will think you are creating the humor on the spot."
(Scott Friedmann, "Public Speaking: Laws of Humor")
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