Manwatching   by Desmond Morris

2005-2006     Found it second hand in a British import shop.

I've long been interested in Human behaviour, (what human isn't, in some way?) And I remembered seeing some programs on TV many years ago, which were hosted by Morris. So when I saw this book, I had to buy it. And then slowly, Ever so slowly, read through it. It's a different thing, hearing about the aquatic ape theory for the first time, and hearing it for the fifteenth time. That in the end was probably the thing that reduced my interest in this book the greatest amount: The fact that I'd already heard about most of the things it spoke of. It's all a bit dated too. (printed in 1977.) These ideas have been around for some time, and I've heard most of them, and there was nothing New to say. (It was only new back in the seventies.)

Now, aside from that, it was a decent book. I haven't truly read before of Everything it had to say. Only most of it. And it was good to have more history and background on theories that I knew only vaguely about. (Such as the Fork in the Right hand was a new concept which was started in America.) I found the book dry at places, but never truly dull. -I just usually had something better on hand to read. So, my progress was at a snail's pace through it's pages.

Somewhere near the middle of the book, I read the section about Territorialness. (Territoriality?) And was so interested, that I had to write something immediately. It's about my relation to what he wrote of: I haven't the normal feeling for "Personal Space", nor for family space: I feel more at home in communal living, where there's not a section which is strictly mine. Then there's also how I don't seem to have a "tribal belonging" which is common, or normal. I think it's well worth looking at that link, to see my exact reactions to these things.

Aside from them, there was only one other place in the book which had me thinking about my own personality; In a list of different play types, among Mechanical, Fantasy, and Artistic Play, there is also "Clever Play." It's described as Mental Agility, and includes board games, card games, and all sorts of puzzles. He particularly included Jigsaw puzzles. Now, I've always been a great lover of all these types of games, and enjoy the mental challenge of them. But I don't think that Jigsaw puzzles fit into the picture. At least not for me; The pleasure I get out of a Jigsaw, (And I do enjoy them as well,) has nothing to do with the mental challenge that the others give me; it's all about seeing my stubbornness rewarded. It's about slowly, but SURELY getting something ordered, and sorted out. It's about... truly... exercising my stubbornness. Seeing it succeed against a great chaos.

And to my feeling, Stubbornness and Cleverness are different things. (Although I see myself as possessing a good deal of each!!!)

So, is there anything still needing to be said about this book? Nothing comes to mind. It seems complete, in that there was no particular element of human behaviour missing from it. Ummm.. and it's fine. That's about all.