THAT CERTAIN SOMETHING

Arlene Francis, in the spontaneous and lively style which has won her a place in television, herein lectures on charm. After defining her subject, she sets about telling the reader how to be himself in the best and fullest possible sense. Using psychoanalysis, sophistication and common sense as her guides, she deals less with external elements of manner, imploring her reader to drive out phantom and damaging fears, guilt, boredom, prejudice, narcissism, intellectual stagnation, tension, disloyalty, dishonesty, and small mindedness. Lightened with anecdotes and personal recollections, Arlene Francis airs her views, gives hints on external devices to keep the inner voices in tune, and generally puts up a winning if somewhat superficial argument for the psychoanalytic approach to social success. Her particular dose of therapy will not effect any radical cures, but readers to whom the symptoms of charmlessness match those indicated by the text or by the charm test at the back of this book might well be spurred on to positive action. Doubtless there's a market, but do they read?