The origins of 'cool'

I just started reading Dudley Pope's Life in Nelson's Navy in preparation for seeing the movie of Patrick O'Brian's Master And Commander: The Far Side of the World (which name oddly combines titles of two of O'Brian's books, and books quite well-separated in the series and in time.)

Anyway, though unrelated directly to Nelson, the Navy etc, Pope makes this vaguely diverting point:

A curious fad which had begun bothering playwrights and actors in the 1750s had now become a way of life among the upper classes and would soon spread through the country, to become a characteristic of the people. It began with the idea that it was bad form to show any sort of feeling in public: a carefully studied appearance of languid boredom took the place of laughter and clapping at the theatre --- although the mob in the pit and gallery usually made up for the silence in the stalls and boxes.

The feigned languidness had become sufficiently popular for newspapers in the 1750s to advertise a pamphlet costing a shilling and called The Folly of Enthusiasm. In an ages when the upper classes were frequently ill educated, languidness could hide its owner's ignorance on a subject, and it also disguised laziness. But the fashion continued to become an attitude, and two centuries later it is still 'bad form' to display feelings in public; this attitude is usually described as 'keeping a stiff upper lip.'

That's an interesting perspective and does seem to fit my (very limited) image of say, the difference in personality between Henry VIII and the first Duke of Wellington as archtypal figures of their own eras. But then again, there are many passages in The Odyssey in which the hero is shown to be a man of "twists and turns" who can keep his counsel and hide his feelings. Clearly, hiding one's feelings is a socially advantageous thing to do, gives power and that's probably been obvious ever since the first ape first recognized a smile.

Here is another guy's take on The Truth About "Cool" which narrows the grounds of discussion somewhat unconvincingly:

The term "cool" has a long and interesting history. The reason everyone says "cool" now is because the idea of "cool" has been packaged and sold for so long. The origin of "cool" as a concept dates back to the 20's or so with what I'll misname black jazz culture. The reason for the misnomer is that black culture in the 20's and 30's essentially was jazz culture and I use the two terms as interchangeable. The only way for black people to actively resist white, oppressive "authorities" was to create a language of their own. The language, called jive, was "cool" in itself. It could not call attention to itself and had to be coded enough for "the man" to not catch on to what "cats" were saying. While mainstream culture dictated that black people be quick to jump, hop, step, and serve white people in the friendliest of ways; being "cool" resisted all that. Instead of pandering, you just chilled out. It was something that was not obvious to the "squares," or people outside of cool culture. Staying cool was a cryptic form of resistance that had much less harsh repercussions than shooting a white guy in the face.

Anyone know anything about this aspect of human behavior? Not that I am all that interested in it, really.

Comments

[clew]

Which aspect; languid aristocracy or chilling out one's oppressors?

Cf. sprezzatura, an older idea, in which one was expected to show mastery; allowed to show emotion; but unlikely to show any evidence of effort:

To do his feates with a slight, as though they were rather naturally in him, then learned with studye: and use a Reckelesness to cover art, without minding greatly what he hath in hand, to a mans seeminge.

(Castiglione's The Book of the Courtier)

[David Sucher]

Oh both really, as I would think they overlap a bit.
So are you suggesting that Pope is over-stating any change which may have happened in the mid-18th century?

Overall, I still think Pope's observation is fascinating.