Is Flattery Good or Bad?
Flattery is a noun that means the act of giving excessive compliments, generally for the purpose of favoring oneself with the subject. Flattery is sometimes used in pick-up lines to attempt to initiate romantic courtship.
Flattery often connotes insincerity. It derives from ME. [OFr.flaterie (mod.flatterie)]. Historically, flattery was used as a standard form of discourse, meaning conversation, when addressing a king or queen. During the Renaissance period, it was a common practice among writers to flatter the reigning monarch. For example, Edmund Spenser flattered Queen Elizabeth I in The Faerie Queene or William Shakespeare flattering King James I in Macbeth.
Most associations with flattery are negative. Flatterers are sometimes described by pejorative phrases, having a negative or degrading effect, such as “suck-up” or “brown-noser”. Negative descriptions of flattery go as far back in history as the bible.
There are several synonyms for the......

Join Now to view the rest of this term paper!
Members: Login to view this research paper.

Title: Flattery
Approximate Word Count: 1274
Approximate Pages: 6 (250 words per double-spaced page)

With the Term Papers Lab Membership Pass, you get instant access to every essay on this site, including this essay on Flattery, for as long as you remain a member.

Other essays sites charge almost $100 for a single term paper. At Term Papers Lab, you can get instant access to over 100,000 research papers for as little as $29.95!