Middle Age Made Ridiculous
Jason Hazely / Joel MorrisCITIC Press2017
Rating 3.6- Word count
- 28K words
- Chapters
- 10
- Series
- Middle Age Made Ridiculous (Ladybird Books for Grown-Ups)
- ISBN
- 9787508674711
Tags
Everyday Reference Home and Living MarriageSocializingMidlife CrisisLife PhilosophyDry HumorIronyComicsBritish HumorSummary
Middle Age Made Ridiculous is a grown-up spinoff of the century-old British children's brand Ladybird. The Chinese edition, a boxed set of ten 56-page booklets, was published by CITIC Press in 2017. Its authors, Jason Hazeley and Joel Morris, are writers on the British TV series Peep Show, and in deadpan British style they cast each booklet as a mock "user's guide," itemizing the embarrassments of midlife—in life, marriage, parenting, socializing, drinking, and self-image: how to pretend to be young, how to pretend to be niche, how to pretend to be above it all; how to ruin a date, how to pretend you're not drunk, how to dodge your worries; and how to pretend to be a good father, a good mother, a good wife, a good husband. The books are illustrated with vintage artwork borrowed from classic Penguin children's books, deliberately mismatched with the text to ironic effect: the figures in the pictures are still living respectable postwar British lives while the captions mock contemporary life. In an easygoing, laugh-it-off tone, the series lays bare the pretense and forced endurance of middle age, letting readers release stress and find recognition in self-mockery and banter—which is why it is often given as a gift to friends who are about to enter, or are already in, middle age.Editor's review
中年，往往意味着不敢再任性：工作要撑住，家庭要经营好，朋友圈要体面，连喝酒也要假装没喝醉。这套书不劝你“加油”，它把那些说不出口的狼狈一条条列出来，再用英国式的坏笑狠狠补一刀。全书共十本掌心小册，每本56页，随手翻两三页就能笑出声；其中的插图全部借用企鹅“快乐瓢虫”百年童书里的复古插画，配文与画面故意错位，荒诞感十足。它像一面哈哈镜，照出中年中产阶级的日常：假装年轻去听音乐会，假装小众去喝精酿，假装好爸爸、好妈妈在家长群里周旋。笑完之后你会发现，原来全世界的成年人都差不多，强撑的生活也值得被原谅。适合摆在床头、马桶旁或办公桌上，也适合打包送给同龄好友，作为一句“我懂你”的善意嘲弄。Who it's for
A good fit for
- 正处在三四十岁、对生活琐事感到疲惫的成年读者
- 喜欢英式冷幽默与图文反差笑点的读者
- 想送给同龄朋友一份轻松又不失体面的小礼物的人
- 需要下班后快速解压、喜欢碎片化阅读的人
Not a good fit for
- 期待严肃的中年危机心理学分析或自助指南的读者
- 偏好长篇叙事、不喜欢短句调侃式文本的读者
- 希望从中学到实际生活技巧或育儿方法的人
Reading tips
- 不必从头读到尾，按当下心情挑一本读，笑点更准。
- 把它当“幽默镜子”使用：读到某条时会心一笑，不妨顺手记下自己的版本。
- 适合在通勤、睡前或等人的碎片时间翻几页，一次一两本足够。
- 送给朋友时夹一张便条，写上你替他认领的那一条，效果加倍。
About the publisher
CITIC Press China · Founded in 1988Founded in 1988 and affiliated with China CITIC Group, CITIC Press focuses on business and economics, social sciences, literature and children's books, with common categories covering social sciences, finance, literature, Eastern philosophy and literary appreciation. Its library holds 91 titles, including Yuval Noah Harari's Sapiens trilogy, Thomas Piketty's Capital in the Twenty-First Century, Wu Xiaobo's Thirty Years of Strife: Chinese Enterprises 1978–2008, Nelly Sachs's The Weight of Butterflies: Selected Poems of Nelly Sachs, as well as New Interpretations of the Analects and Chiang Hsun's lectures on Dream of the Red Chamber. Its authors and translators include Lin Junhong, Ba Shusong, Chen Li and Chang Fen-ling. Overall, the press introduces influential works in finance and social sciences while balancing classic translation and local appreciation in literature and Eastern philosophy, combining academic depth with accessible reading.
Contents
- How to Pretend to Be Young
- How to Pretend to Be a Niche Insider
- How to Pretend to Be Detached
- How to Ruin a Date
- How to Pretend You're Not Drunk
- How to Dodge Life's Annoyances
- How to Pretend to Be a Good Father
- How to Pretend to Be a Good Mother
- How to Pretend to Be a Good Wife
- How to Pretend to Be a Good Husband
FAQ
这套书一共几册，是一本完整长篇吗？
不是长篇。全套共十本独立小册子，每本约56页，标题分别对应“如何假装年轻”“如何假装好妻子”等主题，可单独阅读，也可整套收藏。这套书讲的是中年危机指南吗？
它更像一本反指南：用英式幽默把中年人强撑体面的日常写出来，并不提供解决方案，重点在于自嘲、共鸣和释放压力，读时不必当成实用建议。书中的插图是原创的吗？
插图取自企鹅“快乐瓢虫”百年童书中的经典插画，作者用现代口吻给复古画面配上错位的文字，形成反差式的讽刺效果。没到中年的人读得懂吗？
可以，而且常常笑得更大声。书中写的是成年生活里的普遍尴尬，年轻读者把当它“提前预习”或纯粹当笑话集看，也并不违和。This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.
About the author
Jason Hazely AuthorJason Hazely is an author about whom limited public information is available. Only one of his works is currently held in the domestic book database, namely The Terrible Middle Age. According to the available information, this book is classified under lifestyle encyclopedia and home living, suggesting that his writing addresses everyday life and focuses on the practical situations and household experiences people may encounter in middle age. Since no reliable records have been found regarding the author's nationality, dates of birth and death, educational background, or professional career, no speculation is made here, nor are any biographical details invented. Judging from the work currently available, Hazely's writing reads more like close, practical observation of daily life than theoretical exposition; he attempts to discuss middle age, a topic that easily causes anxiety, within the concrete context of everyday routines and family life. For readers, the value of this book may lie not in offering standard answers, but in presenting several facets of middle-aged life from a plain perspective, inviting comparison and reflection.
Joel Morris AuthorJoel Morris is an author about whom limited public information is available. Only one of his works can currently be found in the Chinese book database, namely The Terrible Middle Age. Judging from the title and its common classification, the book falls under life encyclopedia and home living, and its content likely revolves around the everyday situations of middle-aged people, offering life observations with a practical reference value. Since basic details such as nationality and dates of birth and death remain unconfirmed, it is difficult to say more about his life or creative development. Based on the existing work alone, Morris writes close to the real experiences of ordinary readers, taking the life stage of middle age as his starting point; the language and structure are most likely accessible and easy to dip into. Such subjects are common in home and lifestyle books, and the readership consists mainly of adults concerned about their quality of life. Overall, the author's profile still awaits further material; for now, this single work is the only basis for understanding his direction as a writer.