Bond and Phenomenology: Shaken, Not Stirred

Abstract

"Shaken, not stirred" - this is James Bond's preferred way to drink a martini. The familiar, oft-repeated phrase tells us many things about Ian Fleming's Hero - some obvious, some obscure. For instance, Bond's choice of drink reveals that he not only enjoys strong alcohol, but the sort consumed in high society. The martini connotes the glamour, sophistication, and wealth of the fashionable and privileged. Bond's partiality for this drink, and indeed his strict instructions concerning its preparations, suggest that he is no slouch when it comes to fashion.Bond is the epitome of cool. His reconnaissance activities often require that he rub shoulders with the extravagant and elite. Although he is adept, even triumphant in this role, he is not a full-time member of the martini-drinking class. His work, which is his 'raison d'être', is far too important for that. Yet it's not simply a matter of national and patriotic duty over-riding excessive and indulgent desires - it's a matter of international security! What's more, Bond would never dream of becoming a member of any social group, glamorous or otherwise, because he is far too cool and sophisticated for that.Bond is a longer, which agrees with his secret life and work as a spy. Being a licensed-to-kill member of the British Secret Service, he lives, acts, thinks - and drinks - outside the fray of social climbers and glamorous wannabes. From this point, he is untouchable. He is also, perhaps, invincible. The injunction - "shaken, not stirred" - enunciates a cool sensibility that is the result of a carefully developed, fostered, and cultivated intelligence.