English [Paperback]

Jeremy Paxman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 1999

Not so long ago, writes Jeremy Paxman, the English were "polite, unexcitable, reserved, and had hot-water bottles instead of a sex-life". Today the end of empire has killed off the Bulldog Breed - "fearless and philistine, safe in taxis and invaluable in shipwrecks" - and transformed the great public schools. Princess Diana was mourned with the effusive emotionalism of an Italian saint. Leader-writers in "The Times" even praise the sexual skills of English lovers ...So what are the defining features of "Englishness"? How can a country of football hooligans have such an astonishingly low murder rate? Does the nation's sense of itself extend to millions of black, Asian and other immigrant Britons? Is it grounded in arrogant, nostalgic fantasy or can it form the basis for building a realistic future within Europe? To answer these crucial questions, Paxman looks for clues in the English language, literature, luke-warm religion and "curiously passionless devotion" to cricket. He explores attitudes to Catholics, the countryside, intellectuals, food and the French. And he brings together insights from novelists, sociologists and gentleman farmers; the editor of "This England" magazine (launched in 1967 with the slogan "as refreshing as a cup of tea"); a banker enthusiastic about the "English vice" of flagellation; and a team at the OED looking for the first occurrence of phrases like "bad hair day" and "the dog's bollocks".

Editorial Reviews

Review

Intelligent, well-written, informative and funny...A book to chew on, dip into, quote from and exploit in arguments -- Andrew Marr Observer Bursting with good things Daily Telegraph --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Books (September 30, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140267239
• ISBN-13: 978-0140267235
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,051,051 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, insightful, July 18, 2011

By 

susiedp - See all my reviews

This review is from: The English: A Portrait of a People. Jeremy Paxman (Paperback)

Honestly, as a Brit, this book is thoroughly entertaining and really, truly informative. All sorts of little gems whether historical, political, or simply hitherto unknowns. This is the sort of book that you can read straight through or just keep by the bed to dip into. Incredibly well researched. Yes, sure, it's older (1999) but just bear that in mind. It is quite possible that some of the childhood touchstones may be more pertinent to someone who grew up in the UK, but perhaps not much more than I experience reading a host of American non-fiction books? Dry, wry, witty, sardonic, entertaining, intelligent and... I'm here to buy a second copy having left my last one on a plane.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars not worth reading, July 6, 2010

By 

Caraculiambro (La Mancha and environs) - See all my reviews

This review is from: English (Paperback)

If perchance you're thinking of using this book to get to know the English better but are not yourself English, you're going to have to go elsewhere. This book is written by an Englishman as a sort of sardonic take on the national character. As such, it contains many references to people, places, and events that probably only someone who grew up in England would get.

And if you're thinking of using this as part of a cultural studies or intercultural communication course, you can forget it. It's far too literate. The whole level of the thing, it's like it was designed to elicit wry smiles from the crowd of people who read The New Yorker, the Atlantic, Best American Essays, etc.

Another problem is the publication date (1999), which means that, even though it's only ten years old, it's out-of-date regarding Britian's problem with immigrants.