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".
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Amazon Review
What is it about the English? Not the British overall, not the Scots, not the Irish or Welsh, but the English. Why do they seem so unsure of who they are? As Jeremy Paxman remarks in his preface to The English, being English "used to be so easy". Now, with the Empire gone, with Wales and Scotland moving into more independent postures, with the troubling spectre of a united Europe(and despite the raucous hype of "Cool Britannia"), the English seem to have entered a collective crisis of national identity.
Jeremy Paxman has set himself the task of finding just what exactly is going on. Why, he wonders, "do the English seem to enjoy feeling so persecuted? What is behind the English obsession with games? How did they acquire their odd attitudes to sex and food? Where did they get their extraordinary capacity for hypocrisy?" He ranges widely in pursuit of answers, sifting through literature, cinema and history. It is an intriguing investigation, encompassing many aspects of national life and character (such as it is), including the obligatory visit to that baffling phenomenon, the funeral of Princess Diana. Yet Paxman finds something fresh and interesting to say about even that now rather threadbare topic. In the end, he seems to find further questions to ask instead of answers. But why not? To him it is a sign that the English are acquiring a new sense of self. And some indication of this might lie in the obvious response to his remark that the English, being top of the British Imperial tree, had nicknames for the fellow nationalities--Jock, Taffy, Paddy and Mick--but there was no corresponding name for an Englishman. Of course, there is now, and it comes from one of the bits of empire to which so many undesirables were exported: Whinging Pom. --Robin Davidson
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.
Bursting with good things (Daily Telegraph ) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
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First Sentence
Once upon a time the English knew who they were. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Once upon a time the English knew who they were. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
27 of 30 people found the following review helpful
By John Startin
Format:Paperback
Paxman leaves the reader with the firm impression that they are simply not well enough read to be thumbing the pages of The English. It is a very densely written book, packed full of annecdotes and asides, and I enjoyed reading it. But it is more of a water-colour than a sketch - the author applies layer upon layer upn layer of detail, and the reader is given the feeling that neither he, nor Paxman, knows exactly what the English are really about. This may be Paxman's point - nationhood is too dense a subject to be delineated in simple terms. Maybe...
I enjoyed the book, but it is not an intuitive read. Dense, witty, but generally a little confused - Paxman's sharp wit, of the genre displayed on Newsnight, was sadly lacking as a punctuation to a rather rambling tome.
21 of 24 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
About two years ago, a Romanian friend of mine asked me for some help on a dissertation she was preparing called 'The National Identity of the English'. This, to her was a completely natural request for help: she could have easily answered, as could any half-intelligent Romanian, the reverse question on Romanian national identity, even in these troubled times. However, to me, this 'simple' question posed enormous problems. I could not find one book to help me. Scotland... yes, Wales... yes and even Britain but not England.
Eventually, after weeks of fruitless search, the best I could come up with was a book on the 'Empire English'. However, even here, it was a story of the British national identity which bears little resemblance to the England of today with a 'crisis' of devolution of Britain and prospects of further 'encroachment' on our England from Europe.
So, her question had raised many questions in my head about the new nature of England: questions of what the English identity really is. Paxman, in this book, answers many of these questions whilst raising many more.
This book takes us on a journey through time. The move from the typically British identity to a new English one of today. Paxman's sharp, if journalistically cynical, observation and writings lead us towards the recognition of a new English nationalism and the picture of one that will emerge after Britain has finally separated. It could be recommended to any Englishman or women who want to express their idea of England and to any foreigner who wants to know who we are.
In the future on being asked the question 'Explain the National Identity of the English' I will have no hesitation in giving this book as the best answer available today.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By MonkeyUK
Format:Paperback
I enjoyed this book, Paxman examines many influences on the English nature, the Church, Schools, the Empire both in its accumulation and its decline, geography, women, war, Europe, to name but a few, more than giving us the English now it shows us where we were and why, perhaps now, there is this crisis of identity. Paxman indicates where we might go, but the book is mainly historical. To answer our German friends crticism, the reason no identification is given, is because the English are lurching between the old ideals and something new. It is just that we do not know what that is yet, but Paxman does give us his thoughts on this point. The witty observations and style of the book, make what could be a heavy subject a first class read.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
very funny insight
Very funny outlook on the english and their perspectives. It enlightens the traditions within england that we thought were lost but remain prevalent in today's society. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Grace Robinson
3.0 out of 5 stars
Easy reading, but also enigmatic.
This is a strange book. On the one hand it is incredibly easy to read, and in places remarkably entertaining, and on the other hand it is a struggle to understand the point of it... Read more
Published 6 months ago by S. Matthews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Judge For Yourself ...
I wanted to know what made the English tick? Why is it that foreigners are still so suspicious of the ways
of the English today? Read more
of the English today? Read more
Published 10 months ago by The Brixtonian
5.0 out of 5 stars
The idea of Englishness
This is a book which seems to have annoyed a lot of people; few bestsellers get such a low star rating. Why? Read more
Published 12 months ago by Peasant
4.0 out of 5 stars
Paxman's English
I agreed with the reviewer who found much of the book seemed to be looking at how the rest of the world perceive the English, rather than how they perceive themselves; however, on... Read more
Published 20 months ago by RR Waller
4.0 out of 5 stars
Gently Provocative As Paxman Always Is. An Interesting Book.
It took me a while to get into Paxton's style and pace - after all, he's famed for his repartée rather than the written word - but once he was past the first chapter I found... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Clifford
2.0 out of 5 stars
A missed oppurtunity
Jeremy Paxman can write and the subject matter is in it self very interesting but somehow this book is a real let down. Read more
Published on 13 May 2011 by Sarah-Louise J
1.0 out of 5 stars
Dull - expected more
I was told that this was a very witty book, but got about 50 pages in, and gave up... its not witty, its dull (in my opinion) and I lost interest in trying to wade through it any... Read more
Published on 4 Feb 2011 by Shaun
4.0 out of 5 stars
Appeals to the British reader more
I was put off by the title but shouldn't have been - this is not a satirical book for xenophobes, nor is this a book about the English today, so if you are from oversees and trying... Read more
Published on 28 July 2010 by Deloratta
4.0 out of 5 stars
The English: A Portrait of a People
Jeremy Paxman The English - A Portrait of a People.
I could feel every minute while reading this book that it was written by a journalist - collection of historical facts and... Read more
I could feel every minute while reading this book that it was written by a journalist - collection of historical facts and... Read more
Published on 28 Jun 2010 by M. AKBARI
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