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The English: A Portrait of a People [Paperback]

Jeremy Paxman (Author)
3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (86 customer reviews)
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Product details

  • Paperback: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin (6 Sep 2007)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0141032952
  • ISBN-13: 978-0141032955
  • Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 12.8 x 2.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (86 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 52,428 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Jeremy Paxman
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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk 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 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

Jeremy Paxman is to many the embodiment of Englishness yet even he is sometimes forced to ask: who or what exactly are the English? And in setting about addressing this most vexing of questions, Paxman discovers answers to a few others. Like:

• Why do the English actually enjoy feeling persecuted?

• What is behind the English obsession with games?

• How did they acquire their odd attitudes to sex and to food?

• Where did they get their extraordinary capacity for hypocrisy?

Covering history, attitudes to foreigners, sport, stereotypyes, language and much, much more, The English brims over with stories and anecdotes that provide a fascinating portrait of a nation and its people.

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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 27 people found the following review helpful
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.

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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Very observant 20 Jan 2000
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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19 of 22 people found the following review helpful
An Excellent Book 20 Jun 1999
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.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews
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 18 days ago by Peasant
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 8 months ago by RR Waller
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 8 months ago by Clifford
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 12 months ago by Sarah-Louise J
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 15 months ago by Shaun
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 22 months ago by Deloratta
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
Published 23 months ago by M. AKBARI
good start..
Some really good and thought provoking ideas and the book started well, but it reminded me of some history programmes you see on tv, 5 mins of worthwhile information, padded out... Read more
Published on 15 Mar 2010 by A. D. Taylor
The English - Done to Death?
An amusing and entertaining study of our English character, history, idiosychracies and misconceptions. But, my goodness, doesn't it go on? Best taken in small bites!
Published on 25 Nov 2009 by H. Pickering
Distinctly average
The first 70-100 pages form the start of an interesting and entertaining essay- however the book does not close on many of the promises made in the opening chapters. Read more
Published on 5 Nov 2008 by Pearl
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