The English: A Portrait of a People

by Jeremy Paxman

Book Overview

A book on what constitutes Englishness, and what are considered the essential characteristics and values. Using literary sources and interviews, Jeremy Paxman attempts to define how "Englishness" has... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1585670421
• ISBN13: 9781585670420
• Release Date: July 2000
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
• Length: 309 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.0" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

In Search of Englishness

Paxman's book `The English' begins by discussing the previous generations who lived through the splendors and glories of the British Empire and the finest hours of the World War II. Jeremy Paxman, presenter of the BBC program Newsnight, is popular and well-respected for his tough interviewing skills. He brings that hard-nosed style to bear in "The English". In his book, he chronicles the English people's modern day search for a new direction and a new identity for their nation. He further explores England as an individual entity, Britain as part of the United Kingdom, and the U.K's role in the umbrella of United Europe. The author's writing style is lively and a joy to read. The author attempts to make the point that England is "walking backward into the future" by holding on to antiquated customs and ideas, instead of looking forward positively, and accepting new ideas such as multiculturalism and globalization. The book is controversial because the author is actively pondering the same questions which he imposes on the readers regarding the future of the English people. Despite his attempts to portray two or more trains of thought on a given issue, Paxman's lack of clear conclusions raises more questions than answers. According to the author, the words England and Britain are used interchangeably and anyone can be English, because anyone who is inspired to become English can do so. However, that raises the question of what true Englishness means. Moreover, the author posits that the English are "not an easy people to love, as they have none of the charm of the Irish; the affability of the Welsh or the directness of the Scots;" However, he leaves out the civility, sincerity, respectability and nobility of the English, which are all admirable qualities worthy of "love". Despite the author's suppositions, I do not think that multiculturalism and globalization are the obstacles the English people face. In England's past, wherever the Empire went, the British officers learned native languages, cultures, and customs. The English tried to understand the psyche of the local people. To this day, BBC reporters travel throughout the globe to inform and educate their global citizens. England's trade and commerce created the foundation for our modern day "global village", so how can they be out of touch with it? The British always have a soft spot for their former colonies, and they keep good relationships with them; it shows in their pride in America's success and the rise of some Asian nations. The English people have a genuine concern for peace in the Middle East and in African prosperity. However, in displaying this empathy, they have drifted away from their closest European neighbors, the neighbors whom they share the most strategic purpose with! This is the real issue faced by the English today! The identity of the U.K. people will always remain whatever they are comfortable identifying themselves as: English, Welsh, Scots, Irish or British

How to understand the English psyche

I'd never read anything by Paxman before, so like other reviewers, I wondered how academic this might be. In fact, contrary to the reviews on the flyleaf, I didn't find it as funny as they suggested it might be. But I was not disappointed but delighted. I didn't want some flippant lightweight humourous prose, but I got a very well researched book with some funny bits. I've recommended it to Americans who don't understand the English psyche.

a wonderfully light read

A wonderfully light read, Paxman's English flies by through an admixture of fact and anecdote. If you are looking to enjoy a study of the English people, perhaps as you contemplate travelling to England, this book could be of use. The book flies by and retains substance at the same time. You will find yourself reading a hundred pages in a day. Trualy an English stylist.

A Green and Pleasant Land?

Jeremy Paxman has written an entertaining and affectionate look at the English people. Wisely, he goes to some lengths to explain that English and British are not synonymous, though many foreigners assume that they are. Overall, his view of the English is kindly, but he does not hesitate to skewer a few pretensions. For example, he points out that the boorish behavior of some English soccer fans is not an aberration, but a throwback to pre-Victorian violence and drunkenness. Nevertheless Paxman spends much time on the inner strengths of the English,such as their capacity to pull together and survive horrendous difficulties like the Blitz. All in all inveterate Anglophiles will find much to enjoy and much to ponder in this work.

Not bad for "The British Peter Jennings"

The author is part-Scottish and hosts a TV news show of some sort in Britain. Knowing American newscasters, I had low expectations going into this book -- I expected an earnest, babbling celebrity quickie. Surprisingly, this book is a very literate historical overview of the nature of Englishness. Paxman does a good job of quoting authors and journalists from each era he covers. As a result, you get a good sense of how the Englishmen of each era regarded themselves.The book goes off the rails a bit near the end, when Paxman stops quoting the historical record and starts extending his own opinions about what the English need. This shift from history to cultural criticism is disconcerting -- it's like the first 4/5 of the book comes from "The Making of the Atomic Bomb", and the last fifth comes from "The Closing of the American Mind." [In genre, not in content, though Paxman does seem to have a slighly conservative streak.] I'm moving to London in about six weeks; once I'm over there we'll see how accurate Paxman's book is. It's a good read regardless.