Synopses & Reviews
Between 1650 and 1850 perceptions of the English were transformed, as a nation of supposed barbarians, fanatics, and king-killers evolved into a world power of political maturity, imperial grandeur, and industrial might. Englishness Identified traces the evolution of the so-called English national character through the impressions and analyses of foreign observers, and relates it to English ambitions and anxieties during a period of rapid change.
Table of Contents
Introduction: Englishness
1. Energy: Industry, Locomotion, Physicality, Melancholy, Gravity, Order, Practicality
2. Candour: Plainness, Openness, Separateness, Domesticity, Honesty, Humbug
3. Decency: Barbarity, Fair Play, Propriety, Modesty
4. Taciturnity: Silence, Conversation, Oratory, Clubbability
5. Reserve: Xenophobia, Hospitality, Familiarity, Intimacy, Exclusiveness
6. Eccentricity: Liberty, Informality, Originality, Character, Eccentrics
Manners and Character