Kate Fox Watching The English 2014 Hodder Stoughton 2014

Synopsis

<p><b>'Brilliant and hilarious' GRAYSON PERRY</b><br> <b>'Absolutely brilliant' JENNIFER SAUNDERS, <i>THE TIMES</i></b><br> <b>'A delightful read' <i>SUNDAY TIMES</i></b><br> <b>'An entertaining, clever book' <i>TELEGRAPH</i></b><br> <b><br> The international bestseller and unofficial guidebook to the English national character by anthropologist Kate Fox.</b><br> <br> Have you ever been unable to explain the idiosyncrasies of English humour, bizarre mobile-phone etiquette, or the endless obsession with class? In this classic bestselling book, social anthropologist Kate Fox puts a nation under a microscope. The result is a biting, affectionate, insightful and often hilarious look at the English in all our glory.<br> <br> Based on extensive field-research, experiments and observations, Fox deciphers a strange and fascinating culture, governed by complex sets of unspoken rules and bizarre codes of behaviour. She uncovers the roots of English self-mockery and demystifies peculiar cultural features such as 'weather-speak', class anxiety tests, the paranoid pantomime rule and the apology reflex. If you're English, this book will help you understand yourself and your fellow countrymen in a new way. And if you aren't English, you'll finally understand why we talk about the weather so much.<br> <br> <b>A worldwide bestseller, translated into multiple languages, and a set text for university anthropology courses, <i>Watching the English</i> is a timeless classic on the quirks, habits and foibles of the English people.</b></p>