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Спостерігаючи за англійцями
«Вівсянка, сер», твідовий костюм, чай рівно о п’ятій, вишукані манери, аристократизм, снобізм, незворушність, гіперпунктуальність. Які ж насправді англійці?
Відома дослідниця Кейт Фокс створила дивовижно точний і напрочуд дотепний портрет англійського суспільства. Вона дослідила англійський національний характер під антропологічним мікроскопом і показала читачам дивну та чарівну культуру, що керується цілими кодексами негласних норм та поведінкових кодів. Правила розмов про погоду чи секс, споживання їжі чи флірт, чим відрізняється «іронічний садовий гном» від звичайного, закони облаштування оселі, видимі та невидимі класові індикатори, особливості славнозвісного англійського гумору — усе це та багато іншого про звички англійців, їхні примхи, виверти та дивацтва у ґрунтовній та веселій книжці Кейт Фокс.
Відома дослідниця Кейт Фокс створила дивовижно точний і напрочуд дотепний портрет англійського суспільства. Вона дослідила англійський національний характер під антропологічним мікроскопом і показала читачам дивну та чарівну культуру, що керується цілими кодексами негласних норм та поведінкових кодів. Правила розмов про погоду чи секс, споживання їжі чи флірт, чим відрізняється «іронічний садовий гном» від звичайного, закони облаштування оселі, видимі та невидимі класові індикатори, особливості славнозвісного англійського гумору — усе це та багато іншого про звички англійців, їхні примхи, виверти та дивацтва у ґрунтовній та веселій книжці Кейт Фокс.
608 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2004
2092 people are currently reading
14284 people want to read
About the author
Kate Fox
36 books94 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Kate Fox is a social anthropologist and Public Relations director. She is the director of the Social Issues Research Centre (SIRC).
Fox is the daughter of an anthropologist Robin Fox (not to be confused with the famous historian Robin Lane Fox). As a child she lived in the UK, the United States, France and Ireland. She studied for an undergraduate degree in anthropology and philosophy at Cambridge University. After a period in publishing and marketing in 1989 she became a co-director of MCM Research, a PR and marketing firm. She is now a director of the Social Issues Research Centre, which is a PR front group, that is funded by the marketing company MCM Research based in Oxford, England.
Kate Fox is a social anthropologist and Public Relations director. She is the director of the Social Issues Research Centre (SIRC).
Fox is the daughter of an anthropologist Robin Fox (not to be confused with the famous historian Robin Lane Fox). As a child she lived in the UK, the United States, France and Ireland. She studied for an undergraduate degree in anthropology and philosophy at Cambridge University. After a period in publishing and marketing in 1989 she became a co-director of MCM Research, a PR and marketing firm. She is now a director of the Social Issues Research Centre, which is a PR front group, that is funded by the marketing company MCM Research based in Oxford, England.
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1-awaiting-review-but-read
May 27, 2020Update (This is very funny, but sadly true). The Monday Morning Moan Ritual. 'English work-moaning is a highly predictable, regular, choreographed ritual. It is universally understood that everyone hates Mondays; that we all had trouble dragging ourselves out of bed; that we really could have done with an extra day to get over the weekend; that the traffic/tube/trains/buses just seem to be getting worse and worse; that we have far too much to do this week, as per bloody usual; that we are already tired and our back/head/feet are hurting, and the week’s only just started, for God’s sake; and, look, now the photocopier is on the blink again, just for a change, typical!" This takes place in every workplace from factory to boardroom every Monday morning.
There are endless variations on this Monday-morning-moan, and no two such moans are ever exactly alike – but, like the infinitely variable snowflake they are all nonetheless remarkably similar. Most of them start and sometimes end with a bit of weather-speak: ‘Bloody cold,’ or ‘Raining again,’ we grumble and triggers another complaint, either about the weather or the traffic, trains, etc. At the end of the first morning-moan ritual, someone may close the proceedings with ‘And it’s still raining,’ or ‘Well,’ stoical sigh, ‘at least it’s stopped raining.’ This is the cue for everyone to shift from their habitual moan-position and start reluctantly getting on with the day’s work, muttering ‘Right, well, s’pose we’d better make a start,’ or ‘Back to the grind, then,’ or, if in a position of authority, ‘All right, c’mon, you lot, let’s get some work done.’"
This is English humour. No one is really serious about moaning and everyone is enjoying the morning moan ritual. This is not the time or place or people for serious complaints.
____________________
The author is a very astute study and extremely likeable having admitted that she is lazy and tells lies.
Why do the English talk about the weather when they meet? It's a way of saying hello.
What should you reply to any talk about the weather? Just agree. If you don't agree say Yes. Then put your perspective.
What is the reply to How do you do? It's How do you do? It's another way of saying hello.
What do you say to "How are you?", you say, "Fine thank you and how are you." It's yet another...
What do you say if someone comes up to you and says, "Hi, I'm Harry and I'm staying here too" (or similar). You reply with a half smile, "Hello" and nod your head. It's his way of saying hello. If you are English it's not yours. That was embarrassing.
What do you do if someone says, "Hi I'm Jane and I'm a doctor here. You?" You reply, with extreme surprise, "Hello Jane." At no point do you give your name or occupation. It's for you to know and them to find out. And that is just about the key to English interactions. Everything is private, everything has to be wheedled out bit by bit. Unless it's gossip.
And the book says men gossip as much as women but call it 'exchanging information".
There are endless variations on this Monday-morning-moan, and no two such moans are ever exactly alike – but, like the infinitely variable snowflake they are all nonetheless remarkably similar. Most of them start and sometimes end with a bit of weather-speak: ‘Bloody cold,’ or ‘Raining again,’ we grumble and triggers another complaint, either about the weather or the traffic, trains, etc. At the end of the first morning-moan ritual, someone may close the proceedings with ‘And it’s still raining,’ or ‘Well,’ stoical sigh, ‘at least it’s stopped raining.’ This is the cue for everyone to shift from their habitual moan-position and start reluctantly getting on with the day’s work, muttering ‘Right, well, s’pose we’d better make a start,’ or ‘Back to the grind, then,’ or, if in a position of authority, ‘All right, c’mon, you lot, let’s get some work done.’"
This is English humour. No one is really serious about moaning and everyone is enjoying the morning moan ritual. This is not the time or place or people for serious complaints.
____________________
The author is a very astute study and extremely likeable having admitted that she is lazy and tells lies.
Why do the English talk about the weather when they meet? It's a way of saying hello.
What should you reply to any talk about the weather? Just agree. If you don't agree say Yes. Then put your perspective.
What is the reply to How do you do? It's How do you do? It's another way of saying hello.
What do you say to "How are you?", you say, "Fine thank you and how are you." It's yet another...
What do you say if someone comes up to you and says, "Hi, I'm Harry and I'm staying here too" (or similar). You reply with a half smile, "Hello" and nod your head. It's his way of saying hello. If you are English it's not yours. That was embarrassing.
What do you do if someone says, "Hi I'm Jane and I'm a doctor here. You?" You reply, with extreme surprise, "Hello Jane." At no point do you give your name or occupation. It's for you to know and them to find out. And that is just about the key to English interactions. Everything is private, everything has to be wheedled out bit by bit. Unless it's gossip.
And the book says men gossip as much as women but call it 'exchanging information".
October 2, 2022
This confirms that I’m very English, although I identify as a European Brit. It’s social anthropology that explores the “grammar” of English (not British) conversation and behaviour codes. English readers enjoy recognition:
“To have our instinctive 'knowledge'... properly measured and confirmed by objective research.”
Others may understand us a little better.
It’s structured like a text book: each chapter has an introduction, headings, subheadings, a summary, and maybe a few footnotes (in addition to the detailed index). However, the writing is chatty and informal, with self-deprecating humour. Just as well, because modesty (sometimes false modesty) and humour as a default are two of the defining characteristics of Englishness that she identifies. The same themes recur in different contexts, culminating in this simple diagram that summarises the whole book:
Image: Englishness-at-a-glance: everything stems from our social dis-ease.
All the expected subjects are carefully dissected: class, weather talk, pubs, class, queueing, food, class, amateurism in sport, dress codes, class, gardens, DIY, class… Plus some others.
Note: Back in 2004, "grooming talk" was nothing dodgy. It refers to innocuous niceties that might now be described as social glue or oiling the wheels.
Slow change
This was published in 2004, but it’s mostly as true as when I first read it, with three main exceptions.
Mobile phones
A short chapter on the emerging etiquette of mobile phones assumes they’re only for voice calls and texts. Fox saw them as the new garden fence or village green and welcomed liberation from landlines:
“The space technology of mobile phones has allowed us to return to the more natural patterns of pre-industrial society, when we lived in small, stable communities and enjoyed frequent ‘grooming talk’ with a tightly integrated social network.”
Image: Dom Jolly of Trigger Happy TV in an iconic role (Source)
Diversity - and not
It repeatedly extrapolates from narrow assumptions about the differences between men and women. They’re stereotypes because they’re broadly true, but a social anthropologist should try to separate the cause and effect of nature and nurture. It’s worst in the chapter on sex and courtship: it's rife with generalisations in the absence of data, and there's no mention of LGBTQ+.
Englishness broadly equates with whiteness, but it is increasingly affected and enriched by English people of more diverse heritage, so race should be mentioned more than it is.
Nationalism
“Can there be any other nation so resolutely unpatriotic?”
“The English do not like extremism in politics.”
I read this four years after the Brexit referendum, just before the end of the transition period for trading with the EU. In that time, nationalism, xenophobia, and outright racism have become far more visible.
"The English are undeniably good at spoof and satire... it's what we do instead of getting angry and having revolutions."
Was the long absence of Spitting Image responsible for Brexit?!
Image: Original Spitting Image figures, including Thatcher, GH Bush, Gorbachev, and Reagan (Source)
In fact, Rory Bremner, one of the voices of Spitting Image, phoned Eurosceptic Tory MPs in 1993, pretending to be PM John Major, and asking for their support. They believed him and abandoned their revolt! Clearly, we need satire and humour. (News story here.)
Mind your language
My favourite section last time and this. It explains the nuances that were drummed into me throughout my childhood, by parents and schools who wanted me to be further up the social scale than I was, let alone am or want to be. But one's mother tongue/dialect is always that. I try not to judge others' usage, but nor do I change mine.
The conundrum of what to call meals at different times of the day always requires clarification when making arrangements with friends and in-laws: tea, dinner, and supper, especially. However, Fox doesn't mention how the regional axis intersects with the class axis for them - far more than for other class-based language.
Seven major class marker words are discussed individually. Generally, upper-middles will quietly look down on anyone using them; upper class people won't use them, will notice those who do, but won't care as much either way:
• pardon (worse than fuck in some circles)
• toilet (and euphemistic alternatives)
• serviette
• dinner (when used for the “wrong” meal)
• settee
• lounge (as a room or an activity)
• sweet (instead of pudding)
Some of these are the same as Nancy Mitford's 1950s list of U (upper) and non-U words: here.
Quotes
• "Taste is often judged... not by the deed but by the doer." (But there's an "eccentricity clause".)
• “The upper classes do not care what... [people] think of them.” (It’s the upper-middles who have social class anxiety.)
• “In England, money will buy you a lot of things… but it will not buy you any respect…
In no other country is social class so completely independent of material wealth.”
Related reading
Fox often quotes George Mikes’ How to Be an Alien, which I reviewed a few months ago, HERE. It’s affectionate mockery of middle and upper class London life, observed by a Hungarian immigrant, published in 1946. It’s surprising how little has changed!
Back when jolly tongue-in-cheek jingoism could be fun, there was Flanders and Swann’s Song of Patriotic Prejudice (chorus “The English, the English, the English are best / I wouldn't give tuppence for all of the rest”), which I reviewed with others of theirs HERE
John Betjeman’s How To Get on in Society, HERE. It’s a short comic poem that deliberately breaks numerous upper middle class vocabulary taboos.
“Phone for the fish-knives, Norman...”
“To have our instinctive 'knowledge'... properly measured and confirmed by objective research.”
Others may understand us a little better.
It’s structured like a text book: each chapter has an introduction, headings, subheadings, a summary, and maybe a few footnotes (in addition to the detailed index). However, the writing is chatty and informal, with self-deprecating humour. Just as well, because modesty (sometimes false modesty) and humour as a default are two of the defining characteristics of Englishness that she identifies. The same themes recur in different contexts, culminating in this simple diagram that summarises the whole book:
Image: Englishness-at-a-glance: everything stems from our social dis-ease.
All the expected subjects are carefully dissected: class, weather talk, pubs, class, queueing, food, class, amateurism in sport, dress codes, class, gardens, DIY, class… Plus some others.
Note: Back in 2004, "grooming talk" was nothing dodgy. It refers to innocuous niceties that might now be described as social glue or oiling the wheels.
Slow change
This was published in 2004, but it’s mostly as true as when I first read it, with three main exceptions.
Mobile phones
A short chapter on the emerging etiquette of mobile phones assumes they’re only for voice calls and texts. Fox saw them as the new garden fence or village green and welcomed liberation from landlines:
“The space technology of mobile phones has allowed us to return to the more natural patterns of pre-industrial society, when we lived in small, stable communities and enjoyed frequent ‘grooming talk’ with a tightly integrated social network.”
Image: Dom Jolly of Trigger Happy TV in an iconic role (Source)
Diversity - and not
It repeatedly extrapolates from narrow assumptions about the differences between men and women. They’re stereotypes because they’re broadly true, but a social anthropologist should try to separate the cause and effect of nature and nurture. It’s worst in the chapter on sex and courtship: it's rife with generalisations in the absence of data, and there's no mention of LGBTQ+.
Englishness broadly equates with whiteness, but it is increasingly affected and enriched by English people of more diverse heritage, so race should be mentioned more than it is.
Nationalism
“Can there be any other nation so resolutely unpatriotic?”
“The English do not like extremism in politics.”
I read this four years after the Brexit referendum, just before the end of the transition period for trading with the EU. In that time, nationalism, xenophobia, and outright racism have become far more visible.
"The English are undeniably good at spoof and satire... it's what we do instead of getting angry and having revolutions."
Was the long absence of Spitting Image responsible for Brexit?!
Image: Original Spitting Image figures, including Thatcher, GH Bush, Gorbachev, and Reagan (Source)
In fact, Rory Bremner, one of the voices of Spitting Image, phoned Eurosceptic Tory MPs in 1993, pretending to be PM John Major, and asking for their support. They believed him and abandoned their revolt! Clearly, we need satire and humour. (News story here.)
Mind your language
My favourite section last time and this. It explains the nuances that were drummed into me throughout my childhood, by parents and schools who wanted me to be further up the social scale than I was, let alone am or want to be. But one's mother tongue/dialect is always that. I try not to judge others' usage, but nor do I change mine.
The conundrum of what to call meals at different times of the day always requires clarification when making arrangements with friends and in-laws: tea, dinner, and supper, especially. However, Fox doesn't mention how the regional axis intersects with the class axis for them - far more than for other class-based language.
Seven major class marker words are discussed individually. Generally, upper-middles will quietly look down on anyone using them; upper class people won't use them, will notice those who do, but won't care as much either way:
• pardon (worse than fuck in some circles)
• toilet (and euphemistic alternatives)
• serviette
• dinner (when used for the “wrong” meal)
• settee
• lounge (as a room or an activity)
• sweet (instead of pudding)
Some of these are the same as Nancy Mitford's 1950s list of U (upper) and non-U words: here.
Quotes
• "Taste is often judged... not by the deed but by the doer." (But there's an "eccentricity clause".)
• “The upper classes do not care what... [people] think of them.” (It’s the upper-middles who have social class anxiety.)
• “In England, money will buy you a lot of things… but it will not buy you any respect…
In no other country is social class so completely independent of material wealth.”
Related reading
Fox often quotes George Mikes’ How to Be an Alien, which I reviewed a few months ago, HERE. It’s affectionate mockery of middle and upper class London life, observed by a Hungarian immigrant, published in 1946. It’s surprising how little has changed!
Back when jolly tongue-in-cheek jingoism could be fun, there was Flanders and Swann’s Song of Patriotic Prejudice (chorus “The English, the English, the English are best / I wouldn't give tuppence for all of the rest”), which I reviewed with others of theirs HERE
John Betjeman’s How To Get on in Society, HERE. It’s a short comic poem that deliberately breaks numerous upper middle class vocabulary taboos.
“Phone for the fish-knives, Norman...”
December 2, 2008
If only there were a book like this for every country and people! It has been a long time since I have laughed as much while reading a book... and I'm not sure that I have ever read so many excerpts of a book out loud to my wife. If you have ever wondered why the English behave the way they do, then run (do not walk) to buy this book.
Kate Fox is an anthropologist after my own heart (when I went on an expedition, it was through the Alps rather than the Himalayas) -- uninterested in the "macho" obsessions of her colleagues who are forever rushing off to suffer in jungles and deserts in order to elucidate the obscure beliefs and rituals of minor tribes, she has chosen to focus on the much larger but just as bizarre tribe that lives outside (and inside) her house: the English. And they (we) really are bizarre, when you really pay close attention to them (us).
Her method is that of the participant observer, forever eavesdropping in pubs, trains, buses, cafes, and wherever else she can, formulating theories about rules that would explain the strange behaviour she witnesses, and then testing them by clever questioning of, and ingenious experiments on, mostly unsuspecting "informants".
Her writing is brilliant: acutely intelligent and ferociously funny. And in my opinion she succeeds in her goal -- identifying the cultural "genome" of the English. After reading "Watching the English" I feel like I understand both my countrymen and myself much better than I did before. I can't recommend this wonderful book highly enough.
Kate Fox is an anthropologist after my own heart (when I went on an expedition, it was through the Alps rather than the Himalayas) -- uninterested in the "macho" obsessions of her colleagues who are forever rushing off to suffer in jungles and deserts in order to elucidate the obscure beliefs and rituals of minor tribes, she has chosen to focus on the much larger but just as bizarre tribe that lives outside (and inside) her house: the English. And they (we) really are bizarre, when you really pay close attention to them (us).
Her method is that of the participant observer, forever eavesdropping in pubs, trains, buses, cafes, and wherever else she can, formulating theories about rules that would explain the strange behaviour she witnesses, and then testing them by clever questioning of, and ingenious experiments on, mostly unsuspecting "informants".
Her writing is brilliant: acutely intelligent and ferociously funny. And in my opinion she succeeds in her goal -- identifying the cultural "genome" of the English. After reading "Watching the English" I feel like I understand both my countrymen and myself much better than I did before. I can't recommend this wonderful book highly enough.
July 14, 2012
I'm struggling to finish this book. It could be a brilliant book but it is just simply boring. The book methodically attempts to analyse the character of the English and observe rules of social interaction etc. It is profoundly middle-class London-centric, unnecessarily wordy, attempting to be partly research and partly humourous. It's all been done before. It misses out great swathes of the population who don't talk about the weather or say "pleased to meet you", namely most people under 40. The authors view seems very much of a 1950's Britain! No mention of the 30% of the English who have a distinctly working class notion of interaction, who don't get offended at being asked their name and who say what they think and feel without too much reserve. This book is just annoying and appears as if written by someone who's never really interacted with the less privileged and more worldly English. This is an image of an England, I only remember from TV sitcoms in 1970's. Not relevent anymore in modern Britain.
March 9, 2019
I'm a big fan of BBC Radio 4 and this is how I first heard of Kate Fox's work on social anthropology.
If you are interested, listen to her talk on social and cultural aspects of alcohol. Her ideas were so thought-provoking and engaging, that I couldn't have passed this book.
The task of working out a basic formula of what makes up a national character seems incredibly complex, if not impossible. Luckily, Kate is a trained anthropologist who is more interested in discovering the unwritten rules governing the behaviour of her compatriots than in faraway exotic countries. I was fascinated by her thorough analysis of English weather speak, shipping news, universal moaning ('Typical!'), ever-present politeness, class indicators, 'Come off it' (I call it 'Yeah, right...') and 'Wrong kind of leaves' comments. The book is clever and ironic. It just wouln't do to take yourself too seriously. At least, if you are English.
If you are interested, listen to her talk on social and cultural aspects of alcohol. Her ideas were so thought-provoking and engaging, that I couldn't have passed this book.
The task of working out a basic formula of what makes up a national character seems incredibly complex, if not impossible. Luckily, Kate is a trained anthropologist who is more interested in discovering the unwritten rules governing the behaviour of her compatriots than in faraway exotic countries. I was fascinated by her thorough analysis of English weather speak, shipping news, universal moaning ('Typical!'), ever-present politeness, class indicators, 'Come off it' (I call it 'Yeah, right...') and 'Wrong kind of leaves' comments. The book is clever and ironic. It just wouln't do to take yourself too seriously. At least, if you are English.
October 7, 2016
It is hard to really rate this book as some portions are extremely humorous, while others are dry as dust. Basically, this is a look at the English (not British) people from a sociological point of view and an explanation as to why they behave the way they behave. If you take this book too seriously, the English will appear to be an alien race, put upon this earth while you weren't looking; the author, an anthropologist by profession, gives the reader room to take some of the information lightly as does she. (She is English, btw.)
She touches on everyday situations and how the English have "rules" which govern how one should act......and she lists these rules by class without being demeaning. She covers such things as talking about the weather, pub talk, rules of the road, excessive privacy and much more. I have actually observed some of these rules in action while in England but obviously was unaware of others and acted "inappropriately" which may have caused my English companions to react with the typical English sign of disfavor, the raised eyebrow!
If you are an Anglophile or are going to England any time soon, you might want to read this book. It is entertaining despite some of the boring sections.
She touches on everyday situations and how the English have "rules" which govern how one should act......and she lists these rules by class without being demeaning. She covers such things as talking about the weather, pub talk, rules of the road, excessive privacy and much more. I have actually observed some of these rules in action while in England but obviously was unaware of others and acted "inappropriately" which may have caused my English companions to react with the typical English sign of disfavor, the raised eyebrow!
If you are an Anglophile or are going to England any time soon, you might want to read this book. It is entertaining despite some of the boring sections.
May 20, 2015
I think this would be an excellent book for any foreigners coming to live or work in England, (even Americans, who might think we share a similar culture).
The author’s introduction sets the stage well, describing her aims and methodology, and her final chapter is a thorough synopsis of the ideas she expands upon in the book. I think one definitely needs to read the whole thing though. It offers the reader a chance to really wallow in our ways of living, and ways of presenting ourselves to the world.
Gauche, snobbish, polite and hypocritical.... private, self-deprecating and humerous..... DIY, gardening and animal crazy - Kate Fox prizes open our tightly clamped shells and exposes our habits and eccentricities to the light of the anthropologist's gaze.
I skim read a bit in parts – mainly because I was so familiar with the idiosyncrasies and ‘ways of being’ that she describes. I also laughed on several occasions.....we have some really ridiculous foibles, and the author describes them well.
Herewith a few tasters for anyone interested, mostly just taken straight from the book.
The author’s introduction sets the stage well, describing her aims and methodology, and her final chapter is a thorough synopsis of the ideas she expands upon in the book. I think one definitely needs to read the whole thing though. It offers the reader a chance to really wallow in our ways of living, and ways of presenting ourselves to the world.
Gauche, snobbish, polite and hypocritical.... private, self-deprecating and humerous..... DIY, gardening and animal crazy - Kate Fox prizes open our tightly clamped shells and exposes our habits and eccentricities to the light of the anthropologist's gaze.
I skim read a bit in parts – mainly because I was so familiar with the idiosyncrasies and ‘ways of being’ that she describes. I also laughed on several occasions.....we have some really ridiculous foibles, and the author describes them well.
Herewith a few tasters for anyone interested, mostly just taken straight from the book.
August 11, 2015
I am the type of person that likes to learn everything about whatever new endeavour I've taken up, so the intended purpose of reading this book was to learn more about my new country. Although the book had its moments - discussions of queuing, pub etiquette, social dis-ease food, and the weather were among the highlights - I found the obsession with class deeply off-putting. Fox is clearly from the upper-middle or upper class, and most of her discussions of 'distinctive' English characteristics are broken down by class. She tries to play the role of participant and objective observer, but clearly shows her own biases across the book (and a disdain for the working classes). Honestly...if English people pay as much attention to class as she says they do (still), then I find it incredibly depressing. I've walked away from this book feeling very fortunate that I've never given a thought to my class, and frustrated that this sort of nonsense lives on.
While the book is over 400 pages of an anthropologists observations on Englishness, and begins with a rather good discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of participant observation, I am highly skeptical of most of Fox's conclusions. There are many problems, but the chief one is that you cannot define what it is that makes the English *distinct* without comparing it to other cultures. She makes a half-hearted attempt in some places, but mainly she just resorts to the lazy approach of comparing the English to Americans. Most of what she said about American culture didn't ring true to me either, and I am not sure how living there for 4 years as a child can make her an expert. Surely there was more scientific research she could have used to really tease out what characteristics were just human or maybe just Western - and which were truly, quintessentially English. The other problem is that she simply tries to cover too much, without any evidence to back it up. There's little information on her methods, other than the introduction on participant observation, and very few references. It's hard to believe this is anything more than a summation of her view of the country in which she's grown up. Sure she's commissioned to do this sort of research, but would it be so difficult to give a bit more information about how you know your observations are accurate, reliable, and - perhaps most importantly - meaningful?
I would like to throw a tea party for Fox, complete with coasters, napkin rings, and chip butties...just so she can judge me and tell me what my class is. As for the rest of her countrymen and women, I suspect they are not nearly as class-obsessed as she is, and I've walked away still feeling like she got lost in the 'ethnographic dazzle' (her own term) of class distinctions, while failing to capture what it really means to be English. I felt Notes from a Small Island did a much better job than this book, and I would much sooner recommend that, which has no illusions of being an academic study of the English yet more successfully summarises the essence of Englishness.
I'd also have liked an exploration of regional differences. Her observations seem to be squarely centred on the south (with a few snobbish references to the North). Working class northerners are a friendly bunch, and not nearly as socially awkward as the portrait of the English she paints.
While the book is over 400 pages of an anthropologists observations on Englishness, and begins with a rather good discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of participant observation, I am highly skeptical of most of Fox's conclusions. There are many problems, but the chief one is that you cannot define what it is that makes the English *distinct* without comparing it to other cultures. She makes a half-hearted attempt in some places, but mainly she just resorts to the lazy approach of comparing the English to Americans. Most of what she said about American culture didn't ring true to me either, and I am not sure how living there for 4 years as a child can make her an expert. Surely there was more scientific research she could have used to really tease out what characteristics were just human or maybe just Western - and which were truly, quintessentially English. The other problem is that she simply tries to cover too much, without any evidence to back it up. There's little information on her methods, other than the introduction on participant observation, and very few references. It's hard to believe this is anything more than a summation of her view of the country in which she's grown up. Sure she's commissioned to do this sort of research, but would it be so difficult to give a bit more information about how you know your observations are accurate, reliable, and - perhaps most importantly - meaningful?
I would like to throw a tea party for Fox, complete with coasters, napkin rings, and chip butties...just so she can judge me and tell me what my class is. As for the rest of her countrymen and women, I suspect they are not nearly as class-obsessed as she is, and I've walked away still feeling like she got lost in the 'ethnographic dazzle' (her own term) of class distinctions, while failing to capture what it really means to be English. I felt Notes from a Small Island did a much better job than this book, and I would much sooner recommend that, which has no illusions of being an academic study of the English yet more successfully summarises the essence of Englishness.
I'd also have liked an exploration of regional differences. Her observations seem to be squarely centred on the south (with a few snobbish references to the North). Working class northerners are a friendly bunch, and not nearly as socially awkward as the portrait of the English she paints.
October 18, 2018
Чудова книжка, щоб зрозуміти, наскільки ти сам англієць. Best ever подарунок моєму англофільству. Він дав зрозуміти, що це не просто так. Мені страшенно імпонують багато рис цієї нації, попри їхню дивакуватість.
Проблеми з соціалізацією, надмірна ввічливість, страх порушити особисту територію, любов до псів, читання і садків. І звісно дивне почуття гумору.
Кейт Фокс випробувала усе це на власних земляках, і дала пояснення.
Це дуже дотепна книжка. Усім фанам англійськості, як бальзам на душу).
Проблеми з соціалізацією, надмірна ввічливість, страх порушити особисту територію, любов до псів, читання і садків. І звісно дивне почуття гумору.
Кейт Фокс випробувала усе це на власних земляках, і дала пояснення.
Це дуже дотепна книжка. Усім фанам англійськості, як бальзам на душу).
Read
July 21, 2011Anthropology practised on the English. The author claims that this was to just avoid the discomfort involved in studying peoples in obscure and isolated parts of the world - but she also tells us that humour is the default mode of the English and that modesty is one of our values. Having put us at our easy with a friendly joke and a humility topos she is able to smuggle her research past the reader and show us just how alien the English are. Which is a nice way of demonstrating the value of her work.
I had flicked through the book in the past. You see a brief mention of class, read it, sniff haughtily and say to your self - I could have told you that. However reading from cover to cover, starting with Fox's core idea of English social unease (or dis-ease as she calls it throughout) is a different matter and she builds up a solid case.
I would have liked to have seen more on the differences between different regions - or to have my belief that regionalism is significant disproved. A nod to how far her argument could or could not be extended to the Scots, Welsh and Irish would also have been interesting. But on the whole I'm taken with her notion of reserve as the flip side of loutishness and both as symptomatic of social uneasiness.
There's a lot here to make it a worth while read for the non-English obliged to live in England or work with the English, and there's a lot to be said for being able "To see oursels as ithers see us!"
I had flicked through the book in the past. You see a brief mention of class, read it, sniff haughtily and say to your self - I could have told you that. However reading from cover to cover, starting with Fox's core idea of English social unease (or dis-ease as she calls it throughout) is a different matter and she builds up a solid case.
I would have liked to have seen more on the differences between different regions - or to have my belief that regionalism is significant disproved. A nod to how far her argument could or could not be extended to the Scots, Welsh and Irish would also have been interesting. But on the whole I'm taken with her notion of reserve as the flip side of loutishness and both as symptomatic of social uneasiness.
There's a lot here to make it a worth while read for the non-English obliged to live in England or work with the English, and there's a lot to be said for being able "To see oursels as ithers see us!"
June 27, 2016
Read it around 10 years ago after my first visit to UK. Maybe I should read it again and try to find an explanation for what happened last week.
April 18, 2018
This book was sent to me by my English publisher, and it took me a while to read as I made it my daily breakfast reading instead of my leisure reading. For anyone who has traveled in England and experienced some of the unusual aspects of the English "character" -- such as never, upon pain of death, make eye contact with someone on the Tube--this is an amusing read as the author, a social anthropologist, tries to work out why her fellow countrymen are as they are. Great fun to read.
May 1, 2019
О, це чудова книжка!
Кейт Фокс - соціолог за фахом, вирішила дослідити англійців у природньому середовищі. Це був чималий виклик для неї, адже вона сама англійка. Їй доводилось порушувати "правила", які були прошиті в ній за замовчуванням, говорити з незнайомими людьми на незручні теми, штовхатися в натовпі, рахувати горошинки і т.д. Але з цим викликом вона справилась на висоті, як на мене. Вона розповідає про особливості англійського спілкування, знайомства, тем для розмов, стосунків, роботи, чаювання. Текст, що з'явився в результаті, написаний дуже легко і з прекрасним гумором - сміялась вголос і зачитувала найкрутіші частини близьким.
Особливо мені сподобався розділ про те, як треба замовлятися випивку в пабі - стояти треба трішечки стурбовано, щоб не подумали, що ви вже замовили - все так і є, чесне слово!)
Трохи надокучали розділи "висновки", які повторювали те, про що йшлося раніше. Такий найковий прийомчик, але в популярній книзі, як на мене, це зайве.
Книга вийшла у ВСЛ, думаю, не меншим викликом ніж написання цієї книги, був її переклад - але перекладач Марта Госовка справилась з цим дуже добре - збереглася легкість, дотепність, і окреме дякую за збережений оригінал, де це було доречно. Як завжди в ВСЛ - ідеально вичитаний текст. Єдине, що викликає у мене роздуми - це стиль перекладу (я вживаю саме "стиль", бо переклад професійний - тут питань немає). У перекладі є галицизми і англіцизми. Якщо чесно, у моєму середовищі десь так і говорять. Але я боюсь, що такий підхід суттєво звужує можливу аудиторію цієї книжки. Я говорю зараз лише про відверті діалектизми і англіцизми на рівні транскрипту англійських слів кирилицею. На мій смак цього було вміру, але. З іншого боку, наклад цієї книжки 2 тисячі, можливо це книжка для певного середовища. Але це вже філософські роздуми. У будь-якому разі, видання вийшло класне і книжка однозначно варто читання!
Кейт Фокс - соціолог за фахом, вирішила дослідити англійців у природньому середовищі. Це був чималий виклик для неї, адже вона сама англійка. Їй доводилось порушувати "правила", які були прошиті в ній за замовчуванням, говорити з незнайомими людьми на незручні теми, штовхатися в натовпі, рахувати горошинки і т.д. Але з цим викликом вона справилась на висоті, як на мене. Вона розповідає про особливості англійського спілкування, знайомства, тем для розмов, стосунків, роботи, чаювання. Текст, що з'явився в результаті, написаний дуже легко і з прекрасним гумором - сміялась вголос і зачитувала найкрутіші частини близьким.
Особливо мені сподобався розділ про те, як треба замовлятися випивку в пабі - стояти треба трішечки стурбовано, щоб не подумали, що ви вже замовили - все так і є, чесне слово!)
Трохи надокучали розділи "висновки", які повторювали те, про що йшлося раніше. Такий найковий прийомчик, але в популярній книзі, як на мене, це зайве.
Книга вийшла у ВСЛ, думаю, не меншим викликом ніж написання цієї книги, був її переклад - але перекладач Марта Госовка справилась з цим дуже добре - збереглася легкість, дотепність, і окреме дякую за збережений оригінал, де це було доречно. Як завжди в ВСЛ - ідеально вичитаний текст. Єдине, що викликає у мене роздуми - це стиль перекладу (я вживаю саме "стиль", бо переклад професійний - тут питань немає). У перекладі є галицизми і англіцизми. Якщо чесно, у моєму середовищі десь так і говорять. Але я боюсь, що такий підхід суттєво звужує можливу аудиторію цієї книжки. Я говорю зараз лише про відверті діалектизми і англіцизми на рівні транскрипту англійських слів кирилицею. На мій смак цього було вміру, але. З іншого боку, наклад цієї книжки 2 тисячі, можливо це книжка для певного середовища. Але це вже філософські роздуми. У будь-якому разі, видання вийшло класне і книжка однозначно варто читання!
August 13, 2016
Very entertaining book!
Now I understand why I'm such an anglophile; I'm a quirky English soul stuck in an American body! If I ever get across the pond, I think I'll fit in better then not.
Would love to read a similar book on other nationalities:
Dissecting the Danish?
Judging the Japanese?
Analysing the Australians?
Surveying the Swedish?
:D
Now I understand why I'm such an anglophile; I'm a quirky English soul stuck in an American body! If I ever get across the pond, I think I'll fit in better then not.
Would love to read a similar book on other nationalities:
Dissecting the Danish?
Judging the Japanese?
Analysing the Australians?
Surveying the Swedish?
:D
December 7, 2012
This started well enough, with some amusing and perceptive points about how the English greet each other (or rather, don't) and converse. But it soon falls into the typical trap for this kind of book, and one which Fox herself warns against in her own introduction: generalisations. Time after time she'd assert that English people do X, to which I'd reply in my head "Well, no, I don't".
She's also obsessed with class. She claims that all the English are, but she seems to think about it an awful lot more than I ever did. I skimmed whole chuncks of the chapters on houses and cars because, rather than analyse what we do with them and why, she's content to produce long lists of terms, products and brand names and then assign them to particular classes. I couldn't really care less whether she considers a certain model of car to be lower class, lower-middle, middle-middle- upper-middle or upper class.
Things pick up again towards the end: the chapter on religion is very funny, and her final diagram of English defining characteristics, while reductive, is fairly accurate. I just wish she'd edited a bit more and dropped the faux-matey tone.
She's also obsessed with class. She claims that all the English are, but she seems to think about it an awful lot more than I ever did. I skimmed whole chuncks of the chapters on houses and cars because, rather than analyse what we do with them and why, she's content to produce long lists of terms, products and brand names and then assign them to particular classes. I couldn't really care less whether she considers a certain model of car to be lower class, lower-middle, middle-middle- upper-middle or upper class.
Things pick up again towards the end: the chapter on religion is very funny, and her final diagram of English defining characteristics, while reductive, is fairly accurate. I just wish she'd edited a bit more and dropped the faux-matey tone.
September 27, 2019
"Бути розважливим — прийнятно. Бути ревним — заборонено. Бути щирим — дозволено. Бути надміру серйозним — суворо заборонено. Бути пафосним та величатися — поза законом. Про серйозні справи можна говорити серйозно, але сприймати себе занадто серйозно — ніколи. Хоч вміння посміятися із себе і випливає з пихи, — це одна з найпривабливіших англійських рис."
«Спостерігаючи за англійцями» Кейт Фокс — це антропологічне дослідження, в якому авторка аналізує поведінкові патерни співвітчизників з метою дослідити, що ж робить англійців англійцями. Хоча у вступі Кейт Фокс наполягає на "несерйозності" свого дослідження (мовляв, воно призначене не для колег-науковців, а для щонайширшої аудиторії), прочитавши кілька розділів, я почала сумніватися, чи не застосовує авторка "правило самознецінення" і "правило лукавства". Хай там як, ця книжка — це 600-сторінкова цеглинка, текст у якій цілком у дусі наукових досліджень розбитий на тематичні розділи, кожен із яких закінчується "висновками", а наприкінці книжки знайдемо таке собі "підбиття підсумків".
Як би ви описали типового англійця? Певно, згадали б про стриманість, ввічливість, любов до слів, специфічний гумор, нескінченні балачки про погоду, поміркованість, труднощі з соціалізацією. Кейт Фокс уважно розглядає типову англійську поведінку у всіх звичних сферах життя — від маленьких приватних будиночків з неодмінними "переднім" і "заднім" садочками (правило "мій дім — моя фортеця" нікуди не зникло за довгі століття), робочої обстановки, пабного спілкування чи подорожей до дрес-коду і сексу (засмучу любителів "перченого": у розділі «Правила сексу» йдеться здебільшого про флірт). У кожному розділі знайдете описи складних класових маркерів, які, схоже, є надзвичайно важливими для англійців (серйозно, у книжці описано, яким боком виделки їдять горох у різних колах, для мене це вже було трохи занадто). У «Спостерігаючи за англійцями» є гумор і деякі цікаві спостереження, якщо ви бували в Англії чи маєте знайомих англійців, напевно, не втримаєтесь від підхихикувань і вигуків "Так і є!", проте всі ті точні спостереження, які можна почерпнути із книжки Кейт Фокс, не відміняють того факту, що книжка:
1. роздута;
2. занудна;
3. далеко не така весела, якою хоче здаватися.
Роздутість є прямим наслідком того, що авторка дуже, дуже багато повторюється. Ті самі правила англійськості, які вона собі вивела, ви побачите у кожнісінькому розділі, а наприкінці кожного розділу ще й висновках, а наприкінці книжки ще й у висновках із висновків. Я розумію, що частково це зумовлено науково-популярним стилем викладу, але чи це дійсно було необхідно? Авторка товче воду у ступі точнісінько, як який-небудь студент, що намагається набрати необхідний обсяг для своєї наукової роботи, над якою йому не хочеться працювати.
Певним чином звідси випливає і занудність. Не знаю, може, книжка розрахована на багатотижневе читання, і у таких випадках, читачів не так дратує соте повторення одного й того ж. До речі, мені здається, що занудність — це саме та англійська риса, яку авторка чомусь проігнорувала, хоча в книжці вона проявляється сповна: скажімо, Кейт Фокс підраховує, скільки горошинок за раз набирає на виделку представник кожного з класів. Вона намагається це обернути на жарт, але ж вона таки це зробила, і таки додала до свого дослідження. Нє, ну серйозно?
Не-веселість так само частково є наслідком перших двох пунктів. Усі так хвалять гумор у цій книжці, мені ж він видався якимось натужним. Я очам своїм не повірила, коли авторка вдруге за книжку фактично слово в слово подала той самий жарт про Королівське товариство захисту прав тварин, яке було засновано на 60 років раніше, ніж Товариство захисту прав дітей. Ха-ха?..
Зате кілька цікавих мовних штучок, які я довідалася:
1. привітаня How do you do, якого мене учили в школі, безнадійно застаріло (я чула про це і раніше, але тут це написано аж у цілій книжці);
2. drawing room, як у певних колах називають вітальню, це скорочення від withdrawing room (просто гора з пліч, а то я все думала, вони що, у ній малюють?);
3. pardon кажуть тільки представники низів;
4. взагалі багато спостережень про слова-маркери класу (ліньки всі згадувати, пардон).
До речі, про верхи, низи та іже з ними. Уся ця класова система мене заганяє у цілковитий ступор. Як це все працює у ХХІ столітті? І головне: для чого? Кейт Фокс ще й додала до моєї бентеги: вона стверджує, що класова приналежність не визначається ані статками, ані професією. То чим тоді? Особливостями мови і таким нечітким поняттям, як стиль життя? Я збентежена. Може, мені хто порадить, що читанути, щоб розібратися, що таке ці класи і з чим їх їдять.
Загалом книжка мені сподобалася, але сподобалася би вдвічі більше, якби була вдвічі коротшою. Переклад хороший, але проскакують галицизми, майте собі на увазі, якщо ви приймаєте таке близько до серця.
June 5, 2007
A really amusing anthropological look at the English by an Englishwoman. Fox’s sense of humor is what really makes this book; it’s a bit long and repetitive at parts—skewing too much toward being an academic text when what I want (need) it to be is a work of popular science—but Fox’s own innate “Oh, come off it!” reaction always pulls through in the end. Somewhat frightening: how much of Fox’s “grammar of Englishness” I find applicable to myself—social awkwardness, humor, cynicism, belief in fair play… Bloody hell! Sodding, blimey, shagging, knickers, bollocks… Oh, God! I’m English!
January 2, 2019
Ох, яка цікава і довга подорож! Беззаперечно, рекомендую до прочитання, як мінімум через те, щоб відкрити в собі англійця. І зрозуміти що ж таке з тими англійцями? 😅 Авторка провела колосальну наукову роботу - спостерігаючи за своїми співгромадянами намагалася крекнути код та пояснити всі особливості та причинно-наслідкові залежності поведінки. Вийшло - просто, науково+ з гумором.
March 5, 2016
This was obviously a good idea formulated in a pub. I will go so far as to say it would have made a fascinating 'long read' magazine feature. Or perhaps a *short* book.
But it went on too long and the joke wore thin, and then ran out of steam.
In fairness, she did caveat several of her observations, and did remark at length on class differences - too much length.
Sure I recognised the characteristics she described. But there were so many broad brushed generalities that didn't really stand up. Or assumptions. for example, you can't write at great length about pub behaviour without noting that large numbers of people never or seldom go to any pubs, or that there are different types of pubs (city centre, estate, village etc) and many people who frequently go to one type often avoid totally another type.
In other cases I just feel there are so many exceptions that the generality doesn't even hold. All the rubbish about politeness and queues doesn't really hold any water.
She failed to notice that England is a diverse society and increasingly so. As far as she is concerned, English people 'do' religion by being agnostically signed up to the Church of England. Well, that may be the case for some, but a great many more are Catholics, fervent non-conformists/Evangelicals, atheists (or utterly unengaged), or members (fervent or nominally) of non-Christian religions. This symptomises the book - there are elements of truth, but there are in all sweeping generalisations.
I struggled on to 85%, and logically, from there, should have finished it. But it kept crashing on my Kindle. I could have obeyed the error message to delete it, and re download it from the Cloud, but then I thought 'Can I actually be bothered?' and the answer was a resounding no, defeated by devoting yet another hour to this long winded book.
But it went on too long and the joke wore thin, and then ran out of steam.
In fairness, she did caveat several of her observations, and did remark at length on class differences - too much length.
Sure I recognised the characteristics she described. But there were so many broad brushed generalities that didn't really stand up. Or assumptions. for example, you can't write at great length about pub behaviour without noting that large numbers of people never or seldom go to any pubs, or that there are different types of pubs (city centre, estate, village etc) and many people who frequently go to one type often avoid totally another type.
In other cases I just feel there are so many exceptions that the generality doesn't even hold. All the rubbish about politeness and queues doesn't really hold any water.
She failed to notice that England is a diverse society and increasingly so. As far as she is concerned, English people 'do' religion by being agnostically signed up to the Church of England. Well, that may be the case for some, but a great many more are Catholics, fervent non-conformists/Evangelicals, atheists (or utterly unengaged), or members (fervent or nominally) of non-Christian religions. This symptomises the book - there are elements of truth, but there are in all sweeping generalisations.
I struggled on to 85%, and logically, from there, should have finished it. But it kept crashing on my Kindle. I could have obeyed the error message to delete it, and re download it from the Cloud, but then I thought 'Can I actually be bothered?' and the answer was a resounding no, defeated by devoting yet another hour to this long winded book.
February 7, 2009
I really loved this book. First of all, it's hilarious--not because she's writing humor, but simply because it turns out that it is surprising and amusing to have basic human behaviors picked apart. Second, she is very accurate and the information could actually be useful in future interactions with English people. I feel that Fox is very skilled as an anthropologist to have been able to identify these traits in any culture, much less in her own culture. But she still keeps the book's style very casual so it is quite readable, not academic at all. It almost feels like a conversation.
The key facets of English culture that she discusses are: social dis-ease (chronic social inhibitions/handicaps), humor reflex (there is always an undercurrent of humor), moderation reflex (avoidance of extremes, excess and intensity), hypocrisy (unconscious, collective self-deception, really), empiricist outlook (preference for the factual, concrete and common-sense), Eeyorishness (moaning and chronic pessimism, such as with the catchphrase, "Typical!" when something goes wrong), class-consciousness, a sense of fair play, courtesy and politeness, and modesty (prohibitions on boasting and rules prescribing self-deprecation). If that sounds vaguely interesting to you, check it out.
The key facets of English culture that she discusses are: social dis-ease (chronic social inhibitions/handicaps), humor reflex (there is always an undercurrent of humor), moderation reflex (avoidance of extremes, excess and intensity), hypocrisy (unconscious, collective self-deception, really), empiricist outlook (preference for the factual, concrete and common-sense), Eeyorishness (moaning and chronic pessimism, such as with the catchphrase, "Typical!" when something goes wrong), class-consciousness, a sense of fair play, courtesy and politeness, and modesty (prohibitions on boasting and rules prescribing self-deprecation). If that sounds vaguely interesting to you, check it out.
August 24, 2011
I feel I have something of a love-hate relationship with this book. It's clever, insightful and funny, and yet I couldn't help feeling frustrated the further into the book I got. At one point, Kate Fox mentions that she's never criticised for being overly negative, only for being deemed to be too complimentary to the English. However, in an obvious attempt to avoid being `too complimentary', it seems she's gone too far in the other direction. I feel she's excessively critical of the English, referring to what she calls our "social dis-ease" as a "condition" that "infects" various parts of our lives, and over the course of the book, this negativity began to seriously grate on my nerves. She also refers to this `dis-ease' as an inability to be like normal people, with her barometer of normality being Romance language countries such as France, Spain and Italy. What about the rest of the world? The author frequently makes sweeping generalisations, apparently basing these on research predominantly in the south of England and involving small groups of participants. Many of her observations seem inaccurate or out-dated, and the author's class snobbishness also became rather irritating over time. All in all, there are some positives to this book but they're outweighed by a rather lopsided view of England and English society.
March 5, 2021
Книгу можна було б скоротити десь на 30%, багато повторювань, підсумововань. Мені сподобалось, що багато прикладів на підтвердження якихось рис англійськості, зокрема лінгвістичних, але не сподобалось, що мало докопувань першопричин тих чи інших рис, буквально в епілозі спроба розібратися, чому ж англійці такі помірковані, стримані, соціально недолугі і так далі.
Ще, чисто для мене, це був сеанс психотерапії, тому що з кожною викритою рисою або схемою поведінки я думала «бляха муха, та це ж про мене, жінко, перестань мене викривати».
Можу вам розказати про десять виділених рис, щоб ви не читали книгу, але знали по суті, про що в ній описано. Отже риси:
1. Соціальна недужість
“Нам бракує невимушеності, ми невмілі і незґрабні на ниві (чи то пак, на мінному полі) соціалізації. При перспективі соціального контакту нас охоплює збентеження, замкнутість, сором’язливість, відлюдкуватість, емоційний закреп, страх інтимності і тотальна неспроможність нормально та відкрито спілкуватися з іншими людськими істотами.”
2. Всюдисущий гумор
“Жарти — це, без сумніву, один із механізмів подолання стресу. Це наш улюблений спосіб зарадити в ситуаціях, які нас лякають, бентежать або тривожать.”
«усі розмови англійців та всі їхні соціальні контакти передбачають хоча б трохи кпин, піддражнювань, іронії, дотепу, висміювання, гри слів, сатири, знецінювання, гумористичного самовисміювання, сарказму, перекривлянь, висміювання помпезності або просто виглуплювань. Гумор не є окремим, особливим видом розмов, це — режим за замовчуванням”
3. Поміркованість в усьому
“Нелюбов до крайнощів, надміру, до будь-яких суперлятивів. Страх змін. Страх метушні. Неприйняття і намагання обмежуватися у бажаннях. Обережність та зосередженість на сфері приватного та безпечного. Амбівалентність, апатичність, м’якотілість, посередність, поведінка в стилі «моя хата скраю» і консерватизм, а також, до певної міри, толерантність, яка, принаймні частково, зумовлена покірною байдужістю. Помірковане працелюбство і поміркований гедонізм”
4. Лукавство
“Можна сказати, що вся наша ввічливість / скромність / справедливість — це лукавство, але також майже все наше лукавство — це форма ввічливості, спроба приховати справжні почуття та думки, щоб, “бува, кого не образити чи не засоромити.
«Лукавство англійців, здається, — відрух переважно несвідомий, такий собі колективний самообман, на який ми всі мовчки погодилися, а не навмисна, цинічна, прорахована спроба когось ошукати.”“ми неохоче кажемо те, що думаємо, і не завжди думаємо те, що кажемо, ми рятуємося ввічливими масками, а не напираємо прямотою. Лукавство також видобуває на світ наші цінності. Від природи ми не більш скромні, ґречні та чесні, аніж представники інших культур, однак маємо неписані правила, які велять нам демонструвати ці, вочевидь, важливі для нас риси.”
5. “Емпіризм» — це скорочене позначення нашої”“приземленості; любові до фактів; прагматизму; цинізму; нелюбові до філософування; непохитного реалізму; неприйняття усього штучного та претензійного”
6. Песимізм - безкінечні ниття і скигління (Боже, хоч щось не про мене)
7. Класова зацикленість (це теж не про мене, напевно тому що у нас ці класи стерті). Цікавинка про одного лорда, який хотів образити іншого сказавши, що той купив собі меблі (справжня аристократія ніколи не куплятиме меблі, вони їх успадковують)
8. «Чесна гра» “стояти в черзі — зводиться до чесної гри; взаємне вгощання, манери за столом, «впорядкований безлад», правила на дорозі; кодекс флірту; діловий етикет; ввічливий егалітаризм і т. д.” “Загострену потребу у справедливості часто плутають із взаємовиключними речами — це може бути і соціалізм, і консерватизм, та навіть християнське милосердя! Майже вся англійська мораль — це, по суті, про чесну гру.”
9. Ґречність, часом надмірна (казати перепрошую коли тобі стають на ногу)
10. Скромність, часом надмірна, і яка переходить в іронічне само зне��інення.
Загалом цікава книга, але деколи дуже вже розтягнута.
Ще, чисто для мене, це був сеанс психотерапії, тому що з кожною викритою рисою або схемою поведінки я думала «бляха муха, та це ж про мене, жінко, перестань мене викривати».
Можу вам розказати про десять виділених рис, щоб ви не читали книгу, але знали по суті, про що в ній описано. Отже риси:
1. Соціальна недужість
“Нам бракує невимушеності, ми невмілі і незґрабні на ниві (чи то пак, на мінному полі) соціалізації. При перспективі соціального контакту нас охоплює збентеження, замкнутість, сором’язливість, відлюдкуватість, емоційний закреп, страх інтимності і тотальна неспроможність нормально та відкрито спілкуватися з іншими людськими істотами.”
2. Всюдисущий гумор
“Жарти — це, без сумніву, один із механізмів подолання стресу. Це наш улюблений спосіб зарадити в ситуаціях, які нас лякають, бентежать або тривожать.”
«усі розмови англійців та всі їхні соціальні контакти передбачають хоча б трохи кпин, піддражнювань, іронії, дотепу, висміювання, гри слів, сатири, знецінювання, гумористичного самовисміювання, сарказму, перекривлянь, висміювання помпезності або просто виглуплювань. Гумор не є окремим, особливим видом розмов, це — режим за замовчуванням”
3. Поміркованість в усьому
“Нелюбов до крайнощів, надміру, до будь-яких суперлятивів. Страх змін. Страх метушні. Неприйняття і намагання обмежуватися у бажаннях. Обережність та зосередженість на сфері приватного та безпечного. Амбівалентність, апатичність, м’якотілість, посередність, поведінка в стилі «моя хата скраю» і консерватизм, а також, до певної міри, толерантність, яка, принаймні частково, зумовлена покірною байдужістю. Помірковане працелюбство і поміркований гедонізм”
4. Лукавство
“Можна сказати, що вся наша ввічливість / скромність / справедливість — це лукавство, але також майже все наше лукавство — це форма ввічливості, спроба приховати справжні почуття та думки, щоб, “бува, кого не образити чи не засоромити.
«Лукавство англійців, здається, — відрух переважно несвідомий, такий собі колективний самообман, на який ми всі мовчки погодилися, а не навмисна, цинічна, прорахована спроба когось ошукати.”“ми неохоче кажемо те, що думаємо, і не завжди думаємо те, що кажемо, ми рятуємося ввічливими масками, а не напираємо прямотою. Лукавство також видобуває на світ наші цінності. Від природи ми не більш скромні, ґречні та чесні, аніж представники інших культур, однак маємо неписані правила, які велять нам демонструвати ці, вочевидь, важливі для нас риси.”
5. “Емпіризм» — це скорочене позначення нашої”“приземленості; любові до фактів; прагматизму; цинізму; нелюбові до філософування; непохитного реалізму; неприйняття усього штучного та претензійного”
6. Песимізм - безкінечні ниття і скигління (Боже, хоч щось не про мене)
7. Класова зацикленість (це теж не про мене, напевно тому що у нас ці класи стерті). Цікавинка про одного лорда, який хотів образити іншого сказавши, що той купив собі меблі (справжня аристократія ніколи не куплятиме меблі, вони їх успадковують)
8. «Чесна гра» “стояти в черзі — зводиться до чесної гри; взаємне вгощання, манери за столом, «впорядкований безлад», правила на дорозі; кодекс флірту; діловий етикет; ввічливий егалітаризм і т. д.” “Загострену потребу у справедливості часто плутають із взаємовиключними речами — це може бути і соціалізм, і консерватизм, та навіть християнське милосердя! Майже вся англійська мораль — це, по суті, про чесну гру.”
9. Ґречність, часом надмірна (казати перепрошую коли тобі стають на ногу)
10. Скромність, часом надмірна, і яка переходить в іронічне само зне��інення.
Загалом цікава книга, але деколи дуже вже розтягнута.
February 4, 2012
At its worst, anthropology can be extremely condescending, analyzing other cultures as if they were animals. But at its best, the discipline explains the very meaning of what it is to be human and live in human society. Fox neatly sidesteps the first to embrace the second by turning her trained gaze on her own culture.
And so we get an examination of why one doesn't speak to fellow commuters, the English substitution of home pride for social skills, the liminality of the pub, and pea-eating's role as a shibboleth. She narrows down on the English view of the world, an attitude that assumes everything will turn out poorly but one mustn't complain, in which humor and not appearing to take anything too seriously are of paramount importance. And because she herself is English and cannot help herself, she writes the entire thing with a self-depricating wit that is delightful.
Some of her insights have helped me finally figure out some puzzling interactions I've had with British coworkers. Others merely articulate things that I myself do without quite thinking about it. As has been noted by others, New Yorkers and the English (and the Japanese) share the concept of negative politeness--that pretending you're alone on the subway car and not meeting the eyes of fellow pedestrians is not an indication of rudeness or aloofness, but an entirely different set of manners created by people who live on a very crowded island, so that they can handle being surrounded by people all the time without flipping out and killing them all. The Midwesterner who tries to strike up a conversation with strangers on the subway is being actively rude in the environment. (One should not hold that against them, anymore than one should take seriously an inadvertantly crude hand gesture made by a foreigner where it's obvious that no harm was meant, but it's still rude. Hopefully, the New Yorker accosted with inappropriate friendliness and the Brazilian who's just had an American make an OK sign will be tolerant and confine themselves to a private eyeroll.)
There are breakdowns of the class meanings of what time someone eats dinner, what they call a meal in the later part of the day that has tea involved, and what specific departments someone buys things from in Marks & Spencer. Given that American culture has some parallels but fewer strong definitions for class, it's a fascinating comparison.
In the end, she is able to codify English behavior, but not explain it. I wish she had been a bit braver--I think that England's history as having been repeatedly invaded, having several layers of class composed of foreigners, being considered a cultural backwater for quite some time before suddenly finding themselves in command of the world stage only to lose it once more, and the aforementioned fact of being a small, crowded island does much to explain some of the national character traits. Unfortunately, only the last is discussed. Nevertheless, it's a deeply insightful book that sheds a lot of light not only on the English, but also by comparison on some of their cousins.
And so we get an examination of why one doesn't speak to fellow commuters, the English substitution of home pride for social skills, the liminality of the pub, and pea-eating's role as a shibboleth. She narrows down on the English view of the world, an attitude that assumes everything will turn out poorly but one mustn't complain, in which humor and not appearing to take anything too seriously are of paramount importance. And because she herself is English and cannot help herself, she writes the entire thing with a self-depricating wit that is delightful.
Some of her insights have helped me finally figure out some puzzling interactions I've had with British coworkers. Others merely articulate things that I myself do without quite thinking about it. As has been noted by others, New Yorkers and the English (and the Japanese) share the concept of negative politeness--that pretending you're alone on the subway car and not meeting the eyes of fellow pedestrians is not an indication of rudeness or aloofness, but an entirely different set of manners created by people who live on a very crowded island, so that they can handle being surrounded by people all the time without flipping out and killing them all. The Midwesterner who tries to strike up a conversation with strangers on the subway is being actively rude in the environment. (One should not hold that against them, anymore than one should take seriously an inadvertantly crude hand gesture made by a foreigner where it's obvious that no harm was meant, but it's still rude. Hopefully, the New Yorker accosted with inappropriate friendliness and the Brazilian who's just had an American make an OK sign will be tolerant and confine themselves to a private eyeroll.)
There are breakdowns of the class meanings of what time someone eats dinner, what they call a meal in the later part of the day that has tea involved, and what specific departments someone buys things from in Marks & Spencer. Given that American culture has some parallels but fewer strong definitions for class, it's a fascinating comparison.
In the end, she is able to codify English behavior, but not explain it. I wish she had been a bit braver--I think that England's history as having been repeatedly invaded, having several layers of class composed of foreigners, being considered a cultural backwater for quite some time before suddenly finding themselves in command of the world stage only to lose it once more, and the aforementioned fact of being a small, crowded island does much to explain some of the national character traits. Unfortunately, only the last is discussed. Nevertheless, it's a deeply insightful book that sheds a lot of light not only on the English, but also by comparison on some of their cousins.
August 7, 2009
I read this book because an english person came into the store and bought it, and I figured, I wouldn't buy a book like this on america so it must be good. Now it certainly didn't hurt that John is also English and that Barsby yelled at me for commenting that he sounds like Ringo star (I hold fast he does, this is not a british thing on the basis that I do not think any other people sound particularly like Ringo star,only Barsby). Moving on, basically I read this book and I was vindicated, the book is hilarious, the author spends a good deal of time making fun of bill bryson, which I'm sure he would appreciate and just generally making fun of British people while still managing to sound pompous when discussing how the colonies do it. I thought the depiction of America was commonly very flawed, but it was a small part of the book a contrast not a topic and she has not spent nearly as much time studying it, although her sister is "American" so I forgive her. Just as Bryson cannot get inside the British mind she seems inherently unable to get inside the American mind.
Things I have learned from this book:
British teenage girls are much better (or worse depending who you ask) at losing their virginity than Americans.
England has the highest teen pregnancy rate in Europe.
"come off it"
Growing up in rural New England is a bit like growing up in england sans the class structure and possibly with a slightly less developed sense of humor.
English people are always lying liars.
Upper class english people eat peas in the most inefficient manner possible. honestly chopsticks would be easier.
English men think being born male is a possible sign of homosexuality (okay that is an exaggeration, but basically the only things that appear not to be signs of homosexuality are buying rounds and swearing).
British people do not tend to watch too much TV.
British people like the internet because it allows them to interact with people without interacting with people.
Things not included in this book that perhaps should be:
the british women's obsession with Bingo.
Why it is insulting to be compared to Ringo star.
Pop Idol.
Pop culture generally (sub cultures were included but not mainstream except to say people avoid it. they can't all be avoiding it)
why upper class children have stupid names. Some of the names are included but no explanation of why a parent would name a child Saskia.
all in all worth a sit down.
Things I have learned from this book:
British teenage girls are much better (or worse depending who you ask) at losing their virginity than Americans.
England has the highest teen pregnancy rate in Europe.
"come off it"
Growing up in rural New England is a bit like growing up in england sans the class structure and possibly with a slightly less developed sense of humor.
English people are always lying liars.
Upper class english people eat peas in the most inefficient manner possible. honestly chopsticks would be easier.
English men think being born male is a possible sign of homosexuality (okay that is an exaggeration, but basically the only things that appear not to be signs of homosexuality are buying rounds and swearing).
British people do not tend to watch too much TV.
British people like the internet because it allows them to interact with people without interacting with people.
Things not included in this book that perhaps should be:
the british women's obsession with Bingo.
Why it is insulting to be compared to Ringo star.
Pop Idol.
Pop culture generally (sub cultures were included but not mainstream except to say people avoid it. they can't all be avoiding it)
why upper class children have stupid names. Some of the names are included but no explanation of why a parent would name a child Saskia.
all in all worth a sit down.
January 20, 2019
It would have been a very entertaining read had Kate Fox (or her editor!) had it in her to make it 280 pages instead of 560. As it stands, it drags on for chunks at a time and its entertaining capacity is tarnished by unfunny jokes and repetitive mumbling.
Also, why on earth this book needs not one, but two chapters on horse races? Nobody cares about horse-races.
Also, why on earth this book needs not one, but two chapters on horse races? Nobody cares about horse-races.
November 27, 2020
In this 2014 update of a book originally published in 2004, social anthropologist Kate Fox dissects English attitudes and behaviours to expose the core values that make us 'English' and affect our every waking (and sleeping) moment - and she does it in an accessible, humorous yet always informative way ( a bit like the Bill Bryson books that I love but with far more information and direction). This is a fairly thick book so I basically read it as a 'coffee-table' book - a chapter a day in the morning when I first got up and could devote all my attention to it - then ponder her findings from that chapter during the day. It was certainly enlightening and her analysis was spot on when you come to think about what she is saying: so it's not just me who feels uncomfortable in social situations, apparently that's a problem that all English people face (what she calls the English 'dis-ease', as opposed to 'disease) - and we inimitably address it by the prolific use of humour of all sorts, which is all part of The Importance of Not Being Earnest. Absolutely gripped by this and would recommend it to anyone, be they English or not - probably essential reading for people wanting to visit England so they know what they are going to face: the author highlights American and European visitors being totally baffled by our various behaviours, as we no doubt are about theirs! Great read - 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.
May 5, 2020
I'm South African, meaning warmer than the English and nicer than the Australians, or so I always thought. Reducing whole nations to a few characteristics is a dangerous game, but never feels more right than when done by Kate Fox, an anthropologist whose keen intellect shines through this book, despite her commendable repudiation of academic jargon and pretension. With typically English humour and modesty (or so her book would have it) she explains her project, an anthropological survey of domestic English life, as merely the laziest and safest option available.
In short, she sees the single defining core of the English as "social dis-ease", in response to which they have developed a number of coping mechanisms - primarily an all-pervasive sense of humour, and a strong belief in courtesy (often manifested 'negatively', i.e leaving people alone). She identifies English values such as common sense, a tendency to 'Eeyorish' gloominess (the "typical!" syndrome), and a powerful class-consciousness (though it isn't acceptable to talk about this last one publicly).
Occasionally Fox's obvious fondness for her subject can take away from her objectivity - she has quite a few fuzzy rationalisations or jokey excuses for things of which an objective observer of a faraway tribe might take a more jaundiced view. But of course, this is something of an insider's book - for either English people, or those keenly familiar with them. I found plenty of myself in this book: my tendency to apologise too much, my need for privacy, my moderate and reasonably common-sensical outlook on life (what Fox dubs "Empiricism"). To name something is to know it better; this guide is a valuable contribution to unraveling the mystery that is the English race.
In short, she sees the single defining core of the English as "social dis-ease", in response to which they have developed a number of coping mechanisms - primarily an all-pervasive sense of humour, and a strong belief in courtesy (often manifested 'negatively', i.e leaving people alone). She identifies English values such as common sense, a tendency to 'Eeyorish' gloominess (the "typical!" syndrome), and a powerful class-consciousness (though it isn't acceptable to talk about this last one publicly).
Occasionally Fox's obvious fondness for her subject can take away from her objectivity - she has quite a few fuzzy rationalisations or jokey excuses for things of which an objective observer of a faraway tribe might take a more jaundiced view. But of course, this is something of an insider's book - for either English people, or those keenly familiar with them. I found plenty of myself in this book: my tendency to apologise too much, my need for privacy, my moderate and reasonably common-sensical outlook on life (what Fox dubs "Empiricism"). To name something is to know it better; this guide is a valuable contribution to unraveling the mystery that is the English race.
February 24, 2023
Фух, домучила.
Із позитивного - були цікаві факти про англійців, це правда.
Негативного для мене було прям досить багато:
- дуууууже багато води. Майже кожне речення було переписано трьома різними варіаціями слів, тому часто хотілось сказати «та досить вже, я все зрозуміла».
- Авторка на початку книжки акцентувала увагу, що вона досліджує правила «доброго тону», але те, як вона все описала, показало англійців як дуже неприємних людей.
- Досить часто невидимими чорнилами писалось «ми найкращі». Таке відчуття, що англійці придумали все: гумор, ігри, етикет. І тільки англійцям треба відпустки й відпочинки від роботи як нікому іншому (про відпустки це майже цитата). І хоч цей момент намагались приховати жартами і самоіронією, не вдалось.
- Інколи здавалось, що всі банальні і елементарні правила гарного тону є суто англійськими явищами. Ну правда, мені здається, що в цивілізованому світі це вже норма казати «дякую» офіціанту в кафе, не кричати голосно по телефону в громадському транспорті чи не розпитувати не дуже близьких людей про гроші (яка зп, скільки і хто витратив на ту чи іншу річ і тд). Чому це приписувати чисто англійцям? Якщо авторка сама визнає, що не всі вони так роблять, тількт більшість. Ну так це ж ніби нормально для більшості людей, ні?
- Коли кажуть що «англійцям не так важливо до якого класу належить та чи інша людина, АЛЕ…», і понеслось в кожному розділі розжовування як розрізнити англійців з кожного класу. І я погоджуюсь, що певний рівень розподілу є і в нас за тим же одягом чи інтер’єром вдома, але коли дійшов час до їжі, то я аж підгоріла. Бо виявляється якщо ти купив консервовані продукти (і тут ще треба дивитись вони в сиропі чи в власному соці), то ти автоматично плебей (саме цим словом досить часто називають робочий клас). ЩО? І там були такі деталі на цю тему, що важко зберігати спокій.
- Ну і окремо мені дуже було помітне зневажливе ставлення авторки до «низького» і «робочого» класів. Бо звісно ж, що кожен підліток з цього прошарку після школи потрапляє у в’язницю, правда?)
Чесно, великої цінності ця книжка не несе, бо більшість матеріалу описує просто життя англійців, які в еру глобалізації схоже на життя всіх людей західного світу. Є корисні речі, і вони досить ок викладені в кінці книжки. Там про суто англійські риси характеру. Оці 10 сторінок можна почитати.
Із позитивного - були цікаві факти про англійців, це правда.
Негативного для мене було прям досить багато:
- дуууууже багато води. Майже кожне речення було переписано трьома різними варіаціями слів, тому часто хотілось сказати «та досить вже, я все зрозуміла».
- Авторка на початку книжки акцентувала увагу, що вона досліджує правила «доброго тону», але те, як вона все описала, показало англійців як дуже неприємних людей.
- Досить часто невидимими чорнилами писалось «ми найкращі». Таке відчуття, що англійці придумали все: гумор, ігри, етикет. І тільки англійцям треба відпустки й відпочинки від роботи як нікому іншому (про відпустки це майже цитата). І хоч цей момент намагались приховати жартами і самоіронією, не вдалось.
- Інколи здавалось, що всі банальні і елементарні правила гарного тону є суто англійськими явищами. Ну правда, мені здається, що в цивілізованому світі це вже норма казати «дякую» офіціанту в кафе, не кричати голосно по телефону в громадському транспорті чи не розпитувати не дуже близьких людей про гроші (яка зп, скільки і хто витратив на ту чи іншу річ і тд). Чому це приписувати чисто англійцям? Якщо авторка сама визнає, що не всі вони так роблять, тількт більшість. Ну так це ж ніби нормально для більшості людей, ні?
- Коли кажуть що «англійцям не так важливо до якого класу належить та чи інша людина, АЛЕ…», і понеслось в кожному розділі розжовування як розрізнити англійців з кожного класу. І я погоджуюсь, що певний рівень розподілу є і в нас за тим же одягом чи інтер’єром вдома, але коли дійшов час до їжі, то я аж підгоріла. Бо виявляється якщо ти купив консервовані продукти (і тут ще треба дивитись вони в сиропі чи в власному соці), то ти автоматично плебей (саме цим словом досить часто називають робочий клас). ЩО? І там були такі деталі на цю тему, що важко зберігати спокій.
- Ну і окремо мені дуже було помітне зневажливе ставлення авторки до «низького» і «робочого» класів. Бо звісно ж, що кожен підліток з цього прошарку після школи потрапляє у в’язницю, правда?)
Чесно, великої цінності ця книжка не несе, бо більшість матеріалу описує просто життя англійців, які в еру глобалізації схоже на життя всіх людей західного світу. Є корисні речі, і вони досить ок викладені в кінці книжки. Там про суто англійські риси характеру. Оці 10 сторінок можна почитати.
November 20, 2012
I found this fascinating. Full disclaimer -- though I think I pretty much read the whole thing, I absolutely did not read it in the order that it is written, but rather in chunks over a few days. As someone who grew up raised in Canada by English parents, with regular-ish trips to the UK to visit family, I found this indispensable. It explained and put words to so much that I have observed and felt over my lifetime. It also helped me to understand the madness that is the English class system much better than I ever had before. I knew that it existed, but I realize now that I really didn't grasp the extent of it at ALL, because it makes little sense to anyone who wasn't raised in the UK. This book also helped me to understand a little better why American (and often Canadian) habits and manners are so often excruciating to the English, and helped me to realize how many faux pas I've made over the years! Ha! My parents taught me decent table manners (upper-middle manners, I'd say), but they neglected to pass along a lot of other pieces of information. Not that I really care to follow all the rules... but it's good to at least know that i'm breaking them. I also finally understood some things about myself that always made me feel like a bit of an oddball in Canada. Turns out that I was just being English all along...
I'm fascinated by this stuff and have spent a lot of time reflecting on how being raised (sort of) English has shaped who I am. So, not everyone will likely be as into this book as I was. But if you have close friends who are English, or you're in a relationship with a Brit, or you've spent some time in the UK and have been puzzled, then you may love it too!
I'm fascinated by this stuff and have spent a lot of time reflecting on how being raised (sort of) English has shaped who I am. So, not everyone will likely be as into this book as I was. But if you have close friends who are English, or you're in a relationship with a Brit, or you've spent some time in the UK and have been puzzled, then you may love it too!
March 6, 2021
I was a fool for not reading this book before moving to England three years ago. I now realize how much I did not know: the purpose of the pub, the right ways to be self-effacing, how to introduce myself, how to appropriately complain, the importance of not being earnest, and many other subtleties. What I most loved about Watching the English was that it turned implicit cultural norms into explicit rules.
The book caused me to reflect on the hidden rules governing other cultures I am a part of. For instance, I've recently been having lots of conversations about the challenges that first-generation university students face, and recognizing the importance of making implicit rules explicit (for instance, putting "you can message me at any time asking for an extension on an assignment" on the syllabus).
Because of Watching the English, I will be spotting little unspoken rules and norms of behaviour everywhere. I contemplated giving the book 5 stars, but that would be a bit forward, a bit eager, a bit keen, and decidedly non-English of me.
The book caused me to reflect on the hidden rules governing other cultures I am a part of. For instance, I've recently been having lots of conversations about the challenges that first-generation university students face, and recognizing the importance of making implicit rules explicit (for instance, putting "you can message me at any time asking for an extension on an assignment" on the syllabus).
Because of Watching the English, I will be spotting little unspoken rules and norms of behaviour everywhere. I contemplated giving the book 5 stars, but that would be a bit forward, a bit eager, a bit keen, and decidedly non-English of me.
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