"If you ever wondered why the English are so obsessed with talking about the weather, passionate about queues, why they don’t say things directly or why they say something completely the opposite to what they really think, this is the book for you."
About this book
If you ever wondered why the English are so obsessed with talking about the weather, passionate about queues, why they don’t say things directly or why they say something completely the opposite to what they really think, this is the book for you. Kate Fox, an English social anthropologist touches on the English sense of humour and stereotypical aloofness in this funny self-depreciating hidden rule book on how to understand ‘Englishness’. Being a participant-observer in this intensive field study packed with anecdotes, she defines Englishness and how “improper” conversation topics with English might lead to uneasy coughs and raised eyebrows. They avoid giving offence, hate to boast, are painfully polite, quirky, socially reserved and are constantly embarrassed to make any contact at all, let alone volunteer information about themselves. From her observations, it seems the English are very private. The question is why?
