Englishness identified

Description:

"In the seventeenth century the English were often depicted as a nation of barbarians, fanatics, and king-killers. Two hundred years later they were more likely to be seen as the triumphant possessors of a unique political stability, a vigorous industrial revolution, and a world-wide empire. These may have been British achievements, but the virtues which brought about this transformation tended to be perceived as being specifically English. Ideas of what constituted Englishness changed from a stock notion of waywardness and unpredictability to one of discipline and dedication. The evolution of the so-called national character - today once more the subject of scrutiny and debate - is traced through the impressions and analyses of foreign observers, and related to English ambitions and anxieties during a period of intense change."--Jacket.

subjects: History,  English literature,  Anglais,  Mœurs et coutumes,  Anglais dans la littérature,  National characteristics, English, in literature,  History and criticism,  Dans la littérature,  Engländer,  Geschichte,  Nationale kenmerken,  Manners and customs,  Kultur,  Social life and customs,  Moeurs et coutumes,  Histoire,  Engelsen,  Sitte und Brauch,  Histoire et critique,  Nationalcharakter,  Englandbild,  English National characteristics,  Caractère national anglais,  Littérature anglaise,  National characteristics, english,  English literature, history and criticism,  England, social life and customs,  England,  17th century