A wry, affectionate and amusing take on English class and customs from an outsider's perspective.
For years German lawyer and author Detlev Piltz has been observing England, its life, customs and above all its classes. He argues that whenever an English person meets another, they will immediately try and place the individual they are talking to in a class by their speech, deportment, clothing, address and general aura. Why might this be, and does the English class system still exist in the twenty-first century? This book argues that it is very much still alive.
Piltz examines the 'hard' and 'soft' class markers that permeate English society, from where Britons go on holiday to what they wear, eat, drive and what they name their pets. He explains how the way you pronounce the word 'garage' indicates your class, and asks whether it makes sense still to talk of the English Gentleman, a species of human being so often admired in continental Europe yet parodied and satirized ad infinitum.
England: A Class of Its Own is based on an incredible amount of research and riddled with amusing quotations. In the same vein as Jilly Cooper's Class, this is a book that will give pleasure and amusement to many.
England: A Class of Its Own : An Outsider's View
Description
Table of Contents
Foreword and Acknowledgements
Introduction
Part I About Class
1 'It depends on your class'
2 Equality and Meritocracy
3 What is Class?
4 Hard Class Markers
5 Working, Upper, Middle, Under
6 Class Matters
7 Class Denial
8 Class and Politics
Part II Soft class markers (then and now)
9 Rules, Soft and Silent
10 Appearance
11 Clothing and Dress
12 Greeting, Introduction, Addressing People
13 What's in a Name?
14 Accent and Pronunciation
15 Vocabulary and Language
16 Conversation
17 Stances and Behaviour
18 Cars
19 Table Manners
20 Food and Drink
21 Shopping
22 House
23 Gardens
24 Animals
25 Sport
26 Holidays and Travel
27 The Arts
28 Etcetera
Part III Always and Forever?
29 A classless Society
30 Class-free Zones
31 Class of Origin
32 Change of Class
33 Breaking the Rules
34 Foreigners
Part IV Beyond Class
35 This Happy Breed of Men
Bibliography and Further Reading
Notes
Index
Author Description
Review quote
At 400-plus pages, Piltz is nothing if not thorough. He includes some great quotes... The Guardian Saturday Magazine