In the 17th 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 were 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 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.
- ISBN10 019820681X
- ISBN13 9780198206811
- Publish Date 1 May 2000
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 15 May 2003
- Publish Country GB
- Imprint Oxford University Press
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 402
- Language English