Books : Watching the English: The Hidden Rules of English Behaviour

Rating: - mainly interesting but fluffily padded
This book looks at the english from the perspective of a professional anthropologist. Its focus is the elucidation of the implicit rules of behaviour from observation - generally from the author's own people-watching.

This focus prvides the book with its main strength, the successful illumination of these rules; but also with one of its failings, a flat telling of the details with no real momentum.

There is some momentum to the exposition, provided by an ongoing attempt by the author to unite the various empirical results as manifestations of a small set of fundamental patterns of behaviour. However, any momentum provided is dissipated by the author's proclivity for including personal details of her life as "illumination" for the points she is making.

One or two indulgences would be forgiveable: unfortunately the author does not show much constraint in this aspect of her writing, with the result that the reader becomes increasingly annoyed whenever a new anecdote appears.

While some of the patterns of behaviour are so well known as to be cliches (e.g. talking about the weather), the author does discuss these and other less well known patterns in a quite refreshing way and the rules she digs out from her observations generally ring true with the reader's experience.

Overall then, despite some shortcomings, the book is successful and mainly enjoyable to read.

The principal framework for discussing variations in these rules is, from an english perspective, the most important: the class system. Possibly the book would have found it beneficial to use other frameworks like regional variation.

As illustration, although most of the rules arrived at successfully capture the reader's everyday patterns of behaviour, as noted above, the author's discussion of tipping bar-staff in pubs is inadequately observed and misses some important points of the basic mechanics of the transaction, points that would have been discernible if she'd observed differing practises in english cities.

Still, if you enjoyed Paxman's book, you'll find this book a worthwhile read.

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Rating: - Good fun, and bags of truth in it
This is a great book to dip into. Personally, i loved the bit about the English on public transport, as it was so true. I like my privacy on tubes, I hate foreigners who talk loudly, or people talking on mobiles, and I definitely give them some stern looks. And there's nothing worse than having to make conversation with somebody you see every day. i will feel obliged to talk to them every day, and never be able to read my book again, without feeling highly rude. Oh my, the etiquette is so exhausting.

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Rating: - Full of sweeping generalisations...
I had to remind myself that this book was not written in the 1950’s, the outdated statements she makes are the only thing funny about this book. Fox makes the kind of sweeping generalisation that gets social science a bad name e.g. Class X does/says this.
Evidence for her claims is in very short supply.
The book starts off about the 'English' habit of talking about the weather..is this English or British?
I would say that the majority of this book is about the British class system not ‘the English’. I did not find it humorous in the least but patronising in style. She seems to have ventured no further north than Watford to ‘research’ this book or to have spoken to more than a couple of dozen people. This is probably why she calls it the English and not British as she assumes England stops at Watford and then there is the 'north' before we hit Scotland!
Apart from learning who her father is and what her boyfriend does (unwanted info which does not impress us!)we do not learn anything new about the English. The only good I have to say is whilst reading it I discovered the book makes an excellent fly swat.

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Rating: - Nice weather if you're a duck.
When I heard there was a book coming out about English "quirks" I knew I had to get it. I love people-watching and love the idea that certain traits are inherent to the English tribe.

I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I wasn't disappointed. This is a hefty book, and I'm not a "read-the-book-in-a-night" person, preferring to dip in and out whenever I get a chance, but I have found myself preferring to pick up the book rather than watch the TV. I've even missed breakfast a few mornings this week, preferring to sit with a cuppa and read so it must be good!

Have you ever wondered:
* Why we talk about the weather so much?
* Why we can't accept compliments without embarrassment?
* Why WE apologise when someone bumps into us?
* How we use humour/irony as a defence mechanism

And did you know, men gossip as much as women? The proof is in here!

The one that has made me laugh the loudest so far was the section on gossiping / bitching.

This is low-brow anthropology but don't get me wrong, it's not for stupid people! There's a lot of academic terminology, which can at times be confusing, but Kate follows this up with clear examples and definitions to clarify her points. The characteristics covered thus far, I have to admit, ring too true. Getting off the phone to realise I have just fulfilled so many "English" stereotypes is shocking but amusing. Kate’s style of writing is conversational, but not patronising. It’s intricate but not complicated. Her accurate observations are alarming, entertaining, and really quite fascinating.

I would recommend this to anyone with an interest in culture; tribalism; communications; sociology; or simply the English and our eccentricities.