England: A Class of Its Own: An Outsider's View

(Hardback)

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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 Coopers Class, this is a book that will give pleasure and amusement to many.

Reviews

At 400-plus pages, Piltz is nothing if not thorough. He includes some great quotes... * The Guardian Saturday Magazine *

Author Bio

Detlev Piltz is a senior partner in the German law firm of Flick Gocke und Schaumburg. He has published a number of highly regarded law books in German and since 1992 has been an honorary professor of the University of Mannheim.