Englishness: : : Foreigners and Images of National Identity in Postwar Literature / / M. Spiering.

• Superior document: Studia Imagologica Series ; v.5
• VerfasserIn: Spiering, M.,
• Place / Publishing House: Leiden : : Brill Academic Publishers,, 2023.
• Year of Publication: 2023
• Edition: 1st ed.
• Language: English
• Series: Studia Imagologica Series
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (ix, 198 pages) :; illustrations

Faced with the demise of their country on the world stage, with the Americanization of their society and with the prospect of integration into Europe, many people in postwar-Britain, and in particular in England, began to look more closely at their national identity. Using literature as a source material, this study investigates postwar images of Englishness as they are defined in relation not only to 'Americans' and 'Europeans', but also to other foreigners: the 'Arabs' and the 'Russians.' In the context of the Anglo-American novel particular regard is given to Englishness in Evelyn Waugh's The Loved One and David Lodge's Changing Places. Subsequently the book focuses on that peculiarly English genre 'the invasion story', tales in which Englishness comes under direct attack from evil plotters from abroad. While the history of the genre is discussed at some length, detailed attention is paid to images of Englishness in Angus Wilson's The Old Men at the Zoo (united European forces invade a Euro-recalcitrant Britain), Anthony Burgess' 1985 (Arab infiltrators prepare to Islamize the English) and Kingsley Amis' Russian Hide and Seek (after a period of occupation the Russians attempt to give the English back their Englishness).

Table of Contents

Intro -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Table of Contents -- LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS -- PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS -- one LITERATURE AND THE QUEST FOR IDENTITY -- 1. The quest for identity and the Second World War -- 2. Literature and national identity: imagology -- two THE POSTWAR PERIOD -- three ENGLISHNESS AND AMERICANS -- 1. Introduction -- 2. The Anglo-American novel: two images of America -- 3. The Anglo-American novel: humour and American otherness -- 4. Englishness in The Loved One and Changing Places -- 5. The Loved One, Evelyn Waugh and Englishness -- 6. Changing Places, David Lodge and Englishness -- 7. Englishness and humanness -- four ENGLISHNESS AND EUROPEANS, ARABS, RUSSIANS -- 1. Introduction -- 2. The English invasion story: cautionary and sensational -- 3. The English invasion story: origins -- 4. The English invasion story: early and late -- 5. The Old Men at the Zoo: Englishness and united Europeans -- 6. 1985: Englishness and Muslim Arabs -- 7. Russian Hide and Seek: Englishness and Communist Russians -- 8. Englishness and ruralness -- five SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION -- BIBLIOGRAPHY OF WORKS CITED -- INDEX.