The English: A Portrait of a People, By Jeremy Paxman

 

In The English, the famously no-nonsense journalist and broadcaster Jeremy Paxman assesses what it means to be English today - specifically English, that is, not Welsh, Scottish, or Irish. In this wide-ranging work, Paxman charts the rise of a peculiar¹ stereotype² of Englishness that arose abroad in response to British colonialism, and its subsequent obsolescence³ following the disintegration⁴ of Empire. Emphasising the pluralistic interconnections between England's regions, cultures, and classes, The English gives historical grounding to some of the country' scurious social quirks⁵ and places them in the context of its people's fluctuating identities.

 

White Teeth, By Zadie Smith 

 

Treating a broad sweep of British post-war history, White Teeth deals with the issues of London's immigrant population and their often conflicting desires to both assimilate and preserve their indigenous⁶ cultural identities. In an inimitable style that is now painfully funny, now heartrending, Smith also satirises the British middle and working classes while writing sensitively on such social issues as the generation gap in immigrant families, and even religious fundamentalism. A must-read for those seeking to know more about the diversity of Britain's cities.

 

Porterhouse Blue, Tom Sharpe

 

Whether you're looking to throw yourself bodily into life at Britain's most traditional educational institutions, or searching for a stick to beat them with, look no further than Tom Sharpe's rip-roaring parody⁷ of life at the fictional⁸ Cambridge college, Porterhouse. Crippled by the need to adhere to its own traditions, Porterhouse is thrown into disarray⁹ when the College Master dies before naming his successor; meanwhile, research student Lionel Zipser's desperation to keep a lid on his attraction to his maid leads him through a series of preposterous¹⁰ plotlines towards a hilarious¹¹ finale. A taste at the cordon¹² bleu end of fine British humour.

 

The Road to Wigan Pier¹³, George Orwell

 

In Wigan Pier, a middle-class writer composes one of the finest examples of working-class journalism¹⁴ ever set down on paper. The British are a nation acutely aware of social class, and navigating¹⁵ the proverbial minefield of class distinctions can often prove challenging for visiting students. Orwell documents living conditions for workers in the impoverished¹⁶ north of England in the late 1930s, before discussing the practical solutions to the problem. Very much a document of its time, but still one of great use for those interested in the roots of Britain’s ongoing¹⁷ class tensions

 

Great Expectations, Charles Dickens

 

Great Expectations may seem like an obvious choice, but it will do more than reward the Chinese penchant¹⁸ for Victorian high society. As well as being one of the most recognisable English-language stories, the novel explores social mobility¹⁹, the contemporary class system, and empire, all backed up with a number of Dickens' larger-than-life characters and the first-person voice of the ever hopeful Pip. For the Chinese reader, it’s a cultural exploration of Britain at one of the most important points in her history, and a classic piece of literature by the second-most famous British writer of all time.

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