The Evening Standard (one of my favorite London papers) recently asked the question: What Makes the Quintessential Englishman?
It pondered the question because, someone who many consider to be THE Quintessential Englishman – Stephen Fry – denied that he was such, to the horror of the columnist.
From the column:
Is Stephen Fry being a little ungrateful? Talking at the Royal Geographical Society the other night, he stunned the audience by turning roundly on the quintessential Englishman (QE).
“I wish I had a gold sovereign for every time that phrase is used,” he fulminated, “so I could put them in a sock to smack over the head of the next person who says it.”
His protestations echo Kate Winslet’s recent keenness to stress her humble and impoverished background. But what is so awful about being middle-class or quintessentially English?
Does Fry not realise that he owes the affection in which he is held to the widespread belief that he is representative of some national archetype?
Read the rest of the article here.
Oh and if you’re not following Stephen Fry on Twitter – he is after all Quintessentially English.
About jonathan
British Pound Exchange Rate
Anglotopia was founded by Jonathan and Jackie Thomas for people who love Britain - whether it's British TV, Culture, History or Travel - we cover it all. Anglotopia was started to get us back to the UK for a trip and it did that in 2009. Now, the goal is for Anglotopia to make our dreams of traveling to the UK whenever we want a reality.
I have always believed that what makes a quintessential Englishman is his manners, but I suppose that’s quite an old fashioned concept these days. Fortunately there are some ‘gentlemen’ left.