Before the English rose, there was bloodthirsty Boudicca. Before BBC English, there were Germanic dialects and Norman French. Before English football fans ran amok in Europe, there were the warring tribes of the Iceni, Brigantes, Coritani and Catuvellauni, none of them "English". Behind everything that we now consider to be indisputably English are a host of other stories, other traditions.
In this fascinating study, acclaimed author Maureen Duffy takes us through three thousand years of English and British history, illuminating the myths that have come to be such an important part of our national identity.
In her quest to track down how the myths evolved over the centuries, the author encourages us to look again at what we learned at school, from King Alfred burning the cakes to Shakespeare's nationalistic history plays, from the signing of the Magna Carta to Gray's 'Elegy Written In A Country Churchyard', and from the emergence of Victorian values to Margaret Thatcher's famous assertion that "There is no such thing as society". And at a time when "this England" is becoming increasingly allied to Europe, Maureen Duffy provides some startling insights into the nature of our island race.
Written with great erudition, perception and humour, this book will change your view of England's past - and England's future.
