| Books | TV &Videos | Websites |
Here are some materials that might be of interest for VaCIE-VCCS exchange delegates. The United Kingdom is generally familiar to Americans, but these resources may be helpful for you in understanding contemporary Britain.
Culture Shock! Britain by Terry Tan (Portland, OR: Graphic
Arts Center, 2002). The Culture Shock
series is designed for
the emigrant, though the information is useful to the visitor as well. Each is
written by a resident of the country and covers some of the history and
politics, as well as social customs, local vocabulary, etc. Here is a sample:
Silent Commuters: The British are notoriously tight-lipped during commuting,
whether by train, tube, or bus. When a train stops between stations for any reason, even for as long as half an hour, you can hear a pin drop. Few, apart from friends, are inclined to make casual conversation even as relief from the tedium of waiting. The only sound in a carriage of 30 people will be the rustling of newspapers. Visitors used to public bonhomie usually end up embarrassed when the remarks provoke only silence and weak smiles.
Notes from a Small Island
by Bill Bryson (NY:
Avon, 1995). Bryson is an American journalist and writer who lived in London and
Yorkshire for 20 years. He traveled around England, Scotland, and Wales,
observing its manners, mores, and architecture. His writing is funny,
occasionally biting, and sometimes juvenile (à la Dave Barry). He has scathing
criticisms of how the British have let their cities rot and how public
transportation has withered (sound familiar?) and is baffled by their continued
fascination with the royal family. This book gets the endorsement of my English
exchange partner.
And the British are so easy to please. It is the most extraordinary thing. They actually like their pleasures small. That is why so many of their treats—tea cakes, scones, crumpets, rock cakes, rich tea biscuits, fruit Shrewsburys—are so cautiously flavorful. They are the only people in the world who think of jam and currants as thrilling constituents of a pudding or cake. Offer them something genuinely tempting—a slice of gateau or a choice of chocolates from a box—and they will nearly always hesitate and begin to worry that it's unwarranted and excessive, as if any pleasure beyond a very modest threshold is vaguely unseemly.
"Oh, I shouldn't really," they say.
"Oh, go on," you prod encouragingly.
"Well, just a small one then," they say and daringly take a small one, and then get a look as if they have just done something terribly devilish. (p. 79).
Paul Theroux's Kingdom by the Sea (NY: Penguin, 1983) is excellent and more literary but is less immediately useful because of its age. It is rather depressing in its vivid description of a Britain that had lost its way, with high unemployment and Maggie Thatcher at the helm. Still well worth it for his evocative prose.
The Oxford Illustrated History of Britain (Kenneth
Morgan, ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993). An excellent member of the
classic series for the general reader. Each chapter is written by a specialist in that era but the editor makes sure the text does
not get bogged down in minutiae. Covers the period from Roman Britain to 1990
with numerous photographs. Will generally orient you to periods of history,
architecture, and royal dynasties.
It should be noted that any book over five years old will describe the
economy as much worse than it is now. The UK, like much of Europe, had
stubbornly high unemployment for years—but the
situation has dramatically improved in recent years. In fact, London again
is a "cool" town according to both Newsweek and the Guide
Michelin. For more information useful to VaCIE-VCCS delegates,
click on British
culture. 
TV &Videos
UK Today: A magazine news show from London. A sample episode featured a fight instructor for Actor's Equity, the construction of the largest mall in Europe (in Kent), and cat owners (felines live in 60% of British homes). Wonderful for everyday news of Britain as well as British reactions to U.S. and world events. EastEnders is a soap opera set in the Cockney part of London that's been running for 15 years.
The list of successful British films and TV programs is very long. The industry has produced classics from the James Bond series to PBS mainstays such as Agatha Christie mysteries and Upstairs, Downstairs. British authors from E. M. Forster to Jane Austen have provided the fodder for many films, particularly Merchant & Ivory productions. Here are a few notable ones that are not only great films but will help you get used to the accent(s) and aspects of everyday life.
Brief
History of Wales  |
Daily News |
| UK Universities & Colleges | Gay Britain Official Website |
| State Department Info | British Embassy Info |
May 30, 2003. Comments to ccowden@nvcc.edu
