A wry, affectionate and amusing take on English class and customs from an outsider's perspective. For years German lawyer and author Detlev Piltz has been observing England, its life, customs and above all its classes. He argues that whenever an English person meets another, they will immediately try and place the individual they are talking to in a class by their speech, deportment, clothing, address and general aura. Why might this be, and does the English class system still exist in the twenty-first century? This book argues that it is very much still alive. Piltz examines the 'hard' and 'soft' class markers that permeate English society, from where Britons go on holiday to what they wear, eat, drive and what they name their pets. He explains how the way you pronounce the word 'garage' indicates your class, and asks whether it makes sense still to talk of the English Gentleman, a species of human being so often admired in continental Europe yet parodied and satirized ad infinitum. England: A Class of Its Own is based on an incredible amount of research and riddled with amusing quotations. In the same vein as Jilly Cooper's Class, this is a book that will give pleasure and amusement to many.

A wry, affectionate and amusing take on English class and customs from an outsider's perspective.

About the Author
Detlev Piltz is a senior partner in the German law firm of Flick Gocke und Schaumburg. He has published a number of highly regarded law books in German and since 1992 has been an honorary professor of the University of Mannheim.

Reviews
At 400-plus pages, Piltz is nothing if not thorough. He includes some great quotes... * The Guardian Saturday Magazine *



Book Information
ISBN 9781472993045
Author Professor Detlev Piltz
Format Hardback
Page Count 432
Imprint Bloomsbury Continuum
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC