The British part is casually mentioned in a few sentences here and there, while the French part takes up multiple long cha Just as the battle between the sexes will never end (we hope), neither will the millennium-old rivalry between the French and anyone who happens to be born speaking English.

1000 Years of Annoying the French - Google Books 1000 Years of Annoying the French - Google Books

A year after arriving in France, Englishman Paul West is still struggling with some fundamental What is the best way to scare a gendarme? He takes delight in pointing out that William the Conqueror was not French and that he loathed them as much as they loathed him and his barbaric Norman ways. He also takes the air out of overblown Gallic claims, challenging the provenance of everything from champagne to the guillotine to prove that the French would be nowhere without British ingenuity. But documents released Tuesday reveal just how deep their antipathy ran with Britain’s prime minister at one point musing about eliminating the French general as a political force. While I did know about some periods of the 1000 years it was covering, I wasn't an expert enough to critique the information it provided in the book so I can't comment on the accuracy.Only Churchill stood by the Général, and made an official announcement to the effect that ‘His Majesty’s government recognizes General de Gaulle as leader of all free Frenchmen, wherever they may be. Clarke sets the record straight, documenting how French braggarts and cheats have stolen credit rightfully due their neighbors across the Channel while blaming their own numerous gaffes and failures on those same innocent Brits for the past thousand years. We're quite fond of independent Americans, and see them as distant cousins who can't spell our language properly.

1000 Years of Annoying the French also Readers who enjoyed 1000 Years of Annoying the French also

He recounts trips to Crecy and Azincourt (not Agincourt which is hundreds of miles away from the true battle site - with the z) and paints a less than glowing picture of Joan of Arc, religious zealot and manipulative egomaniac. The chapters come with delightful sub-headings, such as "In India and Tahiti: France Gets Lost In Paradise: A selection of historical Frenchmen lose India, fail to notice Australia and give sexually transmitted diseases to Pacific islanders" and "How Britain Killed Off the Last French Royals: And the Victorians said, 'It was an accident, honest.After working as a journalist for a French press group for ten years, Paris-based Clarke now has a regular spot on French cable TV, poking fun at French culture. Despite it being a whimsical ride for the most part, it did drag from time to time, and I was glad to get it over with.

1000 Years of Annoying the French by Stephen Clarke - Goodreads

But it is not thoughtless bashing, Clarke's book actually hits upon an interesting topic: the way national identities are constructed and how historical events are greatly distorted in that process. For all the verbal attacks on the French and their history, author Stephen Clarke obviously holds the country and its people in high regard. Bardzo zabawna i pouczająca książka, która pozwoli Wam zrozumieć skomplikowane relacje polityczne i kulturowe pomiędzy dwoma państwami, jak również - przez pryzmat omówionego tu "tysiąclecia" - pomoże zyskać lepszy ogląd na najświeższe wydarzenia zachodzące w Wielkiej Brytanii i na kontynencie. It's definitely history-light, but Clarke has a nice way with tale-telling and makes the history interesting and accessible.Although, this is not a complete recount of the events and more so, a quick and light skim over the history. But the British Cabinet, headed by Attlee and Eden, urged Churchill not to withdraw support from de Gaulle. It’s pretty comprehensive, coming in at just under 650 pages, and it’s not all as good as the rest of it.