Slightly Foxed introduces its readers to books that are no longer new and fashionable but have lasting appeal. G. Macdonell and you will usually get a blank look, though occasionally you get the response: ‘Oh yes, I’ve heard of England, Their England. The subtle little message of this book is that life's pleasures come from simple pleasures, family friends, etc.

The village cricket match is the most celebrated episode in the novel, and a reason cited for its enduring appeal. The cricket field itself was a mass of daisies and buttercups and dandelions, tall grasses and purple vetches and thistle-down, and great clumps of dark-red sorrel, except, of course, for the oblong patch in the centre—mown, rolled, watered—a smooth, shining emerald of grass, the Pride of Fordenden, the Wicket. I can't even remember where this was mentioned or recommended now, but it has stood the test of time well and was readable on its own merits and not just as an insight into inter-war England.

He experiences a few of the essential traits of being English as he progresses from Fox hunts, to weekend parties, to gatherings in pubs and other typical English ritualistic behavior ; all done with good humor and jolly spirit. Moments of decent satire and occasionally - when he stops fannying around and dials down the panto silliness - a little lyrical. The description of the village green cricket match is a classic - I can't read the scene without laughing till my ribs hurt.

Although the rest of his books have been largely forgotten, several of them earned accolades during his lifetime. I don't know whether the caricatures were of well known 1930s figures or an archetype but Mr Huggins was genuinely amusing and enlivened any scene he appeared in, and even when the cricket match veered towards slapstick that would probably have worked better on film, there were still some nice touches. Whether Cameron is haplessly participating in a village cricket match, being shown around an exclusive golf course, or trying to watch a rugby match in the thick London fog, his affectionately bemused portrait of his new countrymen is a joy to read. But you can generally pick up from context what's being referenced, at least in general terms, and the Wikipedia feature on my Kindle was helpful in many cases too. A review of an amateur production in Thursley, printed in The Times in January 1930, notes that he played his role with "immense gusto" which was "vastly to the taste of the audience".The book popped up in my GR recommendations because I recently read “Three Men in a Boat” and this indeed has a very similar type of humour. Access to content on Oxford Academic is often provided through institutional subscriptions and purchases.

MacDonell was an insider/outsider, a Scottish Wykehamist, a journalist and a partisan Liberal writing with astringent wit about the fusion of reactionary, self-serving Toryism and unprincipled Socialism that underpinned the National Government quietly pilloried throughout the book. But they are probably mad, and definitely (in many cases) kind, although he doesn't shy away from highlighting the exceptions.

Here you will find options to view and activate subscriptions, manage institutional settings and access options, access usage statistics, and more. It is slightly tongue in cheek, but well worth the reading now with so many people eager to show that our view of history is wrong. A lot of the time, he has no idea what is going on, what his English acquaintances are talking about, or why they are doing what they're doing, but he struggles on as best he can.

It is regarded as one of the classics of English humour and is much-loved by readers for its evocation of England between the wars. Pen and pencil inscription to front free endpaper, with water drops and a few small nicks along text block edge. Mind you, sir, in 1914 the nation and all its honour was giving me twenty two shillings a week and I was working seventy four hours a week for it.

To become a subscriber to Slightly Foxed: The Real Reader’s Quarterly Magazine, please visit our subscriptions page. It's interesting as a time capsule of a period and place that no longer exists (and includes the racism and sexism from that time), but I didn't enjoy it as much as I expected. In 1914 a man comes down to the green here, and he makes a speech about just that very national honour that you've been talking about.