Christmas and the British: A Modern History

Christmas and the British: A Modern History

Author: Martin Johnes

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2016-10-06

Total Pages: 315

ISBN-13: 1474255388

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The modern Christmas was made by the Victorians and rooted in their belief in commerce, family and religion. Their rituals and traditions persist to the present day but the festival has also been changed by growing affluence, shifting family structures, greater expectations of happiness and material comfort, technological developments and falling religious belief. Christmas became a battleground for arguments over consumerism, holiday entitlements, social obligations, communal behaviour and the influence of church, state and media. Even in private, it encouraged reflection on social change and the march of time. Amongst those unhappy at the state of the world or their own lives, Christmas could induce much cynicism and even loathing but for a quieter majority it was a happy time, a moment of a joy in a sometimes difficult world that made the festival more than just an integral feature of the calendar: Christmas was one of British culture's emotional high points. Moreover, it was also a testimony to the enduring importance of family, shared values and a common culture in the UK. Martin Johnes shows how Christmas and its traditions have been lived, adapted and thought about in Britain since 1914. Christmas and the British is about the festival's social, cultural and economic functions, and its often forgotten status as both the most unusual and important day of the year


The Englishman & the Eel

The Englishman & the Eel

Author: Stuart Freedman

Publisher:

Published: 2017

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781911306207

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The Englishman and the Eel is a journey into that most London of institutions, the Eel, Pie and Mash shop. Today, these simple spaces hold within them the memories of a rich, largely undocumented cultural heritage of generations of working-class Londoners in a city whose only constant is change. Often elaborately decorated with ornate Victorian tiling, many sold live eels in metal trays that faced out onto the street to the fascination (and sometimes horror) of passersby. Inside, warmth and comfort. Steam. Tea. Laughter. Families.


An Englishman in the Court of the Tsar

An Englishman in the Court of the Tsar

Author: Christine Benagh

Publisher:

Published: 2009-06-01

Total Pages: 312

ISBN-13: 9780982277010

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Subtitle: The Spiritual Journey of Charles Sydney Gibbes Charles Sydney Gibbes travels abroad in a crisis of faith, and his world is changed forever when he becomes a tutor to the children of the Russian royal family. Gibbes eventually returns to Great Britain, there dedicating his life as an Orthodox priest to the memory of the Imperial Family and the faith he discovered in their distant homeland.


The Englishman's Handbook

The Englishman's Handbook

Author: Idries Shah

Publisher: Octagon Press Ltd

Published: 2000

Total Pages: 228

ISBN-13: 0863040772

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This third book in the trilogy, The Englishman's Handbook, provides the British with an invaluable manual on foreigners and "how to deal with them." Packed with anecdotes, as well as handy tips from the press, it is all that any true Britisher will need to keep foreigners from his shores - or confuse them into submission if they do manage to break through. Traditional techniques like "The Group Mind," "Masterly Inactivity," and "Aversion Therapy" are explained in full. A treasury of information and an elucidator of misinformation, it's an illuminating and hilarious read.


We are what We Celebrate

We are what We Celebrate

Author: Amitai Etzioni

Publisher: NYU Press

Published: 2004-12

Total Pages: 259

ISBN-13: 081472227X

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How did Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday become a national holiday? Why do we exchange presents on Christmas and Chanukah? What do bunnies have to do with Easter? How did Earth Day become a global holiday? These questions and more are answered in this fascinating exploration into the history and meaning of holidays and rituals. Edited by Amitai Etzioni, one of the most influential social and political thinkers of our time, this collection provides a compelling overview of the impact that holidays and rituals have on our family and communal life. From community solidarity to ethnic relations to religious traditions, We Are What We Celebrate argues that holidays such as Halloween, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, New Year's Eve, and Valentine's Day play an important role in reinforcing, and sometimes redefining, our values as a society. The collection brings together classic and original essays that, for the first time, offer a comprehensive overview and analysis of the important role such celebrations play in maintaining a moral order as well as in cementing family bonds, building community relations and creating national identity. The essays cover such topics as the creation of Thanksgiving as a national holiday; the importance of holidays for children; the mainstreaming of Kwanzaa; and the controversy over Columbus Day celebrations. Compelling and often surprising, this look at holidays and rituals brings new meaning to not just the ways we celebrate but to what those celebrations tell us about ourselves and our communities. Contributors: Theodore Caplow, Gary Cross, Matthew Dennis, Amitai Etzioni, John R. Gillis, Ellen M. Litwicki, Diana Muir, Francesca Polletta, Elizabeth H. Pleck, David E. Proctor, Mary F. Whiteside, and Anna Day Wilde.


A World of Their Own Making

A World of Their Own Making

Author: John R. Gillis

Publisher: Harvard University Press

Published: 1997

Total Pages: 334

ISBN-13: 9780674961883

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Discusses ritual events we regard as family traditions and how they must be open to perpetual revision so we can satisfy our human needs and changing circumstances.


CHARLES DICKENS – The Complete Short Stories: 190+ Christmas Tales, Social Sketches, Tales for Children & Other Stories (Illustrated)

CHARLES DICKENS – The Complete Short Stories: 190+ Christmas Tales, Social Sketches, Tales for Children & Other Stories (Illustrated)

Author: Charles Dickens

Publisher: e-artnow

Published: 2017-02-27

Total Pages: 3167

ISBN-13: 8026873149

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This carefully crafted ebook: “CHARLES DICKENS – The Complete Short Stories: 190+ Christmas Tales, Social Sketches, Tales for Children & Other Stories (Illustrated)” is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents: Christmas Novellas A Christmas Carol The Chimes The Cricket on the Hearth The Battle of Life The Haunted Man Short Story Collections Sketches by Boz Sketches of Young Gentlemen Sketches of Young Couples Master Humphrey' Clock Reprinted Pieces The Mudfog Papers Pearl-Fishing (First Series) Pearl-Fishing (Second Series) Christmas Stories Other Stories Children's Books Child's Dream of a Star Holiday Romance Stories About Children Every Child Can Read Criticism Appreciations and Criticisms of the Works of Charles Dickens The Limitations of Dickens by Henry James The Puzzle of Dickens's Last Plot by Andrew Lang David Copperfield by Virginia Woolf Biographies Charles Dickens by G. K. Chesterton The Life of Charles Dickens by John Forster Dickens' London by M. F. Mansfield Charles Dickens (1812-1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime, and by the twentieth century critics and scholars had recognized him as a literary genius. His novels and short stories enjoy lasting popularity.