Aug 06 2006
provincially bumptious
Third post prompted by ‘England and the English: from an American point of view“ a book by Price Collier. The quotes below use Price’s words to illustrate his first impressions of the English. He uses such a wonderfully rich and concise turns of phrase that I couldn’t bear to summarise in my own words. Excerpts:
On faces & food
“here the features of the women, even the features of the beautiful women, are moulded; while the features of our beautiful American women are chiselled.” p.12
“To those who have given some attention to gastronomics either for the stomach’s or the pocket’s sake, the food provided here is… …a thrice daily bugbear.” p.12
On climate & criticism:
“is a climate where the warmly dressed, agreeably exercising, comfortably housed male flourishes like a green bay tree” p14
“these pages are not written in criticism but as a study” p14
On Harlotry and bumptiuosness:
“Only here in London does one see, or rather it is held under your nose, the most shameless parading of Harlotry… …so too may one drink - men women, and even children - at almost every corner.” p.27
“an attitude of provincial bumptiousness and imprudence unequalled in the world” p30
Can you guess Price’s perspective on Royalty, The House of Lords, the Aristocracy? Hold on to your seats because there’s a post on this very topic being brewed….
Other posts prompted by Price’s study of the English:
1 inspirational thought about provincially bumptious
