The Enchanted Glass
Britain and Its Monarchy
Verso Books · Print & ebook · November 7, 2011
In this acclaimed study of British statehood, identity and culture, Tom Nairn deftly dispels the conviction that the Royal Family is nothing more than an amusing relic of feudalism or a mere tourist attraction.
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- Who it’s for
- Tom Nairn examines how monarchy anchors British statehood and national identity.
- Themes
- Monarchy and British statehood, British national identity
- Genres
- British History, World Politics, Royal Lives
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For younger readers: Who Was Queen Elizabeth II?, The Book of Kings, Good Queen Bess
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Start with this bookAbout this book
In this acclaimed study of British statehood, identity and culture, Tom Nairn deftly dispels the conviction that the Royal Family is nothing more than an amusing relic of feudalism or a mere tourist attraction. Instead, he argues that the monarchy is both apex and essence of the British state, the symbol of a national backwardness.
Continue reading
In this fully updated edition, Nairn’s powerful and bitterly comic prose lays bare Britain’s peculiar, pseudo-modern, national identity—which remains stubbornly fixated on the Crown and its constitutional framework, the “parliamentary sovereignty” of Westminster.
Crown and State
Tom Nairn examines how monarchy anchors British statehood and national identity.
Come here for
- The monarchy as apex and essence of the British state
- Britain’s Crown-bound identity and Westminster’s constitutional framework
Expect
- A critique of the Crown’s place in British statehood
- Bitterly comic prose on Britain’s pseudo-modern identity
Where it sits
| British History | 70% |
|---|---|
| World Politics | 36% |
| Royal Lives | 30% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- British History
- World Politics
- Authors
- Tom Nairn
- Publisher
- Verso Books
- Published
- November 7, 2011
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- Monarchy and British statehood · British national identity
- Reading lane
- British History