Britain In The Eyes Of Foreign Writers-Images Of Britain In Four Non-fiction Works

This thesis analyzes and compares the views on British culture in fournon-fiction works by four foreign writers and summarizes some important features ofBritish culture. The author tries to explore the images of Britain in the eyes of foreignwriters from a critical perspective and, by finding the similarities among these texts,hopes to reach a better understanding of British culture and its influence.Due to the great influence of Britain around the world since the18thcentury,British culture became a model of success to many countries and was imitated bythem. In many works about British culture, praise and admiration are the dominantvoice. Although some authors hold opposite opinions, their views have not caughtenough attention of the mainstream culture. The views of these critical authors arevaluable because they point to the causes of many problems of modern society. Sothis thesis chooses four works by four foreign writers, including English Traits byAmerican writer Ralph Waldo Emerson, Journeys to England and Ireland by Frenchwriter Alexis de Tocqueville, The Spirit of the Chinese People by Chinese writer KuHung-ming and A Small Place by American immigrant writer Jamaica Kincaid. Byanalyzing and comparing the similarities and differences of the four author’s views onEnglish culture in these books, this thesis hopes to know more about some importantaspects of British culture, including xenophobia, Englishmen’s concept of wealth andutilitarianism.