John Fowles’s essay “English, not British” is analyzed for the first time in home studies, which is apparently relevant in the context of accelerating globalization. Fowles’s interpretation of national English and British character is revealed, as well as the concept of “Englishness” in all its complex ambivalence. According to Fowles, an Englishman perceives his country as the most equitable in nature. Attention is paid to characterization of England as a Green Island and one of the main mythlogems of the “Englishness” - the legend of Robin Hood as a symbol of natural justice. Fowles’s viewpoint is compared with opinion of a Spanish scientist Salvador de Madаriaga, the author of “Englishmen, Frenchmen, Spaniards”. In the essay under analysis the summary of topical issues of contemporary Britain is made.
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