|
|
Recommend authors/movies for BRITISH English
Can anyone out there recommend authors or movies to learn contemporary, colloquial British English. (I'm already familiar with the American variety.) The only books/movies I can think of offhand are the Harry Potter series.
Thanks for your input!
***Go for Hugh Grant movies***
Absolutely, absolutely not! No way! - not if you want what you request - "contemporary, colloquial British English". I reckon Mr Guest was jesting! And so was the OP I reckon - I mean, are you serious when you say that the only books in British English you can bring to mind are the Harry Potter lot? Seriously? There are plenty of books and movies featuring "contemporary/colloquial" British English, and if you have access to British TV you can follow a whole range of british TV soap operas, and if not you can tune in via the net. Just don't reply on that bumbling, mumbling muppet Grant though.... :-)
Douglas Adams (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series; Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency) is a good author, though I wouldn't try to imitate his writing style. Only somebody with his level of skill can pull it off successfully. Be aware that his books are usually "translated" to American English in the US, so be sure to get a UK edition.
- Kef
The number of British authors is just too long to even list in any detail in here. Of course it all depends on one's personal taste as to which you choose to read, plus the style of writing you prefer. Leaving aside all the most wll known classical writers there are so many others to consider that it's difficult to know where to begin in assessing them and their work, so I won't bother right now as I don't have the time right now. All I will say that the first books I ever remember reading properly all the way through were Captain Marryat's "Children of the New Forest", set in the New Forest, naturally, during the English Civil War in the 1640s, and R D Blackmore's "Lorna Doone", set on Exmoor, on the Somerset/Devon border of south west England in the 1680s.
The most interesting book I have read which was written by a non-British author was "For Whom the Bell Tolls", by Ernest Hemingway, an American. It was so absorbing, and had as its background the Spanish Civil War of the 1930s. On a local level for me I love every single one of Ian Rankin's books, all set here in Edinburgh and involving criminal activity in this city and the surrounding region of Lothian, and featuring the police detective Inspector Rebus who uses very unconventional methods of crime solution and bringing to account and hopefully justice all the miscreants, and that's putting it mildly. Here's a joke just to lighten the atmosphere a wee bit. Five blokes are standing at the bar down at their local pub - a Scotsman, an Englishman, a Welshman, an Irishman and a Scouser. All five are enjoying a pint ..or two.... or three... and chatting together, and the topic is the young sons they all each have. "Our wee bairn is called Andrew because he was born on St Andrew's Day," said the Scotsman, proudly. "We called our lad George because he was born on St George's Day," said the Englishman. The Welshman added "Our boyo is called David as he was born on St David's Day." "We just had to call our son Patrick as to be sure he was born on St Patrick's Day," the Paddy replied. "It's our Pancake's birthday next Tuesday," said the Scouser with a wide grin. |