Myths and heroes : Britishness.

Myths and heroes.

I am going to present the notion « Myths and heroes ». A myth is a story which can be true or false, mostly about gods and epic heroes but also a popular belief or a legend. As it often survives for centuries, a myth has a great power : as a result, it can give birth to superstitions and also stereotypes about civilizations or customs. The British society is an incarnation of these kinds of stereotypes thanks to the idea of Britishness, which is the fact of being British. This concept involves many clichés as it is supposed to define the characteristics considered typical of British people. Consequently, many characters of the British culture spread these clichés and that's how they became such legendary heroes. In fact a hero is a person admired for its qualities, its achievements, but it can also designate the main character of a story or a real person who stands up for noble causes. The definition of a hero is very relative, but a hero usually has a major influence on the people he inspires, that's why British characters and personalities contributes to strenghten Britishness. What is Britishness and how do famous British characters manage to represent this myth ?

On one hand, thanks to its historical power, Britain became one of the most influent country of the world. This power helps British People to develop their own identity and their own culture, that's why they are often caricatured. In fact, British people are one of a kind and they are even proud of their uniqueness. This is why people all around the world have a precise picture of the population of Britain which can be sometimes absurd. Among all these stereotypes, British people are known for their humour, their obsession with politeness, their eccentricity but also their tolerance, their ingenious spirit and their pride of being British. We watched a video in class in which a man unveils many aspects of the British way of life by making fun of his own country. In this video, he says that British people always talk about weather, that they're patient and that they don't mind waiting on a queue, that they're always polite no matter what, even if it implies being trapped in the after you loop. This video is meant to be self-deprecating and it works well. In a text titled « What does it mean to be British ? » we also discovered that among all the stereotypes about Britain, foreign people mostly think about the Queen, bad food, double-decker buses, telephone boxes, tea or pets when they talk about Britain, which are inevitable clichés about the British way of life.

On the other hand, the wide British culture allows to convey these clichés, and mostly thanks to its iconic characters. Moreover, they don't hesitate to benefit from that to create modern heroes which are not necessarily invincible : the definition of a hero has changed and it is easier for us to identify ourselves with characters which are now real and vulnerable people. Consequently, British modern heroes are usually different than others as they are full of stereotypes. For example, we watched the trailer of the movie « Johnny English » in class. The main character of this movie is a a clumsy and ridiculous man who makes a lot of mistakes. He's an everyday man who became a spy but trouble always finds his way. This character shows the eccentricity of British people

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