How do the English Project Themselves? Notes on the Selfhood and Identity Referring to the English, as Seen From the Perspective of Humour Studies

Abstract

English humour is religiously involved in the creation of the English identity drawing on the nation’s memory, history as well as culture. A great deal of it is devoted to the preservation of a certain self-portrait on the part of the English in that their identity is glorified, demonstrated in a positive light, with the English invariably playing a noble role against the backdrop of historical events, frequently standing alone in the presence of traumatic and unpredictable changes. This article aims to examine English comedy from a cognitive linguistic perspective to demonstrate how the English identity is formulated and (re)shaped, and how the concept of the English self is proudly created in relation to the national identity via the cultural memories and English humour.