Рассказ на тему Culture of England

The culture of England

The culture of England is sometimes difficult to separate clearly from the culture of the United Kingdom, so influential has English culture been on the cultures of the British Isles and, on the other hand, given the extent to which other cultures have influenced life in England.

Morris dancing in the grounds of Wells Cathedral, Wells, England - Exeter Morris Men.From the relatively tiny island in the North Atlantic, England has influenced virtually every other nation in the world. The country has played a central and significant role in history as one of the world's most influential centers of cultural development. It is known throughout the world for its distinctive culture, habits, values, and traditions, and for its rich and colorful history. Places, people, buildings, monuments, myths, and legends hold intrigue for many.

Many of the most important figures in the history of modern western scientific and philosophical thought were either born in, or at one time or other resided in, England. Major English thinkers of international significance include scientists such as Sir Isaac Newton, Francis Bacon, Charles Darwin and New Zealand-born Ernest Rutherford, philosophers such as John Locke, John Stuart Mill, Bertrand Russell, and Thomas Hobbes, and economists such as David Ricardo, and John Maynard Keynes.

England has produced a wealth of significant literary figures. Early English writers include Thomas Malory and Geoffrey of Monmouth. These romantic writers were followed by a wave of more realistic writers, including Daniel Defoe, Henry Fielding, William Makepeace Thackeray, Jane Austen (often credited with inventing the modern novel), Charles Dickens, the Brontë sisters, Thomas Hardy, Joseph Conrad, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Mary Shelly,George Eliot, Rudyard Kipling, E.M. Forster, and H. G. Wells. In the twentieth century, Virginia Woolf, D. H. Lawrence, J. R. R. Tolkien, George Orwell,Graham Greene, Agatha Christie, Enid Blyton, and Ian McEwan all excelled.

Theatre was introduced to England from Europe by the Romans who built auditoriums across the country. The reign of Elizabeth I in the late sixteenth century and early seventeenth century saw a flowering of drama. Perhaps the most famous playwright in the world, William Shakespeare, wrote around 40 plays that are still performed in theaters across the world to this day.

In popular music, however, English bands and solo artists have been cited as the most influential and best-selling musicians of all time. Acts such as The Beatles, The Who, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, The Smiths, Led Zeppelin, The Clash, Black Sabbath, The Cure, Iron Maiden, David Bowie, Queen, Spice Girls, Oasis, The Police, Robbie Williams, Sir Elton John, and Radiohead are among the biggest selling in the world.