A Dream of England (Photography: Critical Views S.)

This work explores English society and its relationship to the landscape, as seen through photography and tourism over the last 100 years. The major tourist venues are covered, including Stonehenge, National Trust houses, the Lake District and Shakespeare country. A variety of photographs are included in the book, from Victorian pastoral scenes and Emerson's views of Norfolk, to instant "snaps" of historic tourist sites and Martin Parr's images of end-of-the-century society. Taylor shows how the British frame their aspirations through their approach to photography of the English landscape and their feelings about the past. Despite persistent efforts to remake England, and to preserve its perceived unity through photographic images, a fragmented society is exposed, raising issues of national identity, gender and race.