I get a kick out of the way American characters are depicted in British novels. Somehow they all come out sounding like George Babbitt– a little coarse and homespun in their speech. I noticed it recently in Lost Horizon by James Hilton, which had one American among its cast of characters, and you would swear you were hearing the voice of George Babbitt. It doesn’t bother me, it’s just interesting and funny. I’ve seen other examples, but can’t recall where right now. Can anyone think of a good example of this phenomenon?