http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LieBackAndThinkOfEngland

Advertisement:

For women, sex is a chore, a duty that must be endured. God knows they don't enjoy the sex act. Feigning headaches, stomachaches and menses can only postpone the dreaded inevitable. Then it's time to grit your teeth, hike your skirt, Lie Back and Think of England.

The phrase seems to have originated in one Lady Hillingdon's journal, where she wrote in 1912 that "When I hear his steps outside my door I lie down on my bed, open my legs and think of England." However, the journal itself has never been found, so it's uncertain how reliable this attribution is. It's possible the phrase was invented as a joke on the assumption that Victorian and Edwardian ladies were prudish in the extreme. Keep in mind, though, that in this time period it wasn't unheard of for a woman of a high class to have to choose between marrying a strange man many years her senior who had no interest in pleasing her, and suffering serious societal repercussions including being possibly left penniless when her parents died. In other words, lying back and thinking of England may have been the best of bad options. Additionally, Lady Hillingdon (if she was indeed the author) was in her fifties when she wrote this, and so may have had problems — many now treatable — which rendered sex no longer enjoyable for her. Finally, contrary to Common Knowledge, it's got nothing to do with Queen Victoria, who had died eleven years earlier and who was very Happily Married.

Advertisement:

The sentiment "All Women Are Prudes" is also used and is not as severe. It is also used as an Inverted Trope, one used to prolong a sexual experience: when a man is reaching the point of no return, he may get in the habit of thinking of something else to try and muster up some more stamina. Thinking of baseball (or cricket, or some other sport —perhaps even one in which balls are not struck with some form of stick) is especially common. Thinking of Margaret Thatcher naked on a cold day is a terrifying last resort recommended only for characters in comedies (... however, young men in Latin American countries were often recommended to think of Celia Cruz—before her death, that is—although Mexican men prefer Elba Esther Gordillo).

Compare British Stuffiness and Stiff Upper Lip, related to the same national stereotypes. Contrast Think Unsexy Thoughts. For the trope about wives "putting up with" sex they don't actually want, see Marital Rape License. See also Awful Wedded Life for when nothing about being in a relationship is enjoyable.

Advertisement:

Examples

open/close all folders

Fan Works

Films — Live-Action

In Like Water for Chocolate, this view is held by both men and women. They have sex only to procreate, they use a special bedsheet between them with just a small hole you-know-where; and before the act they both pray to God, asking forgiveness for any pleasure they might accidentally have while trying to make a baby. This system is used by one of the main characters because he isn't attracted to the woman he is about to have sex with. He married her to become closer to her sister, the one he actually loves. But because he doesn't want to dishonor his wife or fail to fulfill his duties as a man, he agrees to have quick, unenjoyable sex once in a while.

The Assignment (1997). As part of an intelligence operation, the protagonist is told he has to have sex with a former lover of his target. As he's Happily Married he's a bit thrown by this. The woman concerned is quite beautiful, so his handlers have fun mocking his reluctance. Shaw: Don't think of this as cheating on your wife. Think of it as... fucking for your flag. Amos: (with mock gravitas) When in doubt; close your eyes, think of England.

A variation in The Guns of Navarone. Sergeant Miller is trying to force Captain Mallory to kill a traitor. Miller: Climb down off that cross of yours, close your eyes, think of England, and pull the trigger!

Done by James Bond of all people. In Thunderball. James Bond: My dear girl, don't flatter yourself. What I did this evening was for Queen and country. My dear girl, don't flatter yourself. What I did this evening was for Queen and country. You don't think it gave me any pleasure , do you? In You Only Live Twice, Bond mutters, "The things I do for England," while unzipping a Femme Fatale's dress.

Parodied and gender-flipped in xXx. When Xander has to sleep with one of the Big Bad's prostitutes to maintain his cover, he smirks and mumbles "Oh, the things I'm gonna do for my country."

The Right Stuff: When John Glenn (Ed Harris) has to masturbate for a sperm sample, he's heard humming the Marines' Hymn ("From the halls of Montezuma..."). In the next stall, Air Force pilot Gordon Cooper (Dennis Quaid) tries to outdo him, humming a spirited rendition of the Air Force Song ("Off we go, into the wild blue yonder...").

Mocked in The Stone of Destiny, when it comes time to suit up to steal the stone of destiny in question, Ian must get all of his tools on inside the car, with Gavin's help. To stop him from squirming, Gavin tells him to "lie back and think of Scotland."

Invoked word for word in the Rifftrax of The Room. Michelle is trying to convince Lisa that it's wrong to cheat on Johnny. As Michelle leaves, she reminds Lisa to "think about what I said." Kevin says "Just lie back and think of England." In this case, though, it isn't so much that anyone thinks Lisa shouldn't enjoy sex, but because Johnny looks like "a catfish in a suit."

Subverted by Fletcher Christian/Marlin Brando in Mutiny on the Bounty where he is having an affair with the Polynesian chief's daughter. The captain of the Bounty is worried that it will upset the chief and interfere with his mission of buying breadfruit plants. The chief is instead angry at the ending of the affair, saying if his daughter isn't good enough for the British, neither is his breadfruit. The captain tells Christian to resume seeing the girl; after cheekily asking if it's an order, he mock-solemnly promises to 'lie back and think of England' when resuming the affair.

Almost literally in the film Disobedience, given that it's set in London. A young Orthodox Jewish woman matter-of-factly undresses and climbs into bed to wait for her husband, then makes clearly practiced moans and murmurs while he mounts her, all the while staring at the ceiling. The difference between her detachment here and the passion she shows with her true love—another Orthodox Jewish woman—is stunning.

Gender-flipped and deeply disturbing example in Crimson Peak- Thomas Sharpe is shown closing his eyes and looking remarkably unenthusiastic while having sex with his sister . Evidently this relationship has been going on since he was 12 years old.

Literature

Live-Action TV

Music

Punned by Skyclad as "Think Back And Lie Of England".

Used in Emilie Autumn's "I Know Where You Sleep": 'God Save The Queen, I fucked you, I can never live it down, I can never live it down...' Specifically, it sounds like whoever she's singing to is an utterly repulsive person (at least in behavior). It's unclear if the attitude is exclusive to that person or is universal. "Marry Me" takes this attitude towards the ugly husband, whom she married for his money, but she has a lover on the side and maintains that "I'll fuck who I choose/ For I've nothing to lose!", implying that she's pretty active otherwise.

"How can you lie back and think of England when you don't even know who's in the team?" - Billy Bragg's 'Shirley'.

Implied in The Lonely Island's "I Just Had Sex", where one woman is mentioned as constantly looking at her watch during the act. Doesn't matter, had sex!)

The song "Born to Be a Dancer" includes the line "Once you asked me what I'm thinking/I lay back and think of England".

Radio

Video Games

In Divinity: Dragon Commander, you may marry the cold and practical Princess Camilla, who also serves as the Supreme Justice of her people. If you encourage her to be a Hanging Judge in her rulings, she will harden into a more Lawful Neutral character. Eventually, she will tell you that if the issue of heirs should arise, she will simply close her eyes "and think of Justice."

Dragon Age The Qunari religion forbids the traditional family unit in favor of raising children in state-run orphanages, and this is part of that. Qunari are told who to breed with and when; they have no choice in the matter and are encouraged to treat it the same as any other duty to the state. That being said, recreational sex is allowed. It's treated as an appetite that needs to be filled no different than hunger or thirst and given no special importance. The Qunari seem to find the way everyone else considers sex the most important thing to be very strange ("We have friends, we just don't have sex with them"). In fact, the same caste that takes care of children, the elderly, and medical needs has people who specialize in providing sex when Qunari need it. Iron Bull: It's like going to a healer. Sometimes it's this long, involved thing. It takes all day and leaves you walking funny. Sometimes you're in and out in five minutes. [click clack] Thank you, see you next week. This also comes up when people find themselves in an undesired Arranged Marriage. Dorian discusses the matter with how his own parents utterly despised each other and only did the bare minimum to preserve their status, neatly explaining Dorian's lack of siblings. They in turn expected Dorian to do the same with his betrothed, not seeming to be able to comprehend that this idea repulsed him on a much deeper level.



Web Comics

Western Animation