Interesting!

I have an exacting requirement about English writers, which is that I want them to show their work – I want to see them thinking about what it means To Be English in their works, rather than taking their Englishness for a universal and inevitable norm, like gravity or light

Curious as to what you mean. Do they just assume their experiences are universal?

I do think you bring up a good point, if I'm at all understanding your point, which I might not be. I know I read a British novel that dealt with intellectualism in different social classes and circles, but VERY briefly, and IIRC other countries were barely touched on at all, since the story was so grounded in English history and literature. There was a Cajun character from Louisiana, but that's pretty much her only trait (which, yeah, not great - it was published in the early nineties, and the author was quite old school even for the nineties, so I doubt careful, sensitive representation was at the forefront of her mind).

I'll have to think about this some more. I certainly think that British and Anglo-influenced cultures like the US and Canada can assume certain norms and traditions are true for other places, both historically and currently.