This book takes on a big task: the huge personality of Edward II, the countless myths about him and his reign, andI really, really enjoyed this book.
This book takes on a big task: the huge personality of Edward II, the countless myths about him and his reign, and even his mysterious afterlife. Kathryn Warner's work is carefully researched, and passionately written.
Here are a few things I am left with after finishing this excellent biography:
Edward II loved books (good man!), and forgot to return two books he had borrowed (tut tut!) (imagine the fees!). It is interesting that Edward II did not like Hugh Despenser very much at first (ah, hindsight). Edward II and Queen Isabella's relationship is a fascinating one, and so well written here. There is so much more to them than meets the modern eye. I think we are guilty of looking at their entire relationship knowing how it ended, but it was so much more than this, as this work shows. Edward's afterlife is much more interesting than you would think (and thankfully, there isn't a poker in sight). In fact, I would say the final chapter of this work is one of the strongest, with the arguments for (view spoiler)[Edward II's survival and later life abroad (hide spoiler)] very convincingly argued.
All in all, I highly recommend this work. It's accessible, carefully researched, clearly written, and a joy to read. ...more
Andrea Zuvich's debut novelette about James Scott, Duke of Monmouth and Henrietta Wentworth was absolutely gorgeous. Such a moving story. Andrea Zuvich's debut novelette about James Scott, Duke of Monmouth and Henrietta Wentworth was absolutely gorgeous. Such a moving story. ...more
Who was Anne Boleyn? Was she the evil, heretical, home-wrecking whore as described by Nicholas Sander, or the sainted, martyred reformer as described Who was Anne Boleyn? Was she the evil, heretical, home-wrecking whore as described by Nicholas Sander, or the sainted, martyred reformer as described by John Foxe? She was, and still is, a huge figure; she is discussed at length among historical scholars and enthusiasts alike, she is the protagonist of novels, plays, films and TV programmes, the subject of many online blogs, academic theses and works of non-fiction, and still has the power to divide those who speak about her. In The Creation of Anne Boleyn, academic Susan Bordo seeks to find the real Anne Boleyn, hidden among centuries of written works. I have followed Susan's writing journey for a very long time- since the early days of her facebook page, in fact- and was keen to see the results of her research.
The first part of this book is what I would describe as biographical. The life of Anne, and to some extent Henry VIII, is studied and analysed with reference to material such as the letters of Eustace Chapuys which were translated in the Victorian era, love letters Henry wrote to Anne during their courtship and the work of Tudor historians. This part of the book I enjoyed very much, although it wasn't without fault. It was interesting to read about a well-known historical person from a different point of view and from a person with a background in philosophy; the details that were picked out, her insights into the Henry's motives and the different analyses of incidents made for a refreshing read and it was good, however, there were several factual errors within the narrative (I have seen the author acknowledge these mistakes, and I would think later editions will be corrected). Her discussions of gender issues and early Victorian scholarship also made for satisfying reading.
The second part of the book focuses on Anne as a character, rather than Anne the person. Various novelised Annes were discussed in this part, including Natalie Dormer's efforts in The Tudors and Philippa Gregory's The Other Boleyn Girl. While this discussion was enjoyable, I did find there were areas that made me uncomfortable. G. W. Bernard's Fatal Attractions, for example, I think is treated somewhat unfairly; it is a work of scholarship, and while it is fair to say his conclusions are widely disagreed with (I disagree with a lot of them myself) I don't think he deserves to be lumped into the same category as Philippa Gregory. It also made me uncomfortable that some of the authors discussed in this chapter were not interviewed for the book, while others were (of course, it could be that they declined to speak to the author, but this wasn't specified). The author's discussion and conclusions about the TV series The Tudors and its accuracy were interesting- I found myself watching and enjoying that programme a few years ago, and her thoughts about it, to me, were fair. I am also a fan of the film Anne of the Thousand Days, so the discussion of this film and the snippets from an interview with Genevieve Bujold were most enjoyable. Who is Genevieve's ideal Anne? Her answer made me smile.
Despite a few statements that I disagreed with, and the sometimes bitchy nature of the book, this was a good analysis of both Anne the real person and Anne the character, and I am glad I read it. If you have a keen interest in Anne, Henry and the early to mid Tudors, or an interest in the deconstruction of a well known historical personality, then this might be a good book to go for....more
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