Articles…

I had a lack of Blog last week.. so hopefully this one makes up for it

Okay sofar i have read through the following articles that Mr Kwoke so kindly got for me form Syd Uni.

NUMBER 1: The Daily Express- News- “Never mind the six wives, now a new book reveals .. The many mistresses of Henry VIII” By John Triggs.
This wasn’t really useful, however there is one quote that i like; “In a way Henry was the most romantic of kings.. He wasn’t content with just having a lover in the bedroom and a wife on the throne- he wanted his queen to also be his love.”

NUMBER 2: The Times-Feature- “Off with our heads!A crop of royal slip-ups”- by Sally Baker
Basicly Unrelated and useless

NUMBER 3: Also The Times- Lively Arts-” Old jingle probed in new light Anne Boleyn emerges as a saga’s No. 1 player”- by Glenn Griffin
Slightly more useful- this article had direct quotes from Lindsay etc. This article gets down to what Devorced, Beheaded Survived is really about concerning AB. The article quotes

“Now the quesiton is, did Boleyn make a cool, calculated decison to end it all by insisting on marriage to Henry? Was it the traooings of court and real power as his queen that finally turned her head?”
Lindsay says yes, and that Anne was the real mover in shaping the English Protestant movement. For all his break with the pope, Lindsay notes, Henry normally heard mass throughout his life in a mostly catholic manner.
Boleyn, however formulated her Protestant learnings both as an opposite in every way to the inconvenient Catherine of Aragon and form a genuine desire for reform in church matters. Far from being “the great whore” she was painted (so that Henry could rid himself of her, ultimately by beheading), this woman was a true Protestant. If the logic were extended much further Anne Boleyn might be worthy of being called a martyr who died for her faithas for her king’s anger.”

It is this that has got me thinking. I know a while ago i was unsure about Lindsays interpretations as being really femminist. Its now that i see that much of her writting has a religious undertow.- Will come back to this in a bit….

NUMBER 4: Also Also form The Times- Features- “Feminism invades Henry VIII’s Kingdom”- by Stephanie Schorow.
Schorow takes a slightly different approach to Lindsay than what Griffin does. This is noteable in the second parragraph when she uses the term ” Sexual Politics” [YAY at least something vaguely feminist related!!!] the following quote is the bit out of the 500 words of so that i thought was relavent!!

 

” Boleyn has ofter been portrayed as a temptress and homewreaker. Lindsay sees her as a victim of sexual harassiment. Henry’s lengthy pursuit of Boleyn, who refused to be his mistress, was less a romantic chase than a dealy tightrope act.
‘The phenomenon doesn’t get born the day the definition happens’ Lindsay said. In the 1500′s ‘they would not have said ‘sexual harassed’. They might have said ‘He’s forcing unwanted attention on me. Or, ‘He is threatening my chastity.”
Still Boleyn ‘was also probably a pretty nastly lady- much as i’d like to turn her into the totally victimized creature.”

Here we have direct quotes form Lindsay. She admits she wanted to make Anne Boleyn into an extreamist feminist character, but didn’t. So is it conclusive to say that her writing would be slightly baised? Although in any femminst re-interpretation reading against the facts is necessary to gain the hidden voice women, but how far did Lindsay go as to potray Anne Boleyn as the character she wants her to be? After all it is the historian who selects the facts that they want, to support what they are saying!!

Okay that took longer than i though.. prepare for part two in the next day or so.. i’ll be discussing parts of Lindsays novel..
Running away.
Liz