(no subject)

[skygiants]

I think the thing I appreciate the most about The Creation of Anne Boleyn is that the author does not pretend for an instant to impartiality. SUSAN BORDO <3 ANNE BOLEYN, HATERS [a subset including but not limited to Ambassador Chapuys, David Starkey, Alison Weir, Philippa Gregory, and the entire cast of The Other Boleyn Girl] CAN SEE HER OUT BACK IN TEN MINUTES.

I like that she's so upfront about this because it gives the reader a very comfortable amount of room to disagree with her. Reading this book is a bit like you're at a bar with Susan Bordo and she's shouting about ALL HER ANNE FEELINGS and you're nodding along sagely until she says something that's completely biased and you put down your beer hard and say "SUSAN that is NONSENSE" and Susan Bordo puts down her beer hard and is like "you know what's nonsense, EVERYTHING AMBASSADOR CHAPUYS EVER WROTE IN A LETTER TO KING PHILIP ABOUT ANNE BOLEYN" and you're like "look I know the guy is an unreliable narrator but I'm pretty sure he might have OCCASIONALLY written at least ONE true fact about Anne Boleyn" and Susan Bordo is like "your FACE might have written at least one true fact about Anne Boleyn but AMBASSADOR CHAPUYS NEVER DID" and then you shout at each other for a while, but in a friendly way!

The Creation of Anne Boleyn is part myth-debunking biography ("EVERYONE GOT THAT FROM CHAPUYS AND HE WAS DEFINITELY LYING ABOUT ALL OF IT"), part historiography/literature review ("I have read every weird paperback novel published about Anne Boleyn from 1700 AD on and I'm going to tell you about ALL of them, in this one MARK SMEATON represents a PAGAN GOD!") and part cultural history ("Natalie Dormer and I talked in a bar for FOUR HOURS about her noble fight to bring a three-dimensional Anne to the screen and all our MUTUAL ANNE BOLEYN FEELINGS! Then I tried to talk to my daughter about all my Anne Boleyn feelings, but she's eight and just wanted to eat the chocolate Henry we bought at Hampton Court.")

Anyway it was an extremely enjoyable read, even if, as aforementioned, sometimes you feel like you have to take a break to pat your Tudor history drinking buddy Susan Bordo on the head and tell her that you recognize and respect her feelings. "I'M MAD AT HILARY MANTEL," says Susan Bordo, "BECAUSE I LOVED HER BOOK SO MUCH AND IT'S SO UNFAIR TO ANNE," and you're like "yes, Susan, I know, do you need another glass of wine?" and Susan Bordo is like "I JUST WISH I COULD SAVE HER FROM ALL THE HATERS!" and you're like "ok yeah I'll get you a bottle." (As you go to the bar, you hear in the background that Susan Bordo has buttonholed a waiter and is earnestly explaining to him that the one thing we know about Anne Boleyn's hair color is SHE DEFINITELY WASN'T A BLONDE AND THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT.)

Comments

[sovay]

As far as I can tell from the book, the first thing that you could actually call a weird novel is Madame d'Aulnoy's "The novels of Elizabeth, Queen of England containing the history of Queen Ann of Bullen," written in approximately 1680.

That's great.

"It’s 1970. Anne and Henry still have issues they need to address. It’s been 434 years since they parted – on bad terms – and they haven’t spoken since. Henry now has problems with alcohol, drugs and irresponsibility, and Anne is still holding onto a grudge."

That's . . . a thing.

I've seen some of those but not all of them! THANK YOU FOR THIS GIFT.

You're welcome! It seemed apropos.

[skygiants]

My favorite part of The novels of Elizabeth, Queen of England is that it apparently goes from "someone tells Elizabeth, Queen of England, how noble and tragic her mom was" to "someone tells Queen Elizabeth an action comedy about escaping from a seraglio."

Am I going to read the 1970s reincarnation novel? PROBABLY NOT, BECAUSE I HAVE A SENSE OF SELF-PRESERVATION. ....(maybe.)

[sovay]

PROBABLY NOT, BECAUSE I HAVE A SENSE OF SELF-PRESERVATION. ....(maybe.)

WHAT IS SELF-PRESERVATION TO THE APPLAUSE OF YOUR PUBLIC. I ASK YOU.

[skygiants]

A QUESTION I HAVE ASKED MYSELF BEFORE, TO MY REGRET.

[sovay]

A QUESTION I HAVE ASKED MYSELF BEFORE, TO MY REGRET.

THE REST OF US BENEFITED LIKE GANGBUSTERS, THOUGH.

[bookblather]

If it helps I have gotten my hands on a copy of Anne and Henry, the retelling of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII IN HIGH SCHOOL.

This is gonna be awesome.

[skygiants]

I'M EXCITED FOR YOU TO READ THIS.

[starlady]

How much do you want to bet that Dorothy Dunnett read The novels of Elizabeth, Queen of England.

[skygiants]

she ONE HUNDRED percent did, omg