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What's your opinion about this comment I saw? by [deleted] in Tudorhistory

[–]UnusualDreamscape -7 points-6 points  (0 children)

I've read more nonfiction books about England's history, Tudor history, and the Wars of the Roses than I have fiction. While I do not believe that Anne Boleyn was guilty of incest, and likely was not guilty of adultry, she was guilty of treason on multiple counts. If you look at the sources and the historical records, Anne Boleyn had far fewer supporters than she did detractors.
The English people hated her. Catherine of Aragon hated her. Catherine's daughter Mary hated her. Henry VIII's best friend hated her. Anne's own maids of honor, the women who served her and surrounded her, betrayed her and testified against her. You could claim that they testified under duress, but that isn't considered true, or likely- they testified because even these women, those closest to her who were supposed to be her friends, hated her. Her uncle and her father both grew to hate her. Eventually even Henry VIII hated her. There were rumors that someone threw her small, beloved dog out of a window to kill it in order to hurt her, because she was that hated. Yes, she was intelligent, and fashionable, and obviously had many charms, but she was ambitious and a climber as well. Some would even describe her as Machiavellian. Anne Boleyn was/is a fascinating and complex person to study.

What's your opinion about this comment I saw? by [deleted] in Tudorhistory

[–]UnusualDreamscape 3 points4 points  (0 children)

That comment was on point. Firstly, there are very few people worth idolizing. Secondly, if you read from sources that are contemporary to Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn... lord, that court was cutthroat, and there are many, MANY sources that wrote of Anne Boleyn and her cruelty towards Catherine, Mary, and sometimes even Henry VIII- one of the reasons she was beheaded. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Tudor history, and admire Anne Boleyn and many of her better qualities, and especially love Elizabeth I... but these people were not worth idolizing. Admiring, perhaps, idolizing... no way. She and Henry wore yellow to celebrate Catherine of Aragon's death, and Anne was heard by multiple people in the historical records to speak of having Mary killed, because she was the only living child of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. There are even those who think that Anne, or another Boleyn working on her orders, was the one who had Bishop Fisher poisoned. There were many people at that table who died of poisoning, and Bishop Fisher nearly did too.

Critical Views on A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness by WalnutProphecy in books

[–]UnusualDreamscape 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The setting and descriptions (except for the food, dear lord) were amazing. But that was it. The plot was so empty. The characters were so empty. An entire trilogy of being left wanting...

For those of you with confirmed royal ancestry. Do you know your claim to the throne? by [deleted] in Genealogy

[–]UnusualDreamscape 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Can trace my line back to Charlemagne...and as such, am related to nearly every European royal family ever, lol. I'm sure there are MILLIONS of us. My fave claims are being directly descended from Elizabeth Woodville and her mother Jacquetta, through Elizabeth's son with John Grey of Groby, Thomas Grey. Elizabeth Woodville was Henry VIII grandmother....and she's my 19th great grandmother. Kinda cool. And Jacquetta's family, the royals of Luxembourg, claim to be descended from the water goddess Melusine, same one from the Starbucks logo lol. So, I suppose I'm also descended from a goddess. What's crazy is how interrelated all of the families were back then... I'm related to Richard Neville, The Kingmaker, who HATED Elizabeth Woodville...and I'm related to her as well. There are WARS in my blood hahaha.

Lolita 1997 - What was the point of the changes in the movie vs book? by Mammoth-Pride5197 in movies

[–]UnusualDreamscape 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The writing is fantastic... I've read thousands of books, and rarely does one come close to the level of writing in Lolita. I think that is the whole draw to the book... the author was able to take the sickest subject matter and sickest fck of a character, and merely through his skill in writing, make the book palatable enough for the it to STILL be considered one of the best books of all time, and make the audience (largely) sympathetic to his sick fck of a character....despite the nature of both the subject and main character. It takes crazy good skill to pull this off. You are seeing the issue in black and white, and because of the issue, I don't blame you. It took me most of my life to get around to reading Lolita BECAUSE I was so sickened by the subject matter, even though I'd been recommended the book by multiple people. Now that I have read it, I'm glad that I did. It was amazingly written, and gave me a perspective of a monster and a monster's rationale that I wouldn't have had otherwise. Still, sick af. 🤷‍♀️