Those of you who are old enough to have enjoyed the music of the 80s doubtlessly remember Culture Club’s hit Karma Chameleon. I couldn’t resist the pun, and now I cannot resist describing Cromwell’s career trajectory as red, gold, and green. Yes, there is something wrong with my mind. Red: Although Anne Boleyn had been… Read more Karma Cromwellian
Henry VIII was born 28 June 1491, and it seems as though people have been talking about him ever since. Very few people in the Western world haven’t at least heard of Henry VIII. Odds are good that at some time they have seen the famous portrait of the bloated, middle-aged King, with his arms… Read more Happy Birthday Henry!
I recently bought Clare Cherry and Claire Ridgway’s new book, George Boleyn: Tudor Poet, Courtier & Diplomat, and I was very glad I did. The blurb for the book promises a lot of information: “George Boleyn has gone down in history as being the brother of the ill-fated Queen Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry… Read more Review of George Boleyn: Tudor Poet, Courtier & Diplomat
May 19, 1536 was the day Anne Boleyn was murdered by her husband, and it is generally considered a tragedy. The next day, Jane Seymour became engaged to the killer, and I think that should be generally considered a travesty. In my book, Blood Will Tell, I make no secret of the fact I find… Read more Third Weddings and a Funeral
Odds are good that anyone reading this has heard of Beyoncé’s sister Solange physically attacking Beyoncé’s husband, Jay-Z, in an elevator a few days ago. It has been parodied on Saturday Night Live and the mainstream media has reported on it. NPR justly pointed out that “This happened — literally — behind closed doors. If… Read more Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, and Mary Boleyn Carey were in an elevator …
You may have heard that there is a new heir to the English throne. Or maybe not. They have been kind of burying the story in the back pages of the media haven’t they? So, just in case you haven’t seen it or heard it anywhere else, let me share the fact that at 4:24… Read more A Star Is Born!
I admit it, I’ve blogged about this before. Now I am going to blog about it again. I can’t help myself. Media distortion of science and/or scholarship doesn’t just drive me bananas … it drives me banana split because the whole thing is topped with nuts. That’s why it is called yellow-journalism; all the bananas.… Read more How NOT to report on science or scholars
Lacey Baldwin Smith (LBS) is one of the “big name” historians, and for good reasons. His research is meticulous and his analysis is often profound. His book on Henry VIII is one of the most cited and significant works on that King. Thus, when he wrote a book about Anne Boleyn I scurried over to… Read more Lacey Baldwin Smith’s book about Anne Boleyn
When I found out that Susan Bordo had a book on Anne Boleyn coming out on the 9th of April I did a snoopy dance of happiness. I am an ardent intellectual admirer of Dr. Bordo. As an student in anthropology I read several of her books about the cultural reflections of the body; they… Read more Dr. Susan Bordo’s new book about Anne Boleyn!