Secrets of the Dead - Michelangelo Revealed

I think because of the upcoming movie, PBS aired a neat-o "Secrets of the Dead" about Michelangelo. Michelangelo was part of a group called "The Spirituali", which also included, and was in fact headed by Reginald Pole. I did not know that Reginald Pole (this is a sorta bullshisse link to the Crazy Catholic entry on Reginald Pole) was actually a progressive Catholic with many more Lutheran ideas than even Henry VIII. In "The Tudors", he just seems like he hates Henry because Henry eschews Catholicism from England. But it looks as if that's artistic license that Tudors writers are taking with history. They don't let the Reginald Pole character have any depth whatsoever, he's just this steadfast against Protestantism.

I went to the PBS "Secrets of the Dead: Michelangleo Revealed" website. There's all kinds of poo-poo from Adamant Catholics, hating on the documentary and throwing in some hatred for Dan Brown and Angels and Demons, too. Then there's someone promoting his website that's anti-Catholic, too. Ha ha. I wrote this:

This comment section is almost as interesting as the program itself! This documentary is prescient for its pairing with the release of “Angels and Demons” and also with The Tudors. It shows a very different Reginald Pole than the one currently portrayed, rather one-dimensionally, in the very fun though not always historically accurate “The Tudors”. The figure that grabbed my attention most was Vittoria Colonna. I love finding out about women who shaped history. And finally, forget the religion stuff you all are arguing about! As a poet, I took exception to one of the commentators saying that the reformist Spirituali did not succeed over the conservatives because they were artists and poets and therefore lacked discipline. Ummm…does the Sistine Chapel look like work that comes from someone who lacks discipline? C’mon, man, give us artsy people some credit here! Thanks for a very provocative and topical show!

Because, honestly, if artsy people really lacked discipline, how would anything ever be created? Weirdo prejudiced facty fact man. Lame-o.

What do you think of the name Erasmus?

I like that name a lot but I'm bound to think of Click and Clack's production staff. You know, the head of the working mother's department "Erasmus B. Dragon".

I'm thinking of that name because Erasmus was one of Henry VIII's tutors in childhood. (A tutor of a Tudor! Ha!) Apparently, like his daughter Elizabeth, Henry was "wicked smahhht" as we say around here. No surprise.

He was also very cunning. He is, of course, a Cancer (June 28). According to my Birthday Book, "cunning" is a trait amongst cancers. However, if our cunning goes unchecked, or we are aware of how persuasive we can be, very bad things can happen. I think Ann Boleyn would agree. And the Catholic church. And Katherine of Aragon. And Bloody Mary.

Erasmus's sobriquet (my new word of the day...) was "Prince of Humanists". He took the middle road between the Protestants and conservative Catholics, pissing off both ends of the spectrum. Free will vs Predestination. To put it in 1990s vernacular: Mrs Gump's box o' chocolates or Lt Dan's Plan. (der...) Humanism in the 1500s "described a curriculum comprising grammar, rhetoric, moral philosophy, poetry and history as studied via classical authors. Humanists mostly believed that, although God created the universe, it was humans that had developed and industrialized it. Beauty, a popular topic, was held to represent a deep inner virtue and value, and an essential element in the path towards God." This quote's from Wikipedia, so i'll have to do some further investigating intot he topc but it rings true from other things I've read.

Anyway, that's what I've thought about as a result of reading that Weir book I blogged about yesterday. More later...

Alison Weir & Henry VIII

Last year, right around this time, my escape from all the poetry and poetic things I had to read for school -- mind you, I loved this reading, but everyone needs a brain break -- was Alison Weir's "The Life of Elizabeth I". This book was a generous gift from my good friend Kara. I in-turn sent her a fictionalized tale of Elizabeth's life before her ascension, also written by Alison Weir. (KB, if you're reading this, have you read that book yet and if so, what did you think?)

This year? Well, this year, the third season of the Tudors has started, as I blogged previously. I also still need a break from the poetry based reading. And the third thing is that I'm a little frustrated that I can't recognize the figures that the show alludes to, assuming that we are Tudorphiles and already know who Sir Francis Bryan is once we see an nasty hearted fellow with an eye patch.

Well, no, actually. I don't know who he is. I have to go to imdb, find the thumbnail photo of the actor playing Sir Francis (um, hel-LO Alan Van Sprang! Zing!) then google the name of his character, read up on Wikipedia, varify -- as EVERYTHING FROM WIKIPEDIA MUST BE VARIFIED on the UK monarchy website and such and then have a better idea of what's going on, plot wise.

So, to give myself a heads up, I'm starting in on a book I borrowed from my mom, "Henry VIII: The King and His Court" by Alison Weir. Reviews and commentary to follow...

Brush Up Your Pre-Shakespeare - The Tudors Are Back

YIPPPPEEEE!!!!!!!!! Showtime's series "The Tudors" is back for season three.

I know I talk about "Psych" and "Chuck" and "Medium" and even other premium cable shows like "Diary of a Call Girl" and "United States of Tara". But...but...nothing BUT nothing gets me like Showtime's "The Tudors".

I mean nothing. Not the "West Wing", not "General Hospital", not BBC miniseries broadcast as part of PBS Masterpiece Theatre, not even by beloved "Sex and the City" -- not one of those shows just captures me like "The Tudors".

Politics? Drama? History? Anglophilia? The arts? Love? Sex? Romance? Literature? Religion? Rebellion? Yep yep yep yep yep yep yep yep yep yep and yep.

And now, to a min-review of season 3, peisode. Hello Jane Seymour...can't wait to watch you wither away like the nonsense figure you are. (Can you tell I'm impartial to the head strong ---err, figuratively speaking -- maybe I should pick a better adjective for this woman...willful? ---, independent, maybe some would say C U Next Tuesdays Anne Bolelyn...?) Nice pink dress, though. Quite pretty.

Even though she's a menaie to Elizabeth (my fav), I feel bad for Mary. Poor Bloody Mary. Talk about Daddy Abandonment Issues. Imagine if she were alive today? She'd be on Springer every week.

Anyway, can't wait for more. Very fun.

Now, where is my Alison Weir book?

New books for the fall

New books from the bookstore, library, on-line, or borrowed from my mom without asking:

YA

A Door in the Wall - We read this Newberry Award winning book in 6th grade. That's when we learned that the monks were the ones who wrote out the books because there were no printing presses and mostly everyone was illiterate. Mrs Meaney also taught us how to do fancy lettering including the super fancy first letter on a page, like in the book. I loved this. And the book was good enough to make me want to re-read it today before work. It's pretty fun. I love all things old British.

Robin Hood - I wrote about my revived fascination with Robin Hood back in the spring, after I started watching the BBC television series. I had an abridged version from a library book sale at Tufts in Weymouth but I got the full thing at Pazzo. Notice a theme with my children's book choice? 1 heart merry old English tales.

Non-fiction

All That Is Solid Melts into Air - I read most of the essyas in this book when I took the Symbolism course at UMaine but I didn't purchase this book. I just got it from the library. I kept meaning to buy it since back in 2006 but kept forgetting until last week.

Literary Essays of Ezra Pound - The copy I have from the library is almost overdue, so I had to purchase my own copy.

The Six Wives of Henry VIII - Kara sent me the children of Henry and the Elizabeth I bio by Alison Weir. Mom had this book in her personal library, so I borrowed it without asking the other day. Again, I love all things old English, especially all things Tudor (as discussed here previously) so this goes with that passion.

More later...

Obsession

I've mentioned previously that I'm obsessed with all things Tudor.

Well, all this season, I've been lamenting that I always miss the Tudors when they're on Showtime.

Oh my doofusness!

I have forgotten that they're free with On Demand!!

So, guess what I'm doing right now?

Catching up! The neatest thing about having it On Demand is I can stop whenever I want. I can also pause and go to my Alison Weir books, The Wives of Henry the VIII and The Children of Henry the VIII and also go to my current favored book, "Literature of England" and get the low down on the back story with this Sir Thomas Wyatt and Ann Boleyn (pictured).

He's a Sir Thomas Wyatt poem for you:

Description of the Contrarious Passions in a Lover

I find no peace, and all my war is done;
I fear and hope, I burn, and I freeze like ice;
I fly above the wind, yet can I not arise;
And nought I have, and all the world I seize on,
That loseth nor locketh, holdeth me in prison,
And holdeth me not, yet can i scape no wise;
Nor letteth me live, nor die, at my devise,
And yet of death it giveth me occasion.
Without eye I see; and without tongue I plain:
I desire to perish, and yet I ask health;
I love another, and thus I hate myself;
I feed me in sorrow, and laugh in all my pain.
Likewise displeaseth me both death and life,
And my delight is cause of this strife.

- Sir Thomas Wyatt, 1557

I'm not the only one obsessed with all things Tudor:



PS This video's kinda silly but I still love the song.

Book Recommendation - Elizabeth the Queen

Elizabeth the Queen by Alison Weir

A while back, just because she's a good friend, Kara sent me a bunch of Alison Weir history-of-the-Tudors books. I was watching the BBC 70s miniseries on Elizabeth I incessantly - I had borrowed it from the beautiful Old Town Public Library. (Thanks again, Steven and Tabitha King Foundation, for such giving something the Orono people could be jealous of, which is my favorite thing about Old Town. That and the significantly cheaper rent from Orono (for those who can deal with the smell of cabbage...)

Well, I have been reading Elizabeth the Queen on and off for about a year now, and just finished it. I thought it would help me get to bed. Yeah right. (Like, 15 people I know are insomniacs right now. Do you suppose that we're all a little messed up from the DLST? Or is it just life?)

Elizabeth is quite the historical figure. She was complicated. I can't say I was happy when, at the end of the book, the last "success" of her reign was defeating the Irish. But, Ireland is currently kicking everyone's ass, economically speaking, in Europe and the world at large, so karma and stuff.

Despite all the complications, the decidedly non-democratic ruling, and the oppression of the Irish - to name a few tyrannical ickies about QEI- I still think she was one of the best world rulers ever. I mean, it's been over 400 years and they're still writing books and movies about her and her family. That in itself is something.

As to Alison Weir, I think she does a fantastic job of weaving story, time, facts and details. I marvel at the daunting task of putting a compelling, cohesive book like that together. Good times. Good times.

Now, on to some other book to read 4 pages of before going to bed every night...But which one?

night night

I'm such a trendsetter

Honestly, I am such a trendsetter. No sooner did I write my blogs about my love for all things Tudor, than Time magazine does a three page spread on their growing reprisal.

Apparently, Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johannson (not my fave) are playing the Bolelyn sisters in an upcoming movie.

My cousin, Cate Blanchett, will be playing the Queen again as a sequel to "Elizabeth."

And Time wrote about the Tudor series on Showtime that I blogged about a smidge ago.

MAJOR TANGENT: Ooo, watching "Countdown" with Keith Oberman right now. A Portland, ME guy named Eric Taylor is the "worst person in the world."

He divorced his wife but never paid alimony. He owes 700,000+. His ex-wife is dying of cancer. He said, "The only reason why I agreed to the terms of the divorce is because the lawyers said she wouldn't live that long." Awesome.

No seriously. Awesome.

Anyway, Tudor fever is in the air, which is nice. I'm thinking cake and ale on Shakespeare's Birthday, April 23.

Elizabeth I

I think I mentioned that I'm reading Alison Weir's "The Life of Elizabeth I." (In addition to a zillion other books, as ever.) Kara got it for me from some Amazon seller last year because in our group emails I had mentioned that I had spent a weekend watching the BBC "Elizabeth R" series from the 70s. This isn't to be confused with the recent BBC "Elizabeth I" starring Helen Mirren, which I'm sure is fantastic. It's on my movie list.


Anyway, Kara loves the Tudors, too, especially as told by Alison Weir. After this, I'm going to finally read my "Mary, Queen of Scots" by Antonia Fraser. I bought it at Lippincott Books in Bangor. Open the door carefully, as the cat may get out.


Once I'm done with that, I will move on to "A Man on a Donkey." This is a book that Sadie bought me for Christmas two years ago, after she read it. It is also an Elizabethan era book, but this one is fiction. It is, however, just like "Elizabeth" and "Mary" in that it is gargantuan in size.


As I read "Elizabeth", I keep thinking that it would be so much fun to write a sort of "Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" only have some Maine or Mass high schooler in Elizabethan Court.

I also wonder what I would be like if I were born then. What would I be? I'd want the freedom of a "barmaid" without the work obligations (wink, wink). How about being someone like Emma Thompson's character in "Howard's End," even though that was the beginning of the 20th century...that head maid position was around back then, wasn't it? Because I doubt I'd have been born into the upper class, simply because that population was so small. I like kids, so maybe I'd have been a wet nurse? Or a nanny? Without a middle class and without women's rights, I have no idea.

Unless I were born a dude, in which case I would clearly be from Stratford on Avon, born on April 23...

Did I just compare myself to Shakespeare?