I found a lot of really great stuff over the last few weeks, but I was unfortunately a little too busy with the paper to actually post anything. Here's something, though, that I thought was really interesting and that I'm toying with trying to work into my next paper.
The article is called "The Renaissance Englishwoman in Code: 'Blabbs' and Cryptographers at Elizabeth I's Court." It's by Elizabeth Mazzola, and it's about how women like Mary Stuart used their feminine image to encode messages in the court. Mazzola argues that, because men assumed that women were making spelling and grammar mistakes because of inferior intelligence, women could actually encode their messages easily (1). Mazzola also points out that Elizabeth didn't do this. It's especially interesting to me because my paper focuses a lot on how Elizabeth appeals to her femininity to get improve her image and subversively claim more power. I suppose, though, that there isn't anything for her to gain by seeming uneducated--she has enough power that she can say things more outright. It would be interesting, though, to compare Mazzola's ideas with Elizabeth while she is still a princess. During that stage, Elizabeth does seem to often downplay her own intelligence, as when she tells Katherine Parr that her translations aren't very good (Marcus, Mueller, and Rose 7). It's also interesting to think about how Elizabeth's projection of her own intelligence changes throughout her reign--her letters to James by 1593 are surprisingly snarky and forceful. It really illuminates a lot about power structures and who is allowed to have power in Renaissance England. Does Elizabeth have more power when she is falling back on her feminine virtue, or when she is projecting power outright?
I think a lot of us are writing about Elizabeth's construction of identity, so if anyone is interested in how women like Mary Stuart used stereotypes to send messages and "have a voice," then this might be a cool article to check out. Otherwise, I hope that everyone's research is going well!
Mazzola, Elizabeth. "The Renaissance Englishwoman in Code: 'Blabbs' and Cryptographers at Elizabeth I's Court." Critical Survey 22.3 (2010): 1-20. Ebsco. Web. 26 Feb. 2015.
Saturday, March 14, 2015
Monday, March 9, 2015
Entertainments for Elizabeth I
If you're interested in looking at the entertainments (an earlier word for 'masques') for Elizabeth, then this book would be super helpful. I got it via ILL, but I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard to also find it. I think I'm turning it in soon, or you can borrow it from me. I mean, it's kind of what I'm focusing on, so hopefully nobody else is too into this, but even if you're not, this book has some good stuff.
A great deal of this is about pageantry, but then it connects to other, broader topics. I think the section on progresses is interesting, especially from a representation standpoint. Elizabeth was famous for her progresses through England, as a means of becoming closer to her people and having her people feel closer to her. It worked, too - the progresses really encouraged that kind of mother/children image Elizabeth was going for.
There's a chapter called "Elizabeth's consciousness of her cult," which just sounds fun.The section "Elizabeth as a supernatural being," as you can tell, is a focused look at Elizabeth's various representations.
This book is just so fun. The chapters are short, but super informative, and it's really easy to read. Clearly, Jean Wilson has a sense of humor. Literally, the dedication in this thing is:
A great deal of this is about pageantry, but then it connects to other, broader topics. I think the section on progresses is interesting, especially from a representation standpoint. Elizabeth was famous for her progresses through England, as a means of becoming closer to her people and having her people feel closer to her. It worked, too - the progresses really encouraged that kind of mother/children image Elizabeth was going for.
There's a chapter called "Elizabeth's consciousness of her cult," which just sounds fun.The section "Elizabeth as a supernatural being," as you can tell, is a focused look at Elizabeth's various representations.
This book is just so fun. The chapters are short, but super informative, and it's really easy to read. Clearly, Jean Wilson has a sense of humor. Literally, the dedication in this thing is:
FOR NORMAN AND GAWAIN
WITHOUT WHOM THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN WRITTEN
WITHOUT WHOM THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN WRITTEN
SEVERAL YEARS AGO
A couple things. First, the amount of sass in this dedication is admirable. But also, of course an English history buff would name their kid Gawain. Of course.
Wilson,
Jean. Entertainments for Elizabeth I. Totowa:
Rowman and Littlefield, 1980. Print.
Elizabeth I: The Competition for Representation
Susan Frye's biography of Elizabeth is in our library, and it's not so much an objective biography as a feminist critique of representations of Elizabeth throughout her life.
Essentially, what Frye does is show the various ways Elizabeth is represented and then represents herself. It covers everything from the pageant at her entry to her imprisonment to her self-fashioned image late in life. The part I've focused on so far is that opening pageant, and Frye's analysis of it has helped build onto what we talked about in class.
Frye's focus is very sporadic, talking about certain subjects rather than an overview of Elizabeth's life, but should this self- vs. other- representation thing be what you're looking at, it could be helpful. (Caleb? Jade?) It's also just pretty interesting, honestly.
Essentially, what Frye does is show the various ways Elizabeth is represented and then represents herself. It covers everything from the pageant at her entry to her imprisonment to her self-fashioned image late in life. The part I've focused on so far is that opening pageant, and Frye's analysis of it has helped build onto what we talked about in class.
Frye's focus is very sporadic, talking about certain subjects rather than an overview of Elizabeth's life, but should this self- vs. other- representation thing be what you're looking at, it could be helpful. (Caleb? Jade?) It's also just pretty interesting, honestly.
Frye,
Susan. Elizabeth I: The Competition for
Representation. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993. Print.
Musicians in English Society
This will probably not be relevant for any of you for your papers in this class, but I know that some of you are musicians and would appreciate cool stuff like this. And maybe it is relevant for you, so I'm just going to go for it.
Walter Woodfill's book Musicians in English Society is fantastic and amazing, and I don't care that it's over 60 years old at this point. It is the most information I've been able to find in one place about music at court, so I love it.
The section I've concentrated on is about the Chapel Royal and the King's Musick, groups which regularly played at court. The Chapel Royal was the royal church choir, while the King's Musick was employed by the crown and had lodgings at court. The value placed on both groups is clear through Woodfill's text - boys were recruited for the Chapel Royal at a young age, but once they hit puberty and their voices changed, you'd expect them to be thrown back on the streets, right? Nope. The crown hooked them up with either a position in the clergy or at a royal school. The singers were truly valued; the same goes for the musicians of the King's Musick. These were musicians - everything from lute to trombone to viol - that belonged to the ruler. James and Charles had more than Elizabeth, but even Elizabeth had on average 30 musicians in the King's Musick (which, as far as I could tell in the book, doesn't change to Queen's Musick during her reign).
The most interesting bit of information I've found in here is on wages. The musicians of the King's Musick were paid ridiculously high sums for their work. Disregarding the money they were paid per annum for livery and the lodgings they received, they were paid on average upwards of 40 pounds at the end of Elizabeth's reign. For context, the headmaster of royal Eaton college was paid 10 pounds per annum. That is not only a substantial difference; it's almost unbelievable.
I am coming from a time period when musicians are valued for their art, but not paid accordingly. The fact that these musicians were more than compensated for their work blows my mind, and I can't get enough of this book.
Walter Woodfill's book Musicians in English Society is fantastic and amazing, and I don't care that it's over 60 years old at this point. It is the most information I've been able to find in one place about music at court, so I love it.
The section I've concentrated on is about the Chapel Royal and the King's Musick, groups which regularly played at court. The Chapel Royal was the royal church choir, while the King's Musick was employed by the crown and had lodgings at court. The value placed on both groups is clear through Woodfill's text - boys were recruited for the Chapel Royal at a young age, but once they hit puberty and their voices changed, you'd expect them to be thrown back on the streets, right? Nope. The crown hooked them up with either a position in the clergy or at a royal school. The singers were truly valued; the same goes for the musicians of the King's Musick. These were musicians - everything from lute to trombone to viol - that belonged to the ruler. James and Charles had more than Elizabeth, but even Elizabeth had on average 30 musicians in the King's Musick (which, as far as I could tell in the book, doesn't change to Queen's Musick during her reign).
The most interesting bit of information I've found in here is on wages. The musicians of the King's Musick were paid ridiculously high sums for their work. Disregarding the money they were paid per annum for livery and the lodgings they received, they were paid on average upwards of 40 pounds at the end of Elizabeth's reign. For context, the headmaster of royal Eaton college was paid 10 pounds per annum. That is not only a substantial difference; it's almost unbelievable.
I am coming from a time period when musicians are valued for their art, but not paid accordingly. The fact that these musicians were more than compensated for their work blows my mind, and I can't get enough of this book.
Woodfill,
Walter L. Musicians in English Society
from Elizabeth to Charles I. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1953. Print.
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
"A Global Renaissance"
I am researching exploration/pirating, specifically in the area of trade. While looking I came across the book, Renaissance Bazaar: from the Silk Road to Michelangelo, by Jerry Brotton. This book is available electronically through the library. This book brings up many interesting ideas, specifically concerning eastern influence in Europe, looking at silk, food, or artistic designs that were adapted into the renaissance.
The first chapter, "Global Renaissance" discusses certain items and influences that were founded with trade from the east. Brotton states, "While Europe predominately exported bulk goods such as timber, wool, and semi-precious metals, it tended to import luxury and high-value goods, whose impact upon the culture and consumption of communities from Venice to London was gradual but profound" (39). It goes on to explain that mostly all aspects of life were influenced or had some connection with the imports received. Main areas that Brotton discusses are the influences that these new goods had on food and art. Especially in regards to food, new spices, and seasonings, "black pepper, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon" (38), were established in order to enhance food and give it a more exotic taste. Through this Brotton discusses how the domestic economy changed with this new dependence on foreign trade and exports.
Along with the imported goods received by trade it also discusses the financial aspect of trade and the financial responsibilities that went along with exporting and importing goods. Through this different ways of balancing money, credit, and debt were established and so trade did not necessarily mean trading physical goods but also the trading of knowledge or technological skills.
This book has a lot of interesting points to discuss for the research of exploration and trade but I also think that it can be useful for a few other groups, possibly those looking at clothing. Finding out the influence and the material for the clothes and how it established class or superiority. Although the book has some insight on trade and foreign affairs it seems to omit cultural differences or anytime of animosity, specifically that of religion, The introduction states, "...the renaissance as a moment that similarly stood on the threshold of an expanding world where people exchanged ideas and things often regardless of political and religious ideology" (5). I understand that the main point is stating that trade was able to happen despite these major differences but it still seems like a very important part of trade that should be explored and a necessary component to the understanding of trade and foreign relations.
The first chapter, "Global Renaissance" discusses certain items and influences that were founded with trade from the east. Brotton states, "While Europe predominately exported bulk goods such as timber, wool, and semi-precious metals, it tended to import luxury and high-value goods, whose impact upon the culture and consumption of communities from Venice to London was gradual but profound" (39). It goes on to explain that mostly all aspects of life were influenced or had some connection with the imports received. Main areas that Brotton discusses are the influences that these new goods had on food and art. Especially in regards to food, new spices, and seasonings, "black pepper, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon" (38), were established in order to enhance food and give it a more exotic taste. Through this Brotton discusses how the domestic economy changed with this new dependence on foreign trade and exports.
Along with the imported goods received by trade it also discusses the financial aspect of trade and the financial responsibilities that went along with exporting and importing goods. Through this different ways of balancing money, credit, and debt were established and so trade did not necessarily mean trading physical goods but also the trading of knowledge or technological skills.
This book has a lot of interesting points to discuss for the research of exploration and trade but I also think that it can be useful for a few other groups, possibly those looking at clothing. Finding out the influence and the material for the clothes and how it established class or superiority. Although the book has some insight on trade and foreign affairs it seems to omit cultural differences or anytime of animosity, specifically that of religion, The introduction states, "...the renaissance as a moment that similarly stood on the threshold of an expanding world where people exchanged ideas and things often regardless of political and religious ideology" (5). I understand that the main point is stating that trade was able to happen despite these major differences but it still seems like a very important part of trade that should be explored and a necessary component to the understanding of trade and foreign relations.
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