Getting to know the Tudors and the Stuarts
J. has decided that he wants to study history. A boy after my own heart. “What can I become if I study history Mummy?” he asked me the other day.
“Err, well, now let me think about this … a history teacher I guess.”
Not a bad job. I wouldn’t mind it.
There seems to be a “history” revival underway in the VC-G household. It used to be all about plumbing, plastering and quotes. Now we have progressed and actually have some time to read again. For the moment historical novels are very popular. This can be traced back to Aunty Beatrice who had the fabulous idea of giving J. a set of the Horrible History books for Christmas last year. I would never have thought that they would have been such a hit with J. - but they are and second only to Harry Potter in J.’s best book league.
I have never read the Horrible Histories but Gemma O’Reardon and I swore that it was Jean Plaidy and Jean Plaidy alone who got us through our history O- and A-levels – or other such trashy historical novels.
But its not just J. who is “into” historical books at the moment. Phillipa Gregory, the latest writer of historical romances, is doing the rounds. I managed to read three, no less, of her books over the summer holidays and G. is currently on his second: “The Boleyn Inheritance” following on from “The other Boleyn girl”.
G. is a wonderful English History and English Literature virgin. When the BBC did an adaptation of Jane Eyre last year it was great to see him completely fascinated as to what was going on in the attic and not having a clue about Rochester’s murky past.
“So who was Ann Boleyn again? Did she come to a sticky end then?” and
“Katherine Howard how does she fit into all of this? Who was she related to?”
I can’t blame him in a way there are so many Jane’s and Ann’s and Mary’s – and Katherine’s of course even I get them mixed up.
Unlike J, G was obviously not bought up with the Horrible Histories (very UK-centric) but with completely other myths and legends – of which I hasten to add I too know very little.
However, G is fast becoming a Tudor expert having worked his way through all those Phillipa Gregory novels and we have discovered a new line in Tudor insults.
So, the other day, having listened to “Mary Stuart and her hopeless Husbands” on cd in the car, I announced rather irritably because I was in a rush and needed some help and G. had promised to play Monopoly with J. when there was so much to be done.
“You know G – you’re as bad at Mary Stuart. In trying to please everyone you end up frustrating everyone.”
To which G. replied
“Yeah, well you’re just like Henry VIII a tyrant and a fiend.”
“Rather a tyrant and fiend than having to make a run for it all the time.”
“Yeah but Henry VIII was big and fat and ugly.”
“Rather big and fat and ugly and dying in my bed than having my head cut off.”
…and so on and so forth …All tongue in cheek of course.
Luckily, J was still busy setting up Monopoly on the table outside with his sights on Park Lane. Hampton Court isn’t on the Monopoly board – good thing too otherwise I may have had to boot G. off to the tower or had him executed in order to claim it as my own. I am a tyrant and a fiend in best tradition of Henry VIII after all.
“Err, well, now let me think about this … a history teacher I guess.”
Not a bad job. I wouldn’t mind it.
There seems to be a “history” revival underway in the VC-G household. It used to be all about plumbing, plastering and quotes. Now we have progressed and actually have some time to read again. For the moment historical novels are very popular. This can be traced back to Aunty Beatrice who had the fabulous idea of giving J. a set of the Horrible History books for Christmas last year. I would never have thought that they would have been such a hit with J. - but they are and second only to Harry Potter in J.’s best book league.
I have never read the Horrible Histories but Gemma O’Reardon and I swore that it was Jean Plaidy and Jean Plaidy alone who got us through our history O- and A-levels – or other such trashy historical novels.
But its not just J. who is “into” historical books at the moment. Phillipa Gregory, the latest writer of historical romances, is doing the rounds. I managed to read three, no less, of her books over the summer holidays and G. is currently on his second: “The Boleyn Inheritance” following on from “The other Boleyn girl”.
G. is a wonderful English History and English Literature virgin. When the BBC did an adaptation of Jane Eyre last year it was great to see him completely fascinated as to what was going on in the attic and not having a clue about Rochester’s murky past.
“So who was Ann Boleyn again? Did she come to a sticky end then?” and
“Katherine Howard how does she fit into all of this? Who was she related to?”
I can’t blame him in a way there are so many Jane’s and Ann’s and Mary’s – and Katherine’s of course even I get them mixed up.
Unlike J, G was obviously not bought up with the Horrible Histories (very UK-centric) but with completely other myths and legends – of which I hasten to add I too know very little.
However, G is fast becoming a Tudor expert having worked his way through all those Phillipa Gregory novels and we have discovered a new line in Tudor insults.
So, the other day, having listened to “Mary Stuart and her hopeless Husbands” on cd in the car, I announced rather irritably because I was in a rush and needed some help and G. had promised to play Monopoly with J. when there was so much to be done.
“You know G – you’re as bad at Mary Stuart. In trying to please everyone you end up frustrating everyone.”
To which G. replied
“Yeah, well you’re just like Henry VIII a tyrant and a fiend.”
“Rather a tyrant and fiend than having to make a run for it all the time.”
“Yeah but Henry VIII was big and fat and ugly.”
“Rather big and fat and ugly and dying in my bed than having my head cut off.”
…and so on and so forth …All tongue in cheek of course.
Luckily, J was still busy setting up Monopoly on the table outside with his sights on Park Lane. Hampton Court isn’t on the Monopoly board – good thing too otherwise I may have had to boot G. off to the tower or had him executed in order to claim it as my own. I am a tyrant and a fiend in best tradition of Henry VIII after all.
posted by Kathleen at 9:46 AM
1 Comments:
The Tudors and the Stuarts - oh dear, where do I start. It's the Tudors all the way for me! Although if I have to be really honest Elizabth 1st would have to be my favourite historical character!
Philippa Gregory - I've got the whole collection so if there are any you want to borrow let me know and I'll bring them with me!
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