The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn: Family Politics at the Court of Henry VIII (Canto)

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 338 pages
• Published by: Cambridge University Press July 26, 1991
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0521406773
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0521406772
• Book Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Weighs: 15.2 ounces

From Library Journal
Thanks to the events surrounding her courtship with and ultimate marriage to Henry VIII, the tempestuous nature of that union, and the sordid yet mysterious circumstances of her excution, Anne Boleyn has always been a fascinating figure. Both popular and scholarly biographies of her have come along with some regularity. Quite simply though, this one transcends all previous efforts. Thanks to painstaking research and shrewd analytical skills, Warnicke (history, Arizona State Univ.) gives us substantial new insight on both the lady and her times. Her central thesis, that the execution derived in large measure from Henry's concern with perpetuating his dynasty, is a convincing one, and she shows clearly that previous biographers have been all too ready to accept distorted evidence at face value. Essential for academic libraries and recommended for public ones as well.
- James A. Casada, Winthrop Coll., Rock Hill, S.C.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Review
"this book is more than original--it challenges close to every other work written about Anne since her executionThis book is a wonderful piece of feminist scholarshipit offers great insights into Anne Boleyn and into the way history has treated all women who dared to wield power and influence." Herizons

"Thanks to the events surrounding her courtship with and ultimate marriage to Henry VIII, the tempestuous nature of that union, and the sordid yet mysterious circumstances of her execution, Anne Boleyn has always been a fascinating figure. Both popular and scholarly biographers of her have come along with some regularity. Quite simply though, this one transcends all previous efforts." Library Journal

"Inspired, thought-provoking history, sure to pique fans and scholars of the executed queen." The Kirkus Reviews

"reinterprets Anne Boleyn's story from a feminist perspective and provides the most plausible explanation to date for her abrupt fall from royal glory to the blockilluminates its subject as well as the difficulties inherent in writing about sexual ideologies--and acts--shrouded by centuries of rumor." Margaret W. Ferguson, New York Times Book Review

Reader Reviews
The early chapters of this book are interesting in that they examine Anne Boleyn's childhood and early career in the context of her family and society. Warnicke's choice to give little credence to the reports of Chapuys and others who had reason to portray Anne in the worst light is valid and creates a more balanced characterization of this queen than is usually seen. The major thrust of this book, however, is Warnicke's theory that Anne's fall was the result of having miscarried a deformed fetus in January of 1536. While it is an intriguing possibility, Warnicke fails to provide the slightest shred of evidence to prove her theory. Her sole argument is that while most royal miscarriages were kept secret, Henry took great pains to make Anne's miscarriage of 1536 public knowledge. She then makes the wild leap in reasoning that Henry was driven to do so by a need to prove that he was not the father of a deformed fetus - which at that time was viewed as a sign of God's wrath. It is an interesting theory, but she fails to back it up with any substantial argument. She then goes on to reason that the five men who were convicted of adultery with Anne, while not guilty of that particular crime must have been guilty of something, or they wouldn't have been condemned to die. (She seems unable to accept the possiblility that they were railroaded just as Anne herself was). This leads to another wild round of speculation - again with very little to back it up. While these arguments might have made for a powerful piece of fiction, they are hardly the basis of an academic reevaluation of Anne's story.