1st Edition

Mary Queen of Scots Romance and Nation

By Jayne Lewis Copyright 1998
    272 Pages
    by Routledge

    272 Pages
    by Routledge

    As an historical figure Mary Queen of Scots has been perpetually represented on canvas, page and stage, and has captured the British imagination since the time of her death in 1587. The 'real' Mary Stuart however has remained an enigma.
    Mary Queen of Scots: Romance and Nation sheds light on Mary's life by exploring four main themes:
    * the history of Mary's representation in Britain from the late Tudor period focusing on key periods in the formation of the British identity and closely analysing several texts against a background of the visual, musical and literary works of each period
    * the reasons why those representing Mary have been so conscious that her image was largely a debatable fiction
    * the identification of symbolic styles, using Mary to reveal the habits of representation in each historical period
    * The link between the image of Mary Stuart and Britain's long struggle to define itself as a single nation, focusing on the roles of gender and religion in this development.

    Introduction; Part 1 Elizabethan Mary; Chapter 1 “The finest she that ever was”; Chapter 2 “The treason of pity”; Part 2 Stuart Mary; Chapter 3 “A new and unexampled kindof tomb”; Chapter 4 “False kindred”; Part 3 Georgian Mary; Chapter 5 “The sorrow of seeing the queen”; Chapter 6 “Dozens of ugly Mary Queenof Scotts”; Chapter 7 Guilt and vindication; Part 4 Victorian Mary; Chapter 8 Victoria’s other woman; Chapter 9 A “laboured illusion” vanishesPart 5 Epilogue;

    Biography

    Jayne Elizabeth Lewis is Associate Professor of English at the University of California, Los Angeles.

    'Powerfully argued ... Lewis offers stimulating readings of texts and images from all periods she discusses.' - Times Literary Supplement

    'a book that will be of considerable value to those interested in history, literature, culture and national identity.' - Andrea Thomas, History