Elizabeth
is quite the eloquent writer. Is eloquent the right word? Maybe manipulative is
a better word choice. I have to admit, reading Elizabeth’s letters was pretty
torturous. Between her intentions and prose-style writing I found it nearly
impossible to follow her ramblings. Maybe I’m just not adept to reading
Elizabethan era writing; however, I’d be interested to know how everyone else
felt about her writing. Her sentences seemed to drag on and on… and she really
has a knack for dragging out her point. This is especially evident in her
letter to Mary, Queen of Scotts (letter 29). Maybe it wasn’t that long given
the context and severity of the situation, but it seemed infinite when I was
reading it. In the letter, she spends a great deal of time contrasting all the
ill wills of Mary and her humanitarian responses to said actions. Although
crafty and well written, I felt as if I had to reread the letter four or five
times to really understand what she was conveying. By the end of the letter I
was more or less content with the idea of never having to learn more about
Queen Elizabeth past this course.
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| A little extravagant, huh? |
I’m not
quite sure what it is that deters me from Queen Elizabeth. Her portrayal in the
movie, along with my perception of her from her letters just really bothers me;
however, I definitely see the importance of studying these avatars and
understanding the context in which their actions took place. I feel as if most
of my blog posts have been complaints about the literature; however, that being
said, I have enjoyed this class and the concepts we have been studying.
Deconstructing literary avatars do their “core” has been interesting and is a useful
skill to hone. Through reviewing my blog posts, I’m learning that I should try
to put more effort into being open minded to things I’m not particularly fond
of (i.e. Shakespeare, the Elizabethan-era). There is a lot to learn from things
you don’t take a particular interest in. It’s just a matter of sticking to it.
I agree too that the more I read about her the more I am glad I did not have to learn about her before this course. I like too that taking a character of importance and analyzing why they were doing things and how they did is fascinating since they had to be written for a reason.
ReplyDeleteI was having trouble deciding between eloquent and manipulative, too. She knows how to say things at the right times, but is there sincerity behind her polite respectfulness? I definitely didn't pay any attention to these characters we've learned about in class or any others like them before this class, but I've discovered that there really is a lot to uncover and consider.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. I think studying these avatars is interesting. We have gone to a different level other than just skimming material and just guessing what they meant or how they were. We are really diving into the emotions these people had. I also have to agree that the queen is manipulative. I don't like it but I guess a woman in that time period as a queen had to be to rule.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you about Elizabeth's writings. She is confusing in a way that makes you feel the need to re-read everything 2-3 times to make sure you understand all of the subtext. I also agree that I'm done with learning about Elizabeth, she just has so much that is irksome and/or confusing that I'm ready to move on!
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