Elizabeth I

出版者:Anchor Books

作者:Anne Somerset

页数:636

出版时间:2003-01-07

价格:$17.95

装帧:平装

isbn号码:9780385721578

具体描述

The 400th anniversary of the death of Elizabeth I occasions Anchor's publication of Anne Somerset's magisterial biography, singled out by Lady Antonia Fraser as her "favourite among the biographies of the Queen."

Glitteringly detailed and engagingly written, Elizabeth I brings to vivid life the golden age of sixteenth-century England and the uniquely fascinating monarch who presided over it. A woman of intellect and presence, Elizabeth firmly believed in the divine providence of her sovereignty and exercised supreme authority over the intrigue-laden Tudor court and Elizabethan England at large. Brilliant, mercurial, seductive, and maddening, an inspiration to artists and adventurers and the subject of vicious speculation over her choice not to marry, Elizabeth is immortalized in this splendidly illuminating account.

Unraveling the political complexities of Elizabethan England and Europe, bringing alive the alluring, intrigue-laden Tudor court, Anne Somerset examines the life and times of Elizabeth I, the monarch and the woman. of illustrations.

In this totally captivating, sympathetic biography, English writer Somerset quotes an abundance of primary sources to elucidate Queen Elizabeth I's often criticized actions. For example, she investigates the cunning ruler's "sound enough reasons" for attempting to have her hated royal cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots, murdered in an underhand fashion without the bother of an execution. Somerset ( Ladies-in-Waiting) argues that the execution of Elizabeth's mother, Anne Boleyn, when she was two and a half cast a dark shadow over the queen's entire life. A virgin monarch, thrilled by the power of her father, Henry VIII, Elizabeth (1533-1603) turned her sex to her advantage in a man's world. She "flaunted her femininity" with chivalrous male colleagues and used her marital availability as a chief asset in the conduct of foreign affairs. The success of her 45-year reign, writes Somerset, was very much a personal triumph aided by her magnetism and charm. A wry, convincing portrait of a complex character. Illustrated. BOMC alternate.

Flattered, feared, idealized during her lifetime, romanticized ever since, the intensely private Elizabeth I left few accurate portraits for future painters or biographers. Somerset (Ladies in Waiting, 1984) wisely focuses on the queen's complex political life, documenting, largely from primary sources, the religious conflicts, wars, explorations, conspiracies, and rough justice that marked her reign of 45 years. The second daughter of Henry VIII (her mother, the second of six wives, was executed for adultery), Elizabeth came to the throne after the displacement of all her stepmothers and the death of her brother Edward and her sister ``Bloody'' Mary. Although she was excommunicated, she believed she was ``God's choice''--and with that confidence created a national church, revised coinage, sponsored exploration (Drake's circumnavigation of the globe), waged war against Spain, nearly subjugated the ``ungovernable'' Ireland, and strengthened the power of the throne. Pleasure-loving Elizabeth enjoyed dancing, bear-baiting, hunting, clothes (which became more bizarre as she aged), gardens, and ``progresses,'' leading the court on visits to noble houses--partly because the hygiene of her courtiers was so poor that an ``intolerable stench'' soon forced them to move on. She loved gifts, adulation, and the attention of young men, although she married none of them, using their admiration and pursuit as a source of power. Somerset claims that remaining a virgin was part of the queen's ``high calling.'' Meanwhile, her indecisiveness, irascible temper, and legitimate fear of being assassinated led to her imprisoning her cousin Mary for 19 years before, reluctantly, having her executed--although at other times she was capable of impulsive brutality, e.g., publicly cutting off the hand of a printer for criticizing one of her choices of a mate. Despite a few clich?s (the ``air'' was ``thick with intrigue'') and an unnecessary defensiveness about Elizabeth's virginity: a clear, moving, informed narrative.

Elizabeth I, a fascinating, complex woman with immense political, social, and religious power, has had many biographers, but Somerset's thoroughly researched and exhaustively documented study will capture the reader's imagination. Somerset brings historical figures to life, providing the background and motivations for their actions in light of the social structure of the day. The reader gains a real understanding of the problems Elizabeth faced in ruling her unstable kingdom. Somerset has also written The Life and Times of Wil liam IV (Biblio Distribution Centre, 1980) and Ladies-in-Waiting ( LJ 6/15/84). Recommended. BOMC alternate.

-Kathar ine Galloway Garstka, Intergraph Corp., Huntsville, Ala.

Anne Somerset was born in England in 1955 and educated in London, Gloucestershire, and Kent. After studying history at King’s College, London, she worked as a research assistant for various historians. She is the author of The Life and Times of William IV, Ladies-in-Waiting: From the Tudors to the Present Day, Unnatural Murder: Poison at the Court of James I, and The Affair of Poisons. She is married and lives in London.

length: (cm)20.7 　　　 　　　　　 　 width:(cm)13.2

用户评价

我个人认为，这本书最大的亮点在于它对伊丽莎白与苏格兰女王玛丽·斯图亚特之间那场旷日持久的对峙的深入挖掘。这不仅仅是两个女王争夺王位的斗争，更是两种截然不同的统治理念、宗教信仰和女性命运的激烈碰撞。作者没有偏袒任何一方，而是公正地展现了玛丽的悲剧性魅力和伊丽莎白在处理这个潜在威胁时的那种矛盾与挣扎——既要维护自身的安全，又要避免背负“弑君”的恶名。书中对玛丽被囚禁期间的书信往来分析得入木三分，展现了她既有天真烂漫的一面，又有不甘屈服的骄傲。而伊丽莎白面对处决令时的犹豫和最终的决断，被描绘成一个充满人性弱点的君主所做出的最艰难的选择。这种对核心矛盾的细腻处理，使得整本书的后半部分充满了紧张感和宿命感，让人不禁思考，在历史的洪流面前，即便是女王，其命运又被多少看不见的绳索牵引着。

这本书的行文风格非常古典、考究，读起来有一种沉浸式的体验，仿佛真的置身于白厅宫的华丽大厅之中。作者对服饰、礼仪以及那个时代特有的语言习惯的还原度极高，读起来让人赏心悦目。比如，对于伊丽莎白如何利用她的服饰——那些繁复的拉夫领、昂贵的珠宝——来投射国家权力和个人威严的论述，简直是视觉盛宴的文字版。她如何将自己的形象打造成一个神圣不可侵犯的符号，超越了单纯的政治宣传，上升到了一种艺术创作的层面。然而，这种古典的笔调偶尔会显得略微疏离，少了那么一点点直击人心的情感冲击力。虽然我对她权谋上的高明深感敬佩，但在某些关于她私人情感的描绘上，我总觉得隔着一层厚厚的玻璃。尽管如此，它作为一部全面介绍伊丽莎白一世统治时期社会、文化和政治面貌的百科全书式的作品，无疑是重量级的，非常适合希望系统了解那个时代的读者。

这本关于伊丽莎白一世的传记，读起来真像是在翻阅一卷厚重的、泛着金色光泽的皇家挂毯。作者对于都铎王朝宫廷生活的描绘细致入微，那种空气中弥漫着肉桂、蜡烛和一丝若有似无的权谋算计的味道，几乎要从纸页中飘散出来。我特别欣赏作者如何处理“童年阴影”与“女王登基”之间的张力。她并没有将伊丽莎白塑造成一个扁平的、一蹴而就的完美君主，而是展现了一个在玛丽一世的恐怖统治下，时刻提心吊胆、深谙自保之道的年轻女性，如何将这种隐忍和谨慎，淬炼成日后统治的利刃。特别是对于她与罗伯特·达德利之间那种复杂、充满政治算计却又隐约透着真情的纠葛的描写，简直是扣人心弦。书中对当时宗教改革的动荡局势也着墨甚多，那种新教与天主教在你方唱罢我登场的拉锯战，让读者能真切体会到，这位“童贞女王”的宝座底下，随时可能冒出尖锐的匕首。全书的节奏把握得极好，既有宏大的历史叙事，又不乏宫廷内部的八卦与阴谋，读起来酣畅淋漓，让人忍不住一口气读完，并立刻想去查阅更多关于那个黄金时代的资料。

我必须承认，这本书的学术严谨性给我留下了极其深刻的印象。它绝非是那种为了追求戏剧性而歪曲史实的通俗读物。每一次重大决策的引述，都有详实的文献佐证，注释部分简直是一部副传，让人在阅读正文的流畅体验之余，又能随时深入挖掘史料的深度。最令我欣赏的是，作者对“西班牙无敌舰队”那段历史的处理。她没有简单地将其描绘成一场一方倒的胜利，而是细致地分析了英国海军的战术创新、恶劣的天气条件（不得不提“上帝之风”的助力）以及西班牙内部后勤的致命缺陷。这使得整个战役的描绘既有史诗般的宏大，又不失对军事细节的精准把握。读完这一部分，你会发现，伊丽莎白时代的辉煌，并非是空中楼阁，而是建立在极其精密的政治算计和高效的资源调配之上的。这本书的价值，就在于它能让你在赞叹历史光辉的同时，也能理解光辉背后的那些冷硬的、务实的运作逻辑。

说实话，我原本对伊丽莎白一世这个人物并没有抱有太高的期待，总觉得历史书上的人物总是被神化得有些失真。但这本书的叙事风格，完全颠覆了我的认知。它更像是一部高质量的、充满历史细节的文学小说，而非僵硬的学术著作。作者的笔触极其冷静，却又带着一种洞察人性的犀利。她对伊丽莎白在外交策略上的分析尤其精彩，那种周旋于西班牙的菲利普二世和法国的各方势力之间，如同一个高明的棋手，每一步都经过深思熟虑，甚至连她的“不婚”策略都被剖析得头头是道——这不仅仅是个人选择，更是一场高明的政治赌注。书中对伊丽莎白晚年的描绘，尤其让我动容。她如何面对逐渐衰老的身躯，如何处理与年轻大臣们的摩擦，以及如何平衡人民对她的狂热崇拜与她内心深处的孤独，都写得极为真实和克制。这种细腻入微的心理刻画，让我感觉这位十六世纪的女王，仿佛就坐在我的对面，向我娓娓道来她一生的不易与荣耀。