Synopses & Reviews
The management of image in the service of power is a familiar tool of twenty-first- century politics. Yet as long ago as the sixteenth century, British monarchs deployed what we might now describe as and#147;spin.and#8221; In this book a leading historian reveals how Tudor kings and queens sought to enhance their authority by presenting themselves to best advantage. Kevin Sharpe offers the first full analysis of the verbal and visual representations of Tudor power, embracing disciplines as diverse as art history, literary studies, and the history of consumption and material culture.
and#160;
The author finds that those rulers who maintained the delicate balance between mystification and popularization in the art of royal representationand#151;notably Henry VIII and Elizabeth Iand#151;enjoyed the longest reigns and often the widest support. But by the end of the sixteenth century, the perception of royalty shifted, becoming less sacred and more familiar and leaving Stuart successors to the crown to deal with a difficult legacy.
Review
and#8220;A big and serious book . . . Sharpe shows with great fluency and skill that the Tudor monarchs understood the effectiveness of image.and#8221;--Stephen Alford,
Huntington Library Quarterly
Review
and#8220;Convincing and important.and#8221;--
Philological QuarterlyReview
and#8220;This is a bold undertaking, but this first volume suggests that it is one very much suited to Kevin Sharpeand#8217;s strengths. The prose is fluent and accessible, the ideas striking, the argument assertive and wide-ranging, based on a vast array of different sources . . . this book is immensely valuable. . . . a huge achievement. . . an important, thought-provoking and richly rewarding book which should be required reading for every early modern scholar.and#8221;--Lucy Wooding,
Reviews in History
Review
and#8220;Sharpe captures the multi-layered magnificence of Tudor monarchy and its audiencesand#8230;.Written by a scholar who has worked at the forefront of historical enquiry for almost three decades, the book establishes an agenda for the next generation. . .with a contagious enthusiasm that will engage general and specialist readers alike.and#8221;--Janet Dickinson,
History Today
Review
and#8220;Significant and powerful . . . an important book . . . a truly original study.and#8221;--Ethan Shagan,
Journal of British Studies
Review
"A wonderful book about the 'media folk' of Tudor England--artists and writers employed by a succession of monarchs to propagate an image of the sovereign. Breathtaking in its scope and a real revelation about Tudor 'spin.'"--Derek Wilson, "Writers Read" blog
Review
"Sharpe's reading of select contemporary texts is often fresh and often brilliantly insightful. Methodologically, he has written a ground-breaking study of the Tudor monarchy, one likely to be consulted for many years to come."--Dale Hoak, Literature and History
Review
"Sharpe's new volume is a masterful work . . . [and]and#160;an ideal book for teachers and researchers to reference in and out of the classroom."and#8212;Kristen Post Walton, American Historical Review
Review
and#8220;A compelling and wide-ranging account of the importance of image and representation to the Tudor monarchs . . . [this book] will be of value to scholars across the disciplines who are interested in the political culture of early modern England.and#8221;and#8212;Karl Gunther, Journal of Modern History
Review
"This trilogy isandnbsp;a cornucopia of contexts, details, and sharply debated correctives to easy assumption about high-culture England in the early modern period. Historically informed criticism is only as good as the historiography on which it depends, and here, most surely, there is wealth of scholarship on which we should freely draw."and#8212;Thomas N. Corns, Milton Quarterly
Synopsis
The management of image in the service of power is a familiar tool of twenty-first- century politics. Yet as long ago as the sixteenth century, British monarchs deployed what we might now describe as "spin." In this book a leading historian reveals how Tudor kings and queens sought to enhance their authority by presenting themselves to best advantage. Kevin Sharpe offers the first full analysis of the verbal and visual representations of Tudor power, embracing disciplines as diverse as art history, literary studies, and the history of consumption and material culture.
The author finds that those rulers who maintained the delicate balance between mystification and popularization in the art of royal representation--notably Henry VIII and Elizabeth I--enjoyed the longest reigns and often the widest support. But by the end of the sixteenth century, the perception of royalty shifted, becoming less sacred and more familiar and leaving Stuart successors to the crown to deal with a difficult legacy.
About the Author
Kevin Sharpe is professor of Renaissance studies and director of the Centre for Renaissance and Early Modern Studies, Queen Mary, University of London. He is author of The Personal Rule of Charles I and Reading Revolutions, both published by Yale University Press.