Elizabeth I: The Voice of a Monarch (Queenship and Power)

This groundbreaking book combines literary interpretation, gender analysis, and cultural, political, and diplomatic history to examine how Elizabeth I used the discourse of love to establish her political power, assert her right to marry or not, and rule the country herself either way. Bell Is The Only Scholar Out There Who Is Able To Tackle The Complexities Of Elizabeth's Written And Reported Spoken Discourse With The Full Literary Attention That It Deserves. Once Published, This Pathbreaking Book Will Show An Entire Generation Of Scholars How To Integrate Elizabeth Tudor The Writer Into Our Understanding Of Rhetoric, Poetics, And Language In The Elizabethan Age. The Fruits Of This Heightened Attention To The Rhetoricity And Literariness Of Elizabeth's Self-presentation Are Clear. Bell Has The Potential To Change The Way We Think About Elizabeth's Place In The Histories Of Gender, Politics, Religions, Diplomacy--ultimately In History Itself.--john Watkins, Professor Of English, University Of Minnesota This Book Focuses On The Ways In Which Elizabeth Represented Herself In Her Own Words, Especially In Speeches, Reported Conversations, And Private Poems From The First Half Of Her Reign, A Time When She Was Simultaneously Establishing Her Political Authority And Negotiating Marriage. Her Insistence On Conducting Her Own Courtships And Ruling The Country Herself Whether Or Not She Married Provoked Widespread Discussion And Considerable Resistance. Her Unprecedented Art Of Courtship, Expressed In Her Characteristically Witty, Enigmatic Language And Forceful Rhetoric, Merged With A Wider Social Controversy Over Conjugal Freedom Of Choice And Women's Lawful Liberty That Helped Make The Elizabethan Era An Extraordinarily Fertile And Creative Period In English Literature.--book Jacket. From Princess To Prince: A Brief Life Story -- The Art Of Poetry, The Art Of Courtship: Elizabeth I And The Elizabethan Writing Culture -- The Pre-coronation Procession: So Prince-like A Voice -- Early Days: Parliamentary Speech (1559) And The Woodstock Epigrams -- Diplomacy And Correspondency: Elizabeth's Reported Speech -- Parliamentary Speeches (1563, 1566) And The Psalter Posy -- Popular Debate And Courtly Dialogue: Always Her Own Free Woman -- The Queen Of Enigma And Monsieur's Departure. Ilona Bell. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. "Bell is the only scholar out there who is able to tackle the complexities of Elizabeth's written and reported spoken discourse with the full literary attention that it deserves. Once published, this pathbreaking book will show an entire generation of scholars how to integrate Elizabeth Tudor the writer into our understanding of rhetoric, poetics, and language in the Elizabethan age. The fruits of this heightened attention to the rhetoricity and literariness of Elizabeth's self-presentation are clear. Bell has the potential to change the way we think about Elizabeth's place in the histories of gender, politics, religions, diplomacy - ultimately in history itself."--John Watkins, Professor of English, University of Minnesota This book focuses on the ways in which Elizabeth represented herself in her own words, especially in speeches, reported conversations, and private poems from the first half of her reign when she was simultaneously establishing her political authority and negotiating marriage at home and abroad. Although Elizabeth's novel and unprecedented art of courtship garnered considerable resistance and disapproval, by the end of her reign it had sparked or merged with a wider, ongoing social controversy over conjugal freedom of choice and women's lawful liberty that helped make the Elizabethan era an extraordinarily fertile and creative period in English literature Cover 1 CONTENTS 8 IMAGES 10 PREFACE 12 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 16 PERMISSIONS 18 CHAPTER 1 FROM PRINCESS TO PRINCE—A BRIEF LIFE STORY 20 CHAPTER 2 THE ART OF POETRY, THE ARTOF COURTSHIP: ELIZABETH IAND THE ELIZABETHANWRITING CULTURE 25 CHAPTER 3 THE PRE-CORONATIONPROCESSION: SO PRINCELIKEA VOICE 49 CHAPTER 4 EARLY DAYS: PARLIAMENTARYSPEECH (1559) AND THEWOODSTOCK EPIGRAMS 63 CHAPTER 5 DIPLOMACY ANDCORRESPONDENCY: ELIZABETH’SREPORTED SPEECH 83 CHAPTER 6 PARLIAMENTARY SPEECHES(1563, 1566) AND THEPSALTER POSY 111 CHAPTER 7 POPULAR DEBATE AND COURTLYDIALOGUE: ALWAYS HEROWN FREE WOMAN 134 CHAPTER 8 THE QUEEN OF ENIGMA ANDMONSIEUR’S DEPARTURE 162 NOTES 189 INDEX 217 Front Matter....Pages i-xviii From Princess to Prince—A Brief Life Story....Pages 1-5 The Art of Poetry, the Art of Courtship: Elizabeth I and the Elizabethan Writing Culture....Pages 7-30 The Pre-coronation Procession: So Prince-like a Voice....Pages 31-44 Early Days: Parliamentary Speech (1559) and the Woodstock Epigrams....Pages 45-64 Diplomacy and Correspondency: Elizabeth’s Reported Speech....Pages 65-92 Parliamentary Speeches (1563, 1566) and the Psalter Posy....Pages 93-115 Popular Debate and Courtly Dialogue: Always Her Own Free Woman....Pages 117-144 The Queen of Enigma and Monsieur’s Departure....Pages 145-171 Back Matter....Pages 173-207 From princess to prince: a brief life story The art of poetry, the art of courtship: Elizabeth and the Elizabethans The pre-coronation procession: so prince-like a voice Early days: Parliamentary speech (1559) and the Woodstock epigrams Diplomacy and correspondency: Elizabeth's reported speech Parliamentary speeches (1563, 1566) and the Psalter Posie Popular debate and courtly dialogue: always her own free woman On monsieur's departure: I love, and yet am forced to seem to hate.