I really appreciate Susannah Lipscomb's reminder that secondary sources are to be read with a pinch of salt. I have always been naturally weary of secondary sources.
As much as I enjoyed this discussion, And while I don't disagree that history certainly belongs in theaters And on TV and in literature in an entertainment capacity... & I'm not sure if this is more of a statement or a question, but maybe I can make it a little of both, What I'm getting at is when we have historical dramas that are entirely inaccurate in almost every Particular... To take a Somewhat (but not so very) recent example I think most people are familiar with, The Other Boelyn girl... Which in general i enjoyed immensely just as a movie, however as far as I can tell is only accurate in time, some of the costumes and the names used lol... And that might be a bit of an overstatement but they certainly took many liberties with historical accuracy in that film, which was and still is wildly popular... And I realize this question probably won't get directly to The scholars in this discussion, however I am still going to generally pose the question: What harm do we think history in popular culture May have when that history is not entirely accurate? Because in my estimation I feel like these dramatic representations of real history often reach more people than the actual history does lol... To continue with my earlier example; I can't tell you how many people I've talked with who don't realize how long the courtship between Henry and Ann was While they were waiting on his divorce before they were able to marry... Also I hear a lot who generally think Henry chopped off the heads of all of his wives, Or all of his wives after Katherine.... that Anne was the oldest Boelyn... that Thomas Boelyn was a bumbling social climber, Which I never met the man lol that might be a little true, but he wasn't a full character actor & he certainly had his own merits... I remember right when the Film 1st came out talking with one of my friends who was Convinced Mary Boelyn had raised Queen Elizabeth I because of that scene at the end where she says " Mother give me the child"... So I guess I'm just curious what we think the value of history in popular culture is when it is strictly dramatized For entertainment And historical accuracy becomes Something between a very broad outline and an afterthought...
Anya Seton’s Katherine is the book that started my love of English history when I was 12, many decades ago ❤
A true shame this post is not getting more attention. Well done.
I really appreciate Susannah Lipscomb's reminder that secondary sources are to be read with a pinch of salt. I have always been naturally weary of secondary sources.
Suzannah is the new Queen of England!!
As much as I enjoyed this discussion, And while I don't disagree that history certainly belongs in theaters And on TV and in literature in an entertainment capacity... & I'm not sure if this is more of a statement or a question, but maybe I can make it a little of both, What I'm getting at is when we have historical dramas that are entirely inaccurate in almost every Particular...
To take a Somewhat (but not so very) recent example I think most people are familiar with, The Other Boelyn girl... Which in general i enjoyed immensely just as a movie, however as far as I can tell is only accurate in time, some of the costumes and the names used lol... And that might be a bit of an overstatement but they certainly took many liberties with historical accuracy in that film, which was and still is wildly popular...
And I realize this question probably won't get directly to The scholars in this discussion, however I am still going to generally pose the question:
What harm do we think history in popular culture May have when that history is not entirely accurate?
Because in my estimation I feel like these dramatic representations of real history often reach more people than the actual history does lol...
To continue with my earlier example; I can't tell you how many people I've talked with who don't realize how long the courtship between Henry and Ann was While they were waiting on his divorce before they were able to marry... Also I hear a lot who generally think Henry chopped off the heads of all of his wives, Or all of his wives after Katherine.... that Anne was the oldest Boelyn... that Thomas Boelyn was a bumbling social climber, Which I never met the man lol that might be a little true, but he wasn't a full character actor & he certainly had his own merits... I remember right when the Film 1st came out talking with one of my friends who was Convinced Mary Boelyn had raised Queen Elizabeth I because of that scene at the end where she says " Mother give me the child"...
So I guess I'm just curious what we think the value of history in popular culture is when it is strictly dramatized For entertainment And historical accuracy becomes Something between a very broad outline and an afterthought...
I’m glad I wasn’t alive as a woman in the 16th century.
I always think the same thing when I’m having a hard day here in the 21st C