The Heart and Stomach of a King: Elizabeth I and the Politics of Sex and Power - Softcover

Levin, Carole

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9780812222401: The Heart and Stomach of a King: Elizabeth I and the Politics of Sex and Power
Softcover
ISBN 10: 0812222407 ISBN 13: 9780812222401
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2013

Synopsis

In her famous speech to rouse the English troops staking out Tilbury at the mouth of the Thames during the Spanish Armada's campaign, Queen Elizabeth I is said to have proclaimed, "I may have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king." Whether or not the transcription is accurate, the persistent attribution of this provocative statement to England's most studied and celebrated queen illustrates some of the contradictions and cultural anxieties that dominated the collective consciousness of England during a reign that lasted from 1558 until 1603.

In The Heart and Stomach of a King, Carole Levin explores the myriad ways the unmarried, childless Elizabeth represented herself and the ways members of her court, foreign ambassadors, and subjects represented and responded to her as a public figure. In particular, Levin interrogates the gender constructions, role expectations, and beliefs about sexuality that influenced her public persona and the way she was perceived as a female Protestant ruler. With a new introduction that situates the book within the emerging genre of cultural biography, the second edition of The Heart and Stomach of a King offers insight into the continued fascination with Elizabeth I and her reign.

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About the Author

Carole Levin is Willa Cather Professor of History and Director of the Medieval and Renaissance Studies Program at the University of Nebraska. She is author of Dreaming the English Renaissance: Politics and Desire in Court and Culture and Propaganda in the English Reformation: Heroic and Villainous Images of King John.

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Publisher
University of Pennsylvania Press
Publication date
2013
Language
English
ISBN 10 
0812222407
ISBN 13 
9780812222401
Binding
Paperback
Edition number
2
Number of pages
264
Rating
  • 3.89 out of 5 stars
    269 ratings by Goodreads

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9780812215335: The Heart and Stomach of a King: Elizabeth I and the Politics of Sex and Power (New Cultural Studies)

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  0812215338 ISBN 13:  9780812215335
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1994
Softcover