The Creation of Anne Boleyn

February 18, 2013
Bordo (Unbearable Weight) writes that the goal of this engaging cultural biography was to “find the ‘real’ Anne Boleyn and rescue her from the pile of mythology that had built up around her” even before her beheading in 1536, a sad end that earned her the dubious distinction of being the first Queen of England to be executed. The University of Kentucky humanities chair does a superb job of separating fact from fiction in contemporary accounts of Boleyn’s life, before deftly deconstructing the myriad and contradictory portraits of her that have arisen in the centuries since her death, which range from the virtuous heroine depicted in John Foxe’s Book of Martyrs (1563) to the “selfish, spiteful, and vindictive” sister of Philippa Gregory’s bestselling 2003 novel The Other Boleyn Girl, which Bordo skewers quite mercilessly and at length for its historical inaccuracies. In addition, the author offers interesting insights into the representation of a historical figure, as well as varying feminist interpretations of Boleyn’s legacy. The young queen has been the source of fascination for nearly half a millennium, and her legacy continues; this engaging portrait culminates with an intriguing exploration of Boleyn’s recent reemergence in pop culture. Agent: Sam Stoloff, Frances Goldin Literary Agency.