The Creation of Anne Boleyn cover art

The Creation of Anne Boleyn

A New Look at England’s Most Notorious Queen

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The Creation of Anne Boleyn

By: Susan Bordo
Narrated by: Barbara Rosenblat
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About this listen

Part biography, part cultural history, The Creation of Anne Boleyn is a fascinating reconstruction of Anne’s life and an illuminating look at her afterlife in the popular imagination. Why is Anne so compelling? Why has she inspired such extreme reactions? What did she really look like? Was she the flaxen-haired martyr of Romantic paintings or the raven-haired seductress of twenty-first-century portrayals? (Answer: Neither.) And perhaps the most provocative questions concern Anne’s death more than her life. How could Henry order the execution of a once beloved wife? Drawing on scholarship and critical analysis, Bordo probes the complexities of one of history’s most infamous relationships.

Bordo also shows how generations of polemicists, biographers, novelists, and filmmakers imagined and re-imagined Anne: Whore, martyr, cautionary tale, proto “mean girl,” feminist icon, and everything in between. In this lively audiobook, Bordo steps off the well-trodden paths of Tudoriana to expertly tease out the human being behind the competing mythologies.

©2013 Susan Bordo (P)2014 Audible, Inc. Europe Gender Studies Great Britain Historical Politics & Activism Royalty Social Sciences Women England Tudor

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loved it, took a little while to warm up at first. but afterwards it was thoroughly compelling. I have yet to read an historical book that compares and contrast so much other historians, pieces of pop fiction and tv. I would recommend this read to those who wants to hear something else about Anne Boleyn, other than the 'wanton vixen'

A new Insight on a thoroughly investigated Anne

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Great book! A couple of small sections of text repeat though which is a shame

Great book but a couple of audio editing snafus

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A well-balanced, insightful deep dive into the life and death of a highly intelligent and exceptionally complex woman—Anne Boleyn—whose legacy has been heartbreakingly flattened and vilified by centuries of slander and religious propaganda. Susan Bordo does a masterful job of interrogating the myths and restoring nuance to Anne’s story. The narrator brings out the subtleties beautifully, capturing both the weight of the unfounded assumptions made about Anne and the often absurd, even darkly comic portrayals offered by so-called ‘popular historians.’

Compassionate and extremely well researched

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Loved this, as I always enjoy Susan Bordo's work. She is one of the few academics whose writing engages me right from the start, and keeps me glued to the page - or headset, in this case.

I was taught during a Catholic upbringing that Anne Boleyn was a six-fingered whore and scheming monster, who single-handedly forced Henry VIII to abandon the Church. Even as a teenager I thought that was a bit much, but never took the trouble to find out for myself who this fascinating woman had really been. No-one has made it clearer that we actually have very little real information to go on!

I love Susan Bordo's clarity and the way she helps me learn how better to approach a topic - history, and historical fiction are two of my favourites; I doubt that I will look at either in exactly the same way again.

Barbara Rosenblat's narration was excellent.

Refreshing!

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I loved this and sped through with utter delight. I, too, am obsessed with Anne Boleyn and have been since childhood. Cannot believe it took me so long to find and dive into this wonderful book.

Remarkable!

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Particularly enjoyed the look at cultural impact of different narratives of Anne Boleyn. I haven't seen much of the referenced material, and was unaware of many of the myths debunked in the first place, but Susan Bordo's excellent storytelling meant this didn't matter. Definitely recommend to anyone interested in history, feminism, sociology, and media. Narrator also did a fantastic job!

surprising and excellent

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Very interesting historical exploration of how the image Anne Boleyn was shaped and reshaped through the years.

Fantastic and interesting!

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I've read several books about Anne Boleyn by different authors and this is one of the better. It does jump about a bit , but always to make a point clear. The narration was very good and didn't try for funny voices, and also had good pace all round. Would I recommend it? I all ready have.

Always good to have a different view.

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