History 2A: Social and Cultural History of Europe, 1500-2000 Essay Marksheet PDF

**\`**SchHum Eng & Gael mono +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | **COURSE NAME:\ | | HISTORY 2A: SOCIAL AND CULTURAL HISTORY OF EUROPE, 1500-2000** | |...

**\`**SchHum Eng & Gael mono +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | **COURSE NAME:\ | | HISTORY 2A: SOCIAL AND CULTURAL HISTORY OF EUROPE, 1500-2000** | | | | **ESSAY MARKSHEET** | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ Student (matriculation) number 2879463 -------------------------------- ------------ Tutor's name Essay question Question 5 Word count *Paste your essay at the bottom of this file for submission to Moodle. Save the file with your matriculation number as your file name. Make sure that word count excludes the cover sheet and bibliography.* History Marking Criteria - Argument: relevance, analysis, evidence, structure, accuracy, understanding - Research: independent reading, historiography - Style: expression, referencing **Category** **Comments** ---------------- -------------- Argument Research Style How to improve **Mark** ---------------------- -- **Lateness penalty** **Final mark** **\ ** ***Insert essay here*** **Women throughout history have been under a scrutinous eye in which they must complete the task of being impossible. Mary, Queen of Scot's during her life** **was seen as either naïve or an evil** **temptress. Her reputation has not settles and has experienced multiple afterlives. I propose the ever-shifting evolution of Mary has an overarching fixation on her gender. In terms of the excerice of power, I will argue that Mary lacks autonomy in the way she** **is portrayed but I believe she cannot escape that reality so one should ask whether there is any point to give her definitive meaning. iwill discuss the impression of Mary after her death in conjunction to James's attempts to revive his mother\'s memory. I will discuss the Georgian male lens and how that differs from a popular female belief of her as a misunderstood** **heroine. I will discuss modern representations which shape new narratives and have new focuses.** **Mary suffered at the hands of her cousin Elizabeth, lovers, and John Knox. She** **was imprisoned for 19 years and despite many Protestants seeing her as deserving of her punishment, many saw Mary as innocent including some who were not Catholic. She became popular to depict in art, especially her execution or her abdication. A popular image is the wood engraved depiction of Mary's execution *Histoire et martyre de la Royne d'Escosse...Avec un petit livret de sa*** ***mort***[^1^](#fn1){#fnref1.footnote-ref} **which shows Mary with her head on the block as in front of a crowd of men and a crying lady in waiting. This depiction portrays her as a martyr suffering at the hands of Elizabeth and the ability to spread pamphlets easily allowed for fast distibution of biases. Blackwoods image depicts Mary as defeated, kneeling, and** **being surrounded by men with weapons. Other depictions such as William Udall's *Historie of the life ad Death of Mary Stuart, Queene of*** ***Scotland***[^2^](#fn2){#fnref2.footnote-ref} **despite a melancholic expression and the crying maiden, shows regality and with the royal iconography, she appears empowered and stoic. The latter example is from almost fifty years after her death and the enamorement of Mary appears strong. Despite varying early responses to her death, many examples share the focus on gender. Though many sources depict her innocence, it is through scenes of fragility and degradation. One could argue that where Elizabeth is modest and virginal, Mary gives into her "feminine tendencies." The sources often show her in moments of defeat, pushing a bias of her and other women being unable to champion the turmoil of power. Even examples of her as powerful push an oversimplified narrative so one cannot engage properly with the downfalls in her reign.** **After the death of Elizabeth and James** **was made king, he found the need to commemorate Mary who he believed** **was wrongfully killed. He commissioned a range of portraits, but I will focus on is *Mary Queen of Scots and James VI/******I^.^***[^3^](#fn3){#fnref3.footnote-ref}***.*It depicts Mary and James on equal levels whilst she holds her rosary and he holds his sword with a shared Scottish crown, showing his belief that they are both legitimate. They look** **close as she gazes in his direction, and they have a resemblance which could emphasis their connection. Jayne Elizabeth Lewis makes a point that James in a sense was symbolically Mary since he was fullfilling his reign that should have been** **hers**[^4^](#fn4){#fnref4.footnote-ref}**. 'To want her end was to want his own' Lewis states which encapsulates the mirroring of the** **two**[^5^](#fn5){#fnref5.footnote-ref}**. Mary** **is presented as a double and not mutually exclusive in James's eyes. He pushes this image of Marys innocence but through a motherly** **lense**[^6^](#fn6){#fnref6.footnote-ref}**. This takes away her agency but also sidelines her politics and queenship, pushing the view that a woman's only notable achievements are motherhood. He also contributes to the bias of her innocence which ignores events such as the murder of Darnley. As Lewis infers, she not onlyreduced to mother but** **is manipulated to push forward James** **polically**[^7^](#fn7){#fnref7.footnote-ref}**. There is an innocent affectionate angle from a son, but it seems as many women often have, she** **is used as a facilitator so James can control his image whilst she** **is distorted.** **"The problem of the female monarch \[...\] is always her gender."**[^8^](#fn8){#fnref8.footnote-ref} **Grace Butkowski argues that Mary fits the Georgian narrative since her motherly and wifely achievements amount to more than her queenship. Any faults are a consequence of her gender. Mary became a source of inspiration for many male historians of the Georgian** **era**[^9^](#fn9){#fnref9.footnote-ref} **. One may argue there was enthusiasm as she was subjected to misogynistic abuse or fawned over such as Walter Goodall**[^10^](#fn10){#fnref10.footnote-ref}**. The trend of women either being evil** **seductresses or perfect angels poses issues on both ends. The art created during the Georgian era also shows the general male gaze. One impaticuar artwork is *The Abdication of Mary, Queen of*** ***Scots***[^11^](#fn11){#fnref11.footnote-ref} **shows Mary centre stage, lit up looking sorrowfully into the abyss as she lets the crown role from her hands and signs away the throne. It is beautiful but in the words of Lewis, it's the 'biggest and best fetish object of all'**[^12^](#fn12){#fnref12.footnote-ref}**.James Boswell, the commissioner, wished for Mary to be askew so she** **was surrounded by stern looking men with weapons. His mother had died so she proposes mabye he tried to fill the void. Accuracy appears irrelevant here as she is fulfilling a motherly role again yet** **there is sexuality intertwined which reduces her down to parent or a sex object which many belived women should be and removes all agency, further emphasised with the choice of** **scene**[^13^](#fn13){#fnref13.footnote-ref}**.** Whilst both genders obsessed over her, their approaches differed. Mary was seen as a suitable topic off interest for women since she fullfilled her "womanly duties" and her dedication to the Catholicism was endearing. There was a lack of women who wrote histories in the 18^th^ and 19^th^ century so many would be fed a biased account of her. Despite this, many women had an interest in her in which they could play, relate and ponder her legacy[^14^](#fn14){#fnref14.footnote-ref}. Marjorie Fleming who only lived till seven wrote a poem called 'The life of Mary Queen of Scots by M. F' in which she recounts Mary's life. 'Poor Mary Queen of Scots was born/ With all the graces which adorn' and 'Her soul would mount the sky'[^15^](#fn15){#fnref15.footnote-ref} shows how sympathetic the young girl was but her works were infantilised which is the result of being a child and a girl[^16^](#fn16){#fnref16.footnote-ref} Jane Austen also wrote a revised history mocking that of a mans which wished to besmirch Mary. She responded with a clever and sympathetic parody of his accompanied watercolours from her sister ad the one of Mary resembled her[^17^](#fn17){#fnref17.footnote-ref}. Both girls gave Mary exemption from blame, and it appears that they and propbably other girls found an affinity with her and saw something of themselves. Mabye isolation or being controlled or their rivalries with other girls. Either way, they do relate to gender and do resolve her of blame like many men, but the intent is different. It is innocent and wants to give her power whilst simultaneously controlling it but without malicious intent. **I will now talk about portrayals of Mary in different art forms. Since her death she has offered inspiration to many. In the past she** **was reproduced which wished to push an exact representation of her in terms of appearances (I am aware that many of these are not** **accurate but the intent was there). In the modern era, she has many different incarnations. One aspect is portraits. There has been an urge, especially from female artists, to depict her as more than the common tropes usually being her queenship or her gender in isolation. Helen Flockhart depicts her with the red hair, but she focuses on various aspects of her life which** **are not usually depicted which contrasts with the common execution or abdication. Despite a level of romanticisation, they give a little agency back to Mary who can finally show the world her quiet, unknown moments which feel intimate and real**[^18^](#fn18){#fnref18.footnote-ref}**. In terms of film, she has** **been portrayed in range of ways, recently being the film *Mary Queen of Scot's (2019)* which keeps inline with the element of realism apart from artistic choices from the costume department which took her traditional iconography and made it high fashion. It got criticism for lack of realism and the artistic choices it I belive that does not matter. The focus should be on the way she** **was presented which was kind and determined and the way there is more problem with her religion than gender**[^19^](#fn19){#fnref19.footnote-ref}**. In comedy, she** **is often presented as a Scottish born and raised woman with a bit of an edge. Michelle Gomez in *Pyschobitches (2013)* her as having a thick Scottish accent and being foul mouthed and angry at Elizabeth whilst** **maintaining the classic iconography**[^20^](#fn20){#fnref20.footnote-ref}**. These depictions differ from the earlier paintings mentioned as she** **is presented as intimate and melancholic, strong of will and kind and foul mouthed and passionate. The focus** **is taken off her gender in the sense that that isnt her over arching character and power is either given back physically or by letting her have unfamiliar stories told.** **Mary has endured, survived, and thrived in many depictions. I believe most of the depictions acccuratley reflect attitudes towards gender of each period accurately. The trope of either virgin or whore has** **been used in a rife manner but in recent years, there are more feminist responses to her which shows a slowly improving attitude towards women in some spheres. In terms of power, I belive that to an extent in many depictions, she has a level of autonomy taken from her a soon as one starts to depict another without substantial fact to base it off. This can make for stereotypical, infantilising, degrading work to serve certain narratives or fantasies and on the other hand, the mythologising of her gives way to stories which may be inaccurate but uplift her reputation and that of women. Though gender is still relevant, its how one approuches that and whether that is defining her. I have discussed how the circulation of material like pamphlets pushed narratives fast.. I also touched on the art James I commissioned and what it meant. I then moved onto how many Victorian men portrayed her as weak and fetishicised in her portrayal as opposed to how women saw her as free of sin ans misunderstood by the patriarchy. I then discussed portrayals in modern media which portray many versions of her, with many giving her power without the focus purely on gender. To conclude, I believe her many images show attitudes towards women quite realistically with them seen as all encompassing; simultaneously being powerful and useless whilst also enabling but being silent. One they die, their reputations can** **be desecrated or worshipped. Mary Stuart spent much of her life in captivity and in death, she** **is still held hostage any time we apply narratives to her.** Bibliography Primary Adam Blackwood, *Histoire et martyre de la Royne d'Escosse...Avec un petit livret de sa mort*, c1589, engraving print, unknown, GU Sp coll cn 3.36. Marjorie Flemming *Marjorys book: The Complete Journals, Letters, and Poems of a Young Girl Marjory Flemming* (Mercator press, 1999) Gavin Hamilton, *The Abdication of Mary, Queen of Scots*, c. 1776, oil on canvas, 175.3 x 160.4cm, The Hunterian Josie Rourke *Mary Queen of Scots* (Universal Pictures, Focus Features, 2019) *Pyschobitches*, Tiger Aspect Prductions (Sky Arts Productions, 2013-14) Episode 1.4 (2013) William Udall, ***Historie of the life ad Death of Mary Stuart, Queene of Scotland,* 1636, engraving print, Boston Public library pg8** Unknown, *Mary Queen of Scot's and James VI/I*, c1583, unknown, Briar Castle Secondary Butkowski, Grace K., 'Victorian Representations of Mary, Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I', *Honors Theses, *vol.69 (2015), pp.1 -- 87 Lewis, Jayne E., *Mary Queen of Scots: Romance and Nation*(Routledge, 1998) Pelling, Madeleine, 'Reimagining Elizabeth I and Mary queen of Scots: women's historiography and domestic identities, c. 1750-1800', *Women's History Review, *vol.29/ no.7 (2020), pp.1085 -- 1114 Reid, Steven J.,'Long Live the Queen: The Afterlife of Mary, Queen of Scots in Contemporary Visual Culture', in *Afterlife of Mary, Queen of Scots, *ed. Steven J. Reid (Edinburgh University Press, 2024), pp.347 -- 366  Smith, Jeremy L., 'Revisiting the Origins of the Sheffield Series of Portraits of Mary Queen of Scots', *The Burlington Magazine,* vol. 152, no. 1285 (2010), pp. 212 -- 218. Vallone, Lynne, 'History Girls: Eighteenth -- and Nineteenth -- century Historiography and the case of Mary, Queen of Scots', *Children's Literature; Baltimore, *vol. 36 (2008), pp.1 -- 23 - ::: {.section.footnotes} ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. ::: {#fn1} Adam Blackwood, *Histoire et martyre de la Royne d'Escosse...Avec un petit livret de sa mort*, c1589, engraving print, unknown, GU Sp coll cn 3.36.[↩](#fnref1){.footnote-back} ::: 2. ::: {#fn2} William Udall, ***Historie of the life ad Death of Mary Stuart, Queene of Scotland,* 1636, engraving print, Boston Public library pg8**[↩](#fnref2){.footnote-back} ::: 3. ::: {#fn3} Unknown, *Mary Queen of Scot's and James VI/I*, c1583, unknown, Briar Castle[↩](#fnref3){.footnote-back} ::: 4. ::: {#fn4} Jayne E, Lewis., *Mary Queen of Scots: Romance and Nation* (Routledge, 1998)[↩](#fnref4){.footnote-back} ::: 5. ::: {#fn5} Ibid, 71[↩](#fnref5){.footnote-back} ::: 6. ::: {#fn6} Ibid[↩](#fnref6){.footnote-back} ::: 7. ::: {#fn7} Ibid, 80-85[↩](#fnref7){.footnote-back} ::: 8. ::: {#fn8} Lynne Vallone *History Girls: Eighteenth -- and* *Nineteenth -- century Historiography and the case of Mary, Queen of Scots *(John Hopkins University Press, 2008), pg1-23[↩](#fnref8){.footnote-back} ::: 9. ::: {#fn9} Butkowski, Grace K., 'Victorian Representations of Mary, Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I', Honors Theses, vol.69 (2015), pp.1 -- 87[↩](#fnref9){.footnote-back} ::: 10. ::: {#fn10} Lewis, Ibid 103-22[↩](#fnref10){.footnote-back} ::: 11. ::: {#fn11} Gavin Hamilton, *The Abdication of Mary, Queen of Scots*, c. 1776, oil on canvas, 175.3 x 160.4cm, The Hunterian[↩](#fnref11){.footnote-back} ::: 12. ::: {#fn12} Lewis, Ibid 115[↩](#fnref12){.footnote-back} ::: 13. ::: {#fn13} Ibid[↩](#fnref13){.footnote-back} ::: 14. ::: {#fn14} Madeleine Pelling *Reimagining Elizabeth I and Mary queen of Scots: women's historiography and domestic identitie*s, *c. 1750-1800*, (Woman's History review, 2020), pp.1085 -- 1114[↩](#fnref14){.footnote-back} ::: 15. ::: {#fn15} Marjorie Flemming *Marjorys book: The Complete Journals, Letters, and Poems of a Young Girl Marjory Flemming* (Mercator press, 1999)[↩](#fnref15){.footnote-back} ::: 16. ::: {#fn16} Vallone, Ibid,[↩](#fnref16){.footnote-back} ::: 17. ::: {#fn17} Pelling, Ibid[↩](#fnref17){.footnote-back} ::: 18. ::: {#fn18} Steven J Reid.,*'Long Live the Queen: The Afterlife of Mary, Queen of Scots in Contemporary Visual Culture', in Afterlife of Mary, Queen of Scots* (Edinburgh University Press, 2024), pp.347 -- 366[↩](#fnref18){.footnote-back} ::: 19. ::: {#fn19} Josie Rourke *Mary Queen of Scots* (Universal Pictures, Focus Features, 2019)[↩](#fnref19){.footnote-back} ::: 20. ::: {#fn20} *Pyschobitches*, Tiger Aspect Prductions (Sky Arts Productions, 2013-14) Episode 1.4 (2013)[↩](#fnref20){.footnote-back} ::: :::