This may not be the best example but i absolutely hate when shows or movies call Anne a wh*re, i mean i understand people used to call her that in reality but it just bothers me to no end. Like in Anne Of A Thousand Days and The Tudors and almost every other Tudors movie,show,books etc etc.  UGHHH !!!!

I liked both your examples too. The Culpepper one, I think, has already been like proven to be myth and i know it gives it a romantic twist ending but still. And the miscarried saviour does get annoying, it feels like they're saying it absolutely was Anne's fault she miscarried.

I know there are other phrases but i can't think of'em right now. It's 10:44 pm where i am and i'm really tired so i'm not thinking clearly now but i'll try to think of others….

Especially when they're regarded as submissive door mats.

I also hate that Tudor women are always thought to be weak and vulernable. It kinda really sucks. I know in the 1500's women had no rights but they still had feelings and thoughts which were probably better than a man's. I tend to be a feminist…so i lean on the thought that women usually have better thoughts than men…LOL.

Yeah, and it wasn't just Anne, it was every woman who lived back then who couldn't express what they were really feelings or thinking. It is sad and a shame cause I bet women had alot of good ideas back then –  Just looks at Elizabeth!

Yeah that is really good for a woman of that time.

Yeah, Phillipa is a HUGE fan of dissing Anne and supporting lies against her. I think we've all kind of agreed on that already though…

Thanks, Louise.

Some recent conversations on Anne/Tudor-related Facebooks pages lead me to make my point. There was a posting made about Thomas Boleyn and how people conceive of him. It seems many are able to discern the fictional characterisation of him and the real man. However, some were of the believe he was a “mack daddy.” I am sickened that such a learned man whose great skills of diplomacy, language, and higher learning has been reduced to a two-dimensional caricature.

I agree this could be said for all the Boleyns, especially George. Louise, I know you understand where I stand with the representation of this wonderful man, how I really feel about them, and I'll leave it at that. I know where you stand, which I agree with in the highest degree.

I thought of how in Ives's book, he spent a considerable time exploring Anne's religious conviction. Yet, in many films, her religion is used as a device for her evil machinations, rather than a legitimate dedication to God; or, Anne's religious devotion is totally ignored and she is relegated to a position of “the other woman,” the great wh*re.

It seems “The Tudors” tried to make Anne into some kind of religious reformer, although it seemed an after thought in the production process. We did see Anne reading, speaking to Henry about Tyndale, and some discussion about the reformation. But, I did not feel it an effective means to make Anne anywhere close to the devoted reformer of history.

DuchessofBrittany said:

Yet, in many films, her religion is used as a device for her evil machinations, rather than a legitimate dedication to God; or, Anne’s religious devotion is totally ignored and she is relegated to a position of “the other woman,” the great wh*re.

It seems “The Tudors” tried to make Anne into some kind of religious reformer, although it seemed an after thought in the production process. We did see Anne reading, speaking to Henry about Tyndale, and some discussion about the reformation. But, I did not feel it an effective means to make Anne anywhere close to the devoted reformer of history.

I think that may be because history is written by the victors and there is no indication that Anne was anything other than a conventional Catholic throughout her life. She was interested in reform and she was the leader of the reforming faction but it would appear that her notions of reform didn't go far enough for the people who came to the fore at the end of Henry's reign. Also, as is often the case with history, the picture of her as a reforming martyr appeared several decades after her death – something to do with her daughter being queen and following on from Mary whose religious intolerance outweighs her genuine achievements.

I also wonder just how much of a reformer Anne would have been if KoA's newphew hadn't invaded the papal lands and the Pope had granted the annulment straight away. The point is that to get the annulment Anne had to espouse reform: that was the realpolitik of her day. It doesn't take away from her piety nor her commitment once the decision was made but it is easy to see why film makers who are trying to simplify a very complex woman ignore the subject!

I couldn't agree more, Louise. I do not see Anne as a martyr, but I do not question her dedication to reform. It angers me when Anne (and George's) faith is questioned given the numerous evidence to support their involvement in, and dedication to reform. For instance, George was a known promoter of wanting the Bible translated to the vernacular, and Ives notes Anne's exposure to reform while in France, and her love of reformist themed books. Few people question KOA's faith, her decision to wear a hairshirt, her visits to the Lady of Walsingham, etc. People took her faith as real. Yet, an equally religious woman's faith is constantly under scrutiny, and this mythology is constantly perpetuated by poorly written fiction writers and film makers out to make a buck.