-- might have been been taken for wooden and uncaring" (361). Clearly, the Queen's attitude had shifted. In some ways, it is a good thing, because it reflects what the country wants. In other ways, it also symbolizes a tearing apart of ancient traditions, when the monarch was aloof and separated from their people. Overall, this was an excellent book about the modern royal family but a half-hearted book about Elizabeth II.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Elizabeth II (post 6)
The final 50 pages of Monarch: The Life and Reign of Elizabeth II are disappointingly uninteresting. For the most part the focus extensively on common knowledge. Lacey spends about 40 pages detailing the preparations for Diana's funeral. These 35 pages pretty boring... if you wanted to learn about the Queen's reaction to Diana's death, watching The Queen is a much more entertaining and equally informative way to learn about it. I was actually pretty surprised at how accurate the movie was. Unfortunately, Lacey only spends about ten pages detailing the Queen's life from the aftermath of Diana's death to the end of 2001 (the book was published in 2002). These 10 pages can be summed up in a single sentence: the Queen became increasingly comfortable showing emotion and more ready to take risks. Of the Queen's reaction to the ceremony honoring the victims of September 11, Lacey writes, "She bit hard on her lower lip, and as she came out of the cathedral, there were tears in her eyes... tears for America..." (403). This is a stark contrast to even the church service the day after Diana's death, when the entire royal family was reported to have "concealed their feelings with such grim success that all of them-- from the normally outgoing queen mother down to the two princes, William and Harry
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
It's unfortunate the last part of the book didn't end with a "bang". Your analysis makes it clear to me that after such awful events began to happen, the Queen began to soften up and let her emotions show. I hope I won't end up so hard and cold that it would take a devastating terrorist attack to make me show emotion.
You have a lot of voice in your writing! Nice! I love the way you describe the last pages as uninteresting. I don't think i've ever heard somone call the queen of England boring. But, based on your description of it, i can see how horribly unentertaining it sounds. Thatnk you for saving me from ever reading this book.
I am surprised that none of the monarchy showed any emotions besides the Queen. I suppose Diana's death really caught her by surprise and then the terrorist attacks on America made it even worse. I cannot believe any of them cried for their relative Diana, at least, not in public. Great Job!
Post a Comment