Customer Reviews

The Heart and Stomach of a King: Elizabeth I and the Politics of Sex and Power (New Cultural Studies)

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If you are intrigued by the life and reign of Elizabeth I, you will enjoy this book, whether you agree with all the author's conclusions or not. She gives some interesting insights to the challenges Elizabeth faced as a female monarch and describes how Elizabeth both compensated for her femininity and used it to her advantage during her reign. You will also get a taste of how Elizabethan culture affected the politics of her reign. The book takes an academic approach but is very readable by a layperson. I gave it a 7 only because it slows down in places and I think the author is reaching in making some of the connections between gender and politics that she does. But overall, interesting insights to Elizabeth as leader.

"I may have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have th heart and stomach of a King" - Elizabeth I

This quote from Elizabeth I says a lot about this book. Professor Carole Levin examines how Elizabeth I was able to use her role as a woman (where traditionally, the public viewed women as incapable, weak, dependant) to her advantage and at the same time she ruled like a "King". Levin also examined how Elizabeth was so successful in her reign and at the same time, she was not the typical "woman" of her time; she was childless, and unmarried. She portrayed herself as a "Virgin Queen" - as in she was married to her country.

It is important to note that this is not a biography of Elizabeth I but a book that gives a new perspective of Elizabeth I, that helps us to understand the overlapping of politics with gender and sexuality. Levin did an excellent job in using unconventional sources such as gossips, rumors, religious works, diplomatic correspondence that makes it a distinctive scholarly work. This book is also very easy to read, and even if you don't have a substantial backgroup in pre-modern European history, you will not have a problem in reading this book

In an age when the English government lacked a professional bureaucracy or a standing army, the authority of a monarch rested on their legitimacy. As a woman occupying a position traditionally held by men, Elizabeth I faced a special set of challenges in this regard. Trapped between the contrasting expectations of sexuality and politics, she sought to represent herself in a way that allowed her to maintain her legitimacy - and thus her power - in a tumultuous age. In this book, Carol Levin analyzes Elizabeth's efforts to project this image, as well as how she was perceived by her contemporaries as both a woman and in her role as a monarch.

In a series of overlapping essays, Levin focuses on her court's manipulation of images of royalty and the public's reaction to them. The essays are roughly chronological, as the early ones examine the problems of her succession and the early response to her rule, while the later ones consider the challenges she faced as her reign came to an end. Throughout the chapters, Levin charts the ways in which Elizabeth balanced the contrasting expectations she faced, in the end successfully assuming the masculine roles her position required while still exhibiting the femininity her people expected of her.

Levin's book is an interesting, if fragmented examination of Elizabeth's images and how they were received. Her study of these often overlooked elements of Elizabeth's reign helps the reader understand how Elizabeth succeeded as a woman in one of the most masculine of jobs. While few of the arguments she makes are original, she presents her case effectively with a convincing analysis backed by considerable research. For anyone seeking to learn how Elizabeth balanced the demands of her position with those of her gender, this is a good book to read.

This is a beautifully researched, well written, thought provoking study of how one of the most interesting and powerful women in history negotiated gender restrictions during her 45 year reign. Not just a standard biography, "Heart and Stomach" looks carefully at Elizabeth's use of gender perceptions and roles to present herself as the great queen that she was. I've used this book as a text in the classroom and I've recommended it to readers and scholars who are interested in all things Renaissance and in women's history. It's always a hit!

Carole Levin's study of Elizabeth I is unprecedented. This study not only gives readers who are unfamiliar with Elizabeth an idea of her life and desires, but it is explicates the problems behind a woman being a monarch in her own right in 16th century England. If one is interested in both English Monarchy and Women's Studies, this study will be enjoyed.