“Premodern Rulers, Postmodern Viewers is an important collection given the boon of period pieces and exciting, new visions of the relationship between history and ‘truth.’ The essays will be of interest to those of us working on early modern rulers but also to those interested in theorizing these adaptations of historical figures. … I imagine teachers of premodern texts and histories will appreciate a clear point of entry into discussing premodern history with students.” (Alicia Andrzejewski, Early Modern Women Journal, Vol. 16 (2), 2022)
Premodern Rulers and Postmodern Viewers
Gender, Sex, and Power in Popular Culture
herausgegeben von Janice North, Karl C. Alvestad und Elena WoodacrePop culture portrayals of medieval and early modern monarchs are rife with tension between authenticity and modern mores, producing anachronisms such as a feminist Queen Isabel (in RTVE’s Isabel ) and a lesbian Queen Christina (in The Girl King ). This book examines these anachronisms as a dialogue between premodern and postmodern ideas about gender and sexuality, raising questions of intertemporality, the interpretation of history, and the dangers of presentism. Covering a range of famous and lesser-known European monarchs on screen, from Elizabeth I to Muhammad XII of Granada, this book addresses how the lives of powerful women and men have been mythologized in order to appeal to today’s audiences. The contributors interrogate exactly what is at stake in these portrayals; namely, our understanding of premodern rulers, the gender and sexual ideologies they navigated, and those that we navigate today.
