This exhibition catalogue sets out to examine a particualr period in the professional and persona... more This exhibition catalogue sets out to examine a particualr period in the professional and personal development of Josep Luis Sert.
This article presents the concept of contemporary mobility in relation to the writings and action... more This article presents the concept of contemporary mobility in relation to the writings and actions of the Situationist group, particularly in Guy Debord’s concepts of urban dérive and psychogeography, as reflected in his last film In girum imus nocte et consumimur igni (1978). Connecting different disciplines, the paper examines the concept of mobility in its relation to history, philosophy, art and urbanism.
Morgan Ring’s work, So High a Blood: The Story of Margaret Douglas, the Tudor that Time Forgot, c... more Morgan Ring’s work, So High a Blood: The Story of Margaret Douglas, the Tudor that Time Forgot, contains dramatic storytelling that attempts to cross over the boundaries of traditional academic writing into more scintillating fare. Ring, who is finishing her PhD at the University of Cambridge, focuses on Lady Margaret Douglas and her political machinations, which secured her son, Henry, Lord Darnley, the hand of Mary, Queen of Scots. It examines the reigns of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I and the perils of succession from Margaret’s experiences as a Tudor heir whose familial ambitions ultimately resulted in her grandson’s succession as King of Scotland and England, though she died before witnessing that achievement. There has been only one serious study of Margaret Douglas, recently published in 2016 by Alison Weir. Ring’s work closely mirrors Weir’s, as both trace the tumultuous life of Margaret, who chose unwisely with her first two lovers, suffering banishment to a monastery after the first and to the countryside after the second. However, unlike Weir, Ring does not dwell long on these early affairs, focusing more on Douglas’s marriage to Matthew Stewart, fourth Earl of Lennox, and their subsequent plotting to advance their family. This work places constant emphasis on the choices made by Margaret, but many of these so-called choices reflect coercion by either the king or others in her life. One example of this is her marriage to Lennox. Ring argues that Margaret was given free choice of a husband, one whom she could love, describing this as a “remarkable promise” that allowed Margaret the freedom to reject an arranged match (86). Ring believes this illustrates the king’s “deep affection” for Margaret and uses the example of how differently the king reacted to Mary Tudor’s secret marriage to Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk (87). However, those scenarios are entirely different. In Mary’s case, Mary did not ask the king’s permission to marry, and, in Margaret’s case, Henry chose Lennox for Margaret. One can hardly imagine Margaret choosing to defy him, especially after her earlier scandalous behavior and banishment from court. In fact, it makes more sense that Henry made that statement to keep Lennox unsure of the match, especially because the king said those words not to Margaret but, instead, to the commissioners he sent to negotiate the potential betrothal. Henry’s condition that Margaret had to agree to marry Lennox does not absolutely indicate, as Ring insists, that he wanted Margaret to have “the freedom to reject” Lennox (86–87). It is more likely that it was a political ploy, designed to keep Lennox uncertain and, perhaps, on his best behavior when wooing Margaret, whose decisions ultimately reflected Henry’s own. Ring uses previously unexamined sources to find a new reason for Henry excluding Margaret and Lennox from his will, arguing that it was the result of a personal, family quarrel, and not religion. Ring relies on the letters of Thomas Bishop, secretary to Lennox, who became fiercely embittered with Margaret. He boasted in letters that he had found special favor with the king and that, after Margaret threatened to dismiss him, the king was furious and lost his affection for Margaret. That alone might not be convincing, for Bishop could have inflated his own value, and some of the letters were written years after the events occurred. However, overall, Ring is convincing when she argues that there were several elements involved in this breach: the king was already furious at Margaret’s father for his lack of loyalty, upset with the notion that Margaret was trying to “rule her husband,” and frustrated that Margaret would attempt to dismiss a loyal servant who had helped arrange the Lennox marriage (98). Ring is correct in arguing that Margaret Douglas’s story deserves to be told. She was a central figure in Tudor politics, was integral in arranging the match between Darnley and Mary, and more than once faced the wrath of Elizabeth. Margaret and Lennox paid a high price for their ambitions, which ultimately changed history. However, one must be careful not to shape Margaret Douglas as a fictional character, ascribing her feelings and thoughts to which we are not privy. At times, Ring’s work contains too much assumption of personal feelings when there is no direct evidence. The tendency to overdramatize actions and events throughout the work will undoubtedly appeal to a general audience but may not find favor with a traditional academic one. That said, the work is overall compelling and well researched. Morgan Ring has brought to life a figure who, at some times, represents the typical restraints experienced by aristocratic women and, at other times, seems to defy the expectations set before her.
This exhibition catalogue sets out to examine a particualr period in the professional and persona... more This exhibition catalogue sets out to examine a particualr period in the professional and personal development of Josep Luis Sert.
This article presents the concept of contemporary mobility in relation to the writings and action... more This article presents the concept of contemporary mobility in relation to the writings and actions of the Situationist group, particularly in Guy Debord’s concepts of urban dérive and psychogeography, as reflected in his last film In girum imus nocte et consumimur igni (1978). Connecting different disciplines, the paper examines the concept of mobility in its relation to history, philosophy, art and urbanism.
Morgan Ring’s work, So High a Blood: The Story of Margaret Douglas, the Tudor that Time Forgot, c... more Morgan Ring’s work, So High a Blood: The Story of Margaret Douglas, the Tudor that Time Forgot, contains dramatic storytelling that attempts to cross over the boundaries of traditional academic writing into more scintillating fare. Ring, who is finishing her PhD at the University of Cambridge, focuses on Lady Margaret Douglas and her political machinations, which secured her son, Henry, Lord Darnley, the hand of Mary, Queen of Scots. It examines the reigns of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I and the perils of succession from Margaret’s experiences as a Tudor heir whose familial ambitions ultimately resulted in her grandson’s succession as King of Scotland and England, though she died before witnessing that achievement. There has been only one serious study of Margaret Douglas, recently published in 2016 by Alison Weir. Ring’s work closely mirrors Weir’s, as both trace the tumultuous life of Margaret, who chose unwisely with her first two lovers, suffering banishment to a monastery after the first and to the countryside after the second. However, unlike Weir, Ring does not dwell long on these early affairs, focusing more on Douglas’s marriage to Matthew Stewart, fourth Earl of Lennox, and their subsequent plotting to advance their family. This work places constant emphasis on the choices made by Margaret, but many of these so-called choices reflect coercion by either the king or others in her life. One example of this is her marriage to Lennox. Ring argues that Margaret was given free choice of a husband, one whom she could love, describing this as a “remarkable promise” that allowed Margaret the freedom to reject an arranged match (86). Ring believes this illustrates the king’s “deep affection” for Margaret and uses the example of how differently the king reacted to Mary Tudor’s secret marriage to Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk (87). However, those scenarios are entirely different. In Mary’s case, Mary did not ask the king’s permission to marry, and, in Margaret’s case, Henry chose Lennox for Margaret. One can hardly imagine Margaret choosing to defy him, especially after her earlier scandalous behavior and banishment from court. In fact, it makes more sense that Henry made that statement to keep Lennox unsure of the match, especially because the king said those words not to Margaret but, instead, to the commissioners he sent to negotiate the potential betrothal. Henry’s condition that Margaret had to agree to marry Lennox does not absolutely indicate, as Ring insists, that he wanted Margaret to have “the freedom to reject” Lennox (86–87). It is more likely that it was a political ploy, designed to keep Lennox uncertain and, perhaps, on his best behavior when wooing Margaret, whose decisions ultimately reflected Henry’s own. Ring uses previously unexamined sources to find a new reason for Henry excluding Margaret and Lennox from his will, arguing that it was the result of a personal, family quarrel, and not religion. Ring relies on the letters of Thomas Bishop, secretary to Lennox, who became fiercely embittered with Margaret. He boasted in letters that he had found special favor with the king and that, after Margaret threatened to dismiss him, the king was furious and lost his affection for Margaret. That alone might not be convincing, for Bishop could have inflated his own value, and some of the letters were written years after the events occurred. However, overall, Ring is convincing when she argues that there were several elements involved in this breach: the king was already furious at Margaret’s father for his lack of loyalty, upset with the notion that Margaret was trying to “rule her husband,” and frustrated that Margaret would attempt to dismiss a loyal servant who had helped arrange the Lennox marriage (98). Ring is correct in arguing that Margaret Douglas’s story deserves to be told. She was a central figure in Tudor politics, was integral in arranging the match between Darnley and Mary, and more than once faced the wrath of Elizabeth. Margaret and Lennox paid a high price for their ambitions, which ultimately changed history. However, one must be careful not to shape Margaret Douglas as a fictional character, ascribing her feelings and thoughts to which we are not privy. At times, Ring’s work contains too much assumption of personal feelings when there is no direct evidence. The tendency to overdramatize actions and events throughout the work will undoubtedly appeal to a general audience but may not find favor with a traditional academic one. That said, the work is overall compelling and well researched. Morgan Ring has brought to life a figure who, at some times, represents the typical restraints experienced by aristocratic women and, at other times, seems to defy the expectations set before her.
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