tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1873652322915407206.post4176629734790095524..comments2023-05-25T07:55:42.399-07:00Comments on Writing the Renaissance: The Princes in the Tower, French VersionJulianne Douglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10190332417986785920noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1873652322915407206.post-88207201608250491412009-09-15T18:55:03.490-07:002009-09-15T18:55:03.490-07:00Suzanne responded:
Ferrand does present the relat...Suzanne responded:<br /><br />Ferrand does present the relationship between the two as highly sexualized and teetering on the brink of incest, but I don't recall it ever actually being consummated. I imagine the relationship was actually one of those intense intellectual bonds magnified by the emotional ties between brother and sister. Ferrand also has some interesting stuff about Diane. The book is so-so -- very episodic -- but really conveys the imprisonment of both Francois and, later, the two boys. (La regente noire ends with their return & Louise's death; I haven't read the second one yet.)Julianne Douglashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10190332417986785920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1873652322915407206.post-90893428392575842212009-09-15T17:46:58.152-07:002009-09-15T17:46:58.152-07:00Thanks, Marie. I love it when readers learn someth...Thanks, Marie. I love it when readers learn something they didn't know before!<br /><br />Another reader, Suzanne, posted an interesting question on my Facebook page, which I've copied here:<br /><br />Interesting... I just finished reading Franck Ferrand's version of this story -- and the battle of Pavia -- in the first volume of his trilogy of novels. Louise of Savoy was quite something... Wasn't one of the reasons that Diane de Poitiers became involved with Henri II because his father wanted to make him a real life-loving Frenchman again, instead of a sober Spaniard?<br /><br />Here was my response:<br /><br />Thank you, Suzanne, I was unaware of Franck's book. I'm a bit cautious, though, because I have little patience with historians/writers who posit an incestuous relationship between François and Marguerite (which, according to Franck's wiki page, he did). The two were very close, perhaps disturbingly so, but I seriously doubt their relationship was sexual. Anyway, thank you for alerting me to Franck's book, as few people write fiction about this time period. I'm eager to see how he portrays it!<br /><br />Anyway, as for Diane de Poitiers, it's been claimed that François "commissioned" her to tame Henri, who was, understandably, mistrustful of people and rough around the edges. I've always felt that their liaison, which lasted for years despite a huge age gap (I think she was about 20 years older than he), stemmed from the fact that his mother died when he was only four, and then he was deprived of any significant feminine care during the four years of his imprisonment. Diane was the first person who showed interest in him, and he latched on to her ferociously.Julianne Douglashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10190332417986785920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1873652322915407206.post-76633700612993692742009-09-15T14:15:08.349-07:002009-09-15T14:15:08.349-07:00Yes I am one of those who is always intrigued by t...Yes I am one of those who is always intrigued by the Princes in the Tower mystery. I had heard of these boys in captivity but never have read anything as much as your post on this. I do not have kind words for the King who gives up his sons instead of Burgundy! For shame! Will look forward to your post on the effects of the years in captivity for these poor boys.<br />Thanks for a great post!BurtonReview https://www.blogger.com/profile/15113347274782450564noreply@blogger.com