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- Title: Lives of the Queens of England Volume 1
- Author: Agnes Strickland
- Narrator: Ann Boulais
- Length: 09:50:41
- Version: Abridged
- Release Date: 01/01/2016
- Publisher: LibriVox
- Genre: Biography & Memoir, History & Culture
- ISBN13: SABLIB9783090
As I settled into my favorite armchair with a cup of jasmine tea – the same ritual I’ve maintained since my graduate school days at Harvard – I pressed play on Agnes Strickland’s “Lives of the Queens of England Volume 1”, narrated by Ann Boulais. The opening strains of Boulais’ voice transported me back to my first encounter with medieval history during a particularly memorable seminar at Yale, where we debated the intersection of gender and power in royal courts. This audiobook experience proved to be a fascinating time capsule of Victorian historiography, offering both scholarly value and cultural insight.
“”A Victorian Lens on Medieval Queenship””
The Strickland sisters’ work, primarily researched by Elisabeth though attributed to Agnes, represents a significant moment in the development of women’s history. Through Boulais’ measured narration, we meet Matilda of Flanders, Matilda of Scotland, and other formidable queens who shaped England’s early monarchy. What fascinates me most is how the text reveals as much about Victorian attitudes toward womanhood as it does about medieval queenship. The moralizing tone, particularly evident in Boulais’ careful emphasis on certain passages, reflects the Stricklands’ Protestant worldview and 19th-century ideals of feminine virtue.
“”Narration as Historical Interpretation””
Ann Boulais’ performance deserves particular praise for its scholarly sensibility. Her diction is precise without being pedantic, and she navigates the Victorian prose with a rhythm that makes the dense material accessible. This reminded me of my semester teaching at the University of Tokyo, where I observed how Japanese narrators would subtly shift tone to indicate different historical periods in audiobooks. Boulais employs a similar technique, using slight variations in timbre to distinguish between the Stricklands’ commentary and primary source quotations.
The audio quality, while maintaining LibriVox’s characteristic volunteer-produced authenticity, is consistently clear. Some listeners might miss the polished production of commercial audiobooks, but there’s an appropriate rawness here that suits this public domain historical work. I particularly appreciated how Boulais handles the frequent Latin phrases and medieval terminology – her pronunciation is consistently thoughtful, though I did note a few instances where the cadence slightly obscures complex sentence structures.
“”Thematic Resonances Across Centuries””
Through a cultural lens, the most compelling sections explore how these queens negotiated power within patriarchal systems. The biography of Eleanora of Aquitaine especially resonates with contemporary discussions about female agency. As Boulais recounts Eleanora’s political maneuvers and eventual imprisonment, I was reminded of my graduate research on how historical women’s narratives are constructed – a theme that becomes particularly meta when considering the Strickland sisters themselves were women writing history in a male-dominated field.
“”Balancing Historical Value with Modern Critique””
Modern historians rightly critique the work for its lack of scholarly rigor by contemporary standards. The Stricklands often take medieval chroniclers at face value and apply Victorian moral frameworks anachronistically. However, as I often tell my students at Berkeley, historical texts should be evaluated within their context. For its time, the extensive use of primary sources was groundbreaking, and Boulais’ narration helps contemporary listeners appreciate this aspect by giving weight to quoted materials.
“”Comparative Perspectives””
Having recently listened to Alison Weir’s “Queens of the Conquest” in audiobook format, the contrast in historical methodology is striking. Where Weir’s narrator adopts a more conversational tone for modern audiences, Boulais preserves the formal Victorian style, creating an interesting case study in how narration choices affect historical perception. This duality reminds me of my research comparing traditional and digital storytelling formats – each medium shapes our understanding in distinct ways.
“”Recommendations for Listeners””
This audiobook will particularly appeal to:
– History enthusiasts interested in Victorian historiography
– Feminists studying representations of historical women
– Literature scholars analyzing narrative constructions of power
– Audiobook listeners who appreciate classical diction
While the free LibriVox format makes this accessible to all, I’d suggest pairing it with more recent scholarship for balance. The complete lack of footnotes in the audio format (a limitation of the original text) means listeners might want to keep a medieval history reference handy.
“”Personal Reflection””
As the final chapter closed on Matilda of Boulogne, I found myself reflecting on how far women’s history has come since the Stricklands’ time – and how much further we have to go. This listening experience became unexpectedly personal when Boulais described Adelicia of Louvaine’s patronage of religious houses, reminding me of my grandmother’s stories about educated women in imperial China finding similar avenues for influence. The universality of these historical patterns across cultures is perhaps the most profound takeaway.
With scholarly appreciation and a historian’s curiosity,
Prof. Emily Chen
