Topic 128: Cast-Off Enthusiasms

Carol:

Long Live the Queen

I have never cast off my enthusiasm for things British, which started when I was  13 and moved to Canada.  That summer I immersed myself in Austen and the Brontes while  learning the words to two national anthems.  Every sporting event, every musical event,  every public event  Canada began “O Canada” followed by “God Save the Queen.” 
 
Britain’s National Anthem  was originally a patriotic song, first performed in public in 1745 at the Theatre Royal in London as a show of support for King George II, who was under attack from the Jacobite supporters of the Stuarts. The practice spread through other theaters and became custom. By the beginning of the 19th century, it had been designated as the official national anthem, just in time for the spreading of British imperialism around the globe. Back then, of course, they were singing “God Save the King (source: British Monarchy).
 

Back in the 1530’s Henry VIII took extreme measures ensure that a King succeed him on the throne. Royal marriages were predicated, not on love, but on carefully negotiated foreign policy, and Henry VIII was an astute strategist. He knew that neither England nor the Tudor lineage was yet robust enough to fight off  potential power plays should a weak female heir marry a strong European Royal.  Securing succession through a male heir became an obsession.  At the time he was completely besotted with Anne Boleyn, but he was also in desperate want of a legitimate son.
 

Katharine of Aragon 1503

Popular novels and films tend to overlook Henry VIII’s first wife in their enchantment with the younger, more exciting Anne Boleyn.  So, it is easy to forget that Henry had been married to Katharine of Aragon for over 20 years when he met the much younger Anne. He  married Katharine when he was 18 and she, 23. He was handsome and athletic; she was described as a beauty. He was  an eloquent and passionate “Defender of the [Roman Catholic] Faith”; she was a devout, obedient follower of the Church. Henry demanded loyalty; she gave it, choosing duty to her husband over support for her father, King Ferdinand of Spain. Katharine of Aragon endured at least six pregnancies, with only her daughter Princess Mary to survive.  By the time Henry became enamored of Anne Boleyn, Katharine’s efforts to provide a male heir had worn her out and taken her beauty.
 

Henry and Anne cavorting.

In 1526 Henry arranged Anne Boleyn’s appointment as a maid of honor at Court—to Katharine of Aragon. It was a turning point in their relationship, a sign of his increasing regard for the sister of his earlier Mistress—now cast off—Mary Boleyn.  In a 1526 letter, Anne writes that the appointment to Court “induces me to think that your majesty has some regard for me, since it gives me means of seeing you oftener…”(source: englishhistory.net).
 

It would take almost seven years to legitimize their relationship.  The King’s thwarted attempts to obtain an annulment and Katharine’s refusal to back down led to a complete break with the Holy See in Rome. When Henry and Anne finally married in 1533, she couldn’t have imagined that she too would be cast off for a lady in waiting. In 1536, Anne was executed as Jane Seymour stood in line to be the next Queen of England.
 

What of Katharine of Aragon, beloved by the people of England if not by their King?  She was exiled from Court and died the same year as Anne, lonely and in exile, buried far from Henry at Peterborough Cathedral. But she kept her head about it. 

Sources:
Englishhistory.net
          http://englishhistory.net/tudor/monarchs/html 

The National Anthem.The Official website of The British Monarchy.
        http://www.royal.gov.uk/

Megan:

Cast Iron Enthusiasms

I just  tried to get out of writing today. I suggested it to Mom and she insists she’s got only one paragraph left to do and doesn’t want to take the day off. She said, “Are you saying that you have 'cast off' your enthusiasm for writing on this topic?”  And then I rolled my eyes so hard I could see my brain.  I bet I can write this whole thing before she finishes that paragraph.

It’s not that I’m losing interest in the project – if anything, I’ve been more into it the past few weeks. But I hosted a dinner party last night, which felt like such a Friday thing that I was ready to start the weekend early. Plus the movies changed today and I want to go see Paul.

Movies are an enthusiasm which I will never cast off.  As are reading, and writing in my journals. But there are a few things I used to do, things I was good at,  that I have lost the inclination to do:

Art. –When I moved to England, I sent my oil paints to a friend and haven’t bothered rebuilding the collection because it’s expensive and I don’t feel like painting. Painting and drawing used to be a compulsion – images would pop into my mind fully formed.
A couple of weeks ago, I decided I wanted to do some scratch board drawing, so I bought all the supplies, and in the space of about 3 days I’d gone through all of my materials, produced 3 pieces which are hanging around in my room.  I have no interest to do it anymore. I don’t know why. 

I used the pattern that comes with the board.

Knitting and crochet- my grandmother taught me how to do that, as well as to embroider and I like telling people that if my life were an Austen novel, I might be considered an accomplished young woman (or possibly a spinster). I can’t say I ever had a lot of enthusiasm for these handicrafts, but the two blankets I knitted for myself while I was in England did keep me warm.

Sports – as a child all the way through college, I participated in a variety of sports and always eventually quit for the same reason. I am not a competitive person. I did gymnastics and then the swim team, basketball and volleyball. In college I was on the crew team my freshman year. I hated the competitions, and the sounds of people encouraging me, shouting from the sidelines, always has the opposite of the desired effect. I find it embarassing to be cheered (but only in sports. I accept praise in all other situations).

Anyway, I don’t think it's important what you lose interest in. When my brother was 12 or 13, my parents bought him a guitar. I remember saying that he would quit in a couple of weeks, just like he did with everything else. Now, I have no idea what the “everything else” was – but after 15 years, he still plays the guitar every day. Someone told me once that it's important to like your job since that’s what you’ll spend most of your life doing. I think it’s even more important to spend your free time doing things you enjoy. What holds your interest – what you consider worth your time – that’s what matters. 

I still like Dragonflies

PS: I was right. She still hadn’t finished her essay.