Friday, February 13, 2009

Hostility

Why do you think the people around the Queen were hostile to her reading? And why did people feel so uncomfortable in the presence of literary matters (like they had to be prepped that the Queen might ask what they were reading)?
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3 comments:

Erin said...

I figured that had to do with general insecurity about being well-read. It would be embarrassing not to be familiar with whatever the Queen is reading. Or to have no answer to her question because you can't remember the last time you read a book.

As for the hostility of the staff, I think they just weren't used to her doing anything outside the norm. And they seemed accustomed to "managing" her and so went into panic when she wanted to do her own thing.

4:17 PM, February 13, 2009
kc said...

And people, aside from lit scholars and such, aren't really used to talking about literature as though it truly matters. So much of our reading life is seen in terms of mere personal entertainment.

Yes, "managing" is a good word. They were used to her being rather docile and being a servant to her duty. They wanted a queen to satisfy their sense of tradition — and their own importance in being associated with her — but when she started acting like a real monarch, e.g., reclaiming her time and exercising her power to do as she chose, they became resentful.

There might also be something of a feeling of inadequacy — like they couldn't relate to literature and felt out of their depth. And also like she might "get notions" from books that would threaten their positions or her view of them.

12:29 PM, February 17, 2009
Erin said...

Right. It was so interesting how they didn't seem to think of her as a human being, who might have interests. She was just supposed to be the symbol of the monarchy, not a real person.

7:31 PM, February 17, 2009

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