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A review by caprica
The Sultan and the Queen: The Untold Story of Elizabeth and Islam by Jerry Brotton
3.0
3.5 stars out of 5.
The Sultan and the Queen: The Untold Story of Elizabeth of Islam is an interesting book about a generally under-represented topic in English history. Brotton's attempt to complicate the broader narrative of English history by introducing the story of Elizabethan England's relationship with the Islamic world, an attempt that I think is broadly successful.
The text is generally fairly readable, but I expect this book may be a little bit tougher for someone who does not have at least a general understanding of the area(s) and period. I have the benefit of a fair amount of background when it comes to both of those things, and so had no problem following the narrative. However, I did notice, at least from time to time, that Brotton's discussions of certain events sometimes lacked context (and, admittedly, it would probably have been distracting to endlessly contextualize everything), which indicate to me that the text's intended audience has at least some background knowledge.
The book feels like it alternates between discussions of political and economic events and the developments in London's theater. The latter sections feel weaker than the former; although Brotton's discussions of Shakespeare and Marlowe and the appearance of Muslim characters on the stage can be interesting, I think the text would've benefited from more explicit links drawn between society and these plays. As it is, they feel a bit "dropped in." Nevertheless, cultural context and developments are still relevant, and so this is not a deal-breaking critique.
One of the book's biggest failings, however, is the chapter entitled "Sherley Fever." The chapter is largely about Sir Anthony Sherley, though it also features other members of his family. I do not, frankly, see the value of this chapter. At best, it ought to have been extremely abbreviated. Sherley's escapades may be interesting in their own right (the author seems particularly enamored of him as an historical figure), but the chapter feels like filler, as it doesn't seem to do a great deal to advance the central thesis of the book. Omitting this chapter entirely would not, I think, have had a great deal of impact on the text.
For those seeking to complicate traditional narratives of British history, this is a good text to use. It may be difficult to teach with this whole text, especially at a lower level, but there are a lot of good examples and anecdotes that the book highlights (especially the excerpts of correspondence between Elizabeth and Ottoman and Moroccan leaders that the author includes) that should be useful.
In short, I think this book broadly succeeds in its goal. Although there are some issues with the text itself, the author's prose is engaging, which make this book readable. I was glad to read this book and I expect people with an interest in this period, and especially in this topic, will find this a worthwhile choice.
The Sultan and the Queen: The Untold Story of Elizabeth of Islam is an interesting book about a generally under-represented topic in English history. Brotton's attempt to complicate the broader narrative of English history by introducing the story of Elizabethan England's relationship with the Islamic world, an attempt that I think is broadly successful.
The text is generally fairly readable, but I expect this book may be a little bit tougher for someone who does not have at least a general understanding of the area(s) and period. I have the benefit of a fair amount of background when it comes to both of those things, and so had no problem following the narrative. However, I did notice, at least from time to time, that Brotton's discussions of certain events sometimes lacked context (and, admittedly, it would probably have been distracting to endlessly contextualize everything), which indicate to me that the text's intended audience has at least some background knowledge.
The book feels like it alternates between discussions of political and economic events and the developments in London's theater. The latter sections feel weaker than the former; although Brotton's discussions of Shakespeare and Marlowe and the appearance of Muslim characters on the stage can be interesting, I think the text would've benefited from more explicit links drawn between society and these plays. As it is, they feel a bit "dropped in." Nevertheless, cultural context and developments are still relevant, and so this is not a deal-breaking critique.
One of the book's biggest failings, however, is the chapter entitled "Sherley Fever." The chapter is largely about Sir Anthony Sherley, though it also features other members of his family. I do not, frankly, see the value of this chapter. At best, it ought to have been extremely abbreviated. Sherley's escapades may be interesting in their own right (the author seems particularly enamored of him as an historical figure), but the chapter feels like filler, as it doesn't seem to do a great deal to advance the central thesis of the book. Omitting this chapter entirely would not, I think, have had a great deal of impact on the text.
For those seeking to complicate traditional narratives of British history, this is a good text to use. It may be difficult to teach with this whole text, especially at a lower level, but there are a lot of good examples and anecdotes that the book highlights (especially the excerpts of correspondence between Elizabeth and Ottoman and Moroccan leaders that the author includes) that should be useful.
In short, I think this book broadly succeeds in its goal. Although there are some issues with the text itself, the author's prose is engaging, which make this book readable. I was glad to read this book and I expect people with an interest in this period, and especially in this topic, will find this a worthwhile choice.