Innocent Traitor, Book Review Example

The story tells of Lady Jane Grey after the death of Henry VII. The story takes place during the stage of the English succession, a point where she was to marry Edward VI, son of Katherine Seymour. King Henry VII was Jane’s great-uncle. Her parent never tried to hide their disappointment that they wanted a son, and had ended up with a girl. They were the ones who schemed to have her marry the young King Edward the VI. When that plan failed, they had decided she would take the throne under her own personal rights. It was clear early on that Lady Jane was an intellectual woman and an enquiring mind.

The marchioness was disappointed that she was unable to create a male heir, but she recognized her daughter’s true potential. She spent her lifetime trying to educate her daughter and utilize her potential in her hierarchy. They would present Jane to the court at every chance they could, continually looking for her perfect union. Jane’s mother offered her little emotional support and was continually demanding. The young Jane was continually on guard from those who further their own positions. Despite Jane’s best attempt to be rebellious to her parent’s wishes, she realized that she is trapped in her situation and has to give into their wishes.

Henry’s widow, Katherine Parr favors Jane. Parr is troubled with the marchioness’ marked who is indifferent to her daughter. After Henry’s death, Katherine takes Jane into her home. She stayed there even after Katherine remarried Thomas Seymour. The sick Edward VI was crowned king, even though they knew his tenure would be minimal. During this time, Katherine died unexpectedly, and Jane was once again lost. Jane began exploring her own thoughts and feelings, finding she had even more rigid religious beliefs.

The Dorsets were more than efficient with their future preparation of their daughter. Jane turns to her studies to find comfort in the life she was being forced to live. Her intelligence and education made her stand out in the society in which she lived. At any given point she knew her parents would be parading her around the court, trying to find the status they wanted her to have. An important part of Jane’s story is how it horrible it must have been to be born during the 16^th century into a royal family. The children are apparently used as pawns in the parent’s selfish plan to gain power.

Jane’s parents came up with a new plan with Earl of Northumberland, Edward’s Lord Protector, to set up the marriage with the King. The marriage was no longer an option when he grew ill, but the secondary plan was to get the sick Edward to take away the order of succession which entitled Henry’s Catholic daughter the throne. The plan was to take it away from Mary and to substitute Lady Jane in her place. The change was placed on the provision that she had Tudor blood and was the Prince’s cousin. Jane tells of how she witnesses the volatile marriages of King Henry and the claim of heresy by Katherine Parr. It also told of how Katherine died in childbirth. It was not until the age of sixteen that Lady Jane makes her own history. Jane struggles to find her own beliefs and finds herself silences with her own temptations. Her believe in the Protestant saved her from dying a traitor’s death. Lady Jane’s courage proved to be useless in her short life.

Analyzing the Logic of History Book

The main purpose of this history book is

The main purpose of this history book is to tell how terrible it was to be a girl born into a royal family during the 16^th century. Disappointed that Jane was not born a boy her parents did everything in their power to marry her into royalty. The purpose of the book is to allow the readers to see life from Jane’s perspective, along with a few other females who were challenged by the system during this time. It also showed how power did not persuade Jane to change her own personal beliefs despite the consequences.

The key question(s) that the author is addressing in the book is/are

The book focuses on the teenage queen of England, Lady Jane Grey who was eventually confined to a tower and beheaded. The author tries to answer several questions regarding Jane. First, what events brought her to that point? What kind of person was she? The author attempts to answer these questions, however does not provide a strong response that is clear to the readers. It seems that the questions regarding Lady Jane Grey are based upon educated guess work and based on source material that is available from this time period.

The most important kinds of information in this book are

The author relied heavily on source material from this time frame to gather the information about the nine day queen. There is a vast amount of resources available, and she gathered the information and compiled it into one book. However, others suggest that her information was based strongly on speculation and educated guesswork, more so than credible historical documentation. Perhaps the author used a combination to support the arguments made and to answer the key questions presented in this book.

The main inferences/ conclusions in this book are

The main conclusion of the novel is the character in which Lady Jane lived and died. Jane was well educated and a very analytical thinker, as portrayed by Weis, therefore she would not be persuaded easily. Being appointed Queen was something that Jane’s parents wanted, even if Jane did as well that was not portrayed in the novel. She had the option to deny her personal religious beliefs or die a trader. She opted to stay true to what she believed in the Protestant faith instead of converting and living.

The key idea(s) we need to understand in this book is/are __.  By these ideas the author means __. 

The key ideas in this book are the struggles that women face who are born into the royal family during the 16^th Century. Much like Jane’s parents, everyone who was procreating hoped to have a boy. The author shows the ideas of those who fail to get the son they hope to fill the spot in the Royal lineup. The historical consequences in history show how they system can be manipulated by power. Jane was not in line to be Queen, however her parents were able to convince the dying King to appoint her instead of the rightful successor. The idea is that the system is based strongly on power and manipulation instead of a set process.

The main assumption(s) underlying the author’s thinking is/are

The author is taking for granted the fact that there is little ability to prove or disprove the contents of her novel. Due to the fact that she is discussing historical occurrences which took place centuries ago, there is little means to know if the events, as described, really took place. The assumptions of the readers is that the author validated the information prior to compiling it, however there is some concern that the content is based on assumptions and or general opinion rather than factual events.

If people take the book seriously, some important implications are 

If the readers take the book seriously, there are important implications to consider. Lady Jane was clearly a historical figure being a teenager who was Queen of England for nine-days. The author argues that the events described in the book are factual and it presented as a well-founded historical document. If the reader takes the events as credible, and they really are not, it could create improper knowledge of historical events. It is important to know that just because written work is considered to be factual, does not mean the reader does not need to validate prior to taking the contents at face value.

If people fail to take the book seriously, some important implications are

There are no real consequences that will occur if the author’s thinking is ignored because the historical contents is far different than what we face in modern society. However, the author’s implication regarding Lady Jane’s ability to develop her own beliefs and to hold true to them is important for society in general. Too often people find themselves selling their own beliefs because it is easier or popular, instead of holding true to their own purpose. The author showed that despite Jane’s limitations on her own future, she could control what she believed, and the author showed how important this implication was for historical considerations.

The main point of view presented in this book is/are

The author is telling the hardship of the women who are born into royalty during the 16^th Century. Telling of history to one who is born into royalty in England, and the struggle to obtain the power in the royal family. Her parents would do anything they could in their power to present Jane in the courts as a suitable candidate for marriage and pushing her to royalty. Jane was anointed queen for nine-days, and instead of deny her protestant beliefs, Jane took her power to hold true to what she believed. As a result she was killed as a traitor instead of living as a queen.