Sylvia Plath is today remembered as one of the most influential and popular writers of the 20th Century - she was called ‘the most gifted woman poet’ - a term that still manages to capture the sexism she encountered throughout her life. Growing up in the 1950s was a difficult time for women who wanted both a family and a career, and this is something Sylvia would struggle with for her entire life - how to reconcile her wish to be a writer with her desire to conform.

Sources/Further Reading

Clarke, Heather: Red Comet - The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath

Wagner-Martin, Linda: Sylvia Plath - A Biography

Steinberg, Peter K: They Had to Call and Call - The Search for Sylvia Plath https://sylviaplath.info/documents/Steinberg_2010_Search.pdf

Sylvia Plath Blogspot https://sylviaplathinfo.blogspot.com/

Poetry Foundation - Sylvia Plath https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/sylvia-plath

Wikipedia: Sylvia Plath https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvia_Plath

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Sylvia Plath is today remembered as one of the most influential and popular writers of the 20th Century - she was called ‘the most gifted woman poet’ - a term that still manages to capture the sexism she encountered throughout her life. Growing up in the 1950s was a difficult time for women who wanted both a family and a career, and this is something Sylvia would struggle with for her entire life - how to reconcile her wish to be a writer with her desire to conform.

Sources/Further Reading

Clarke, Heather: Red Comet - The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath

Wagner-Martin, Linda: Sylvia Plath - A Biography

Steinberg, Peter K: They Had to Call and Call - The Search for Sylvia Plath https://sylviaplath.info/documents/Steinberg_2010_Search.pdf

Sylvia Plath Blogspot https://sylviaplathinfo.blogspot.com/

Poetry Foundation - Sylvia Plath https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/sylvia-plath

Wikipedia: Sylvia Plath https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvia_Plath

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Isabella of France was the daughter, sister, wife and mother to Kings; acutely conscious of her royal bloodline and dignity, she was not going to be pushed around. When her husband and his hated favourite insulted and belittled her, she took matters into her own hands and did something no woman has done before or since - launched an invasion of England.

Sources/Further Reading

Warner, Kathryn: Isabella of France, the rebel queen - the story of the queen who deposed her husband Edward II

Weir, Alison: Isabella, She Wolf of France, Queen of England

Turner, James: Battle, Betrayal and Baliol - the Struggle for Scotland and the Battle of Annan https://www.medievalists.net/2024/12/battle-betrayal-balliol-scotland/

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_of_France#In_retirement,_1330–1358

Isabella: She Wolf of France and the death of Edward 2nd https://www.timeref.com/episodes/isabella_shewolf_of_france_and_death_of_edward_ii.htm

Usilton, Larry W.: Isabella of France:https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/biography/isabella-france

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Isabella of France was the daughter, sister, wife and mother to Kings; acutely conscious of her royal bloodline and dignity, she was not going to be pushed around. When her husband and his hated favourite insulted and belittled her, she took matters into her own hands and did something no woman has done before or since - launched an invasion of England.

Sources/Further Reading

Warner, Kathryn: Isabella of France, the rebel queen - the story of the queen who deposed her husband Edward II

Weir, Alison: Isabella, She Wolf of France, Queen of England

Turner, James: Battle, Betrayal and Baliol - the Struggle for Scotland and the Battle of Annan https://www.medievalists.net/2024/12/battle-betrayal-balliol-scotland/

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_of_France#In_retirement,_1330–1358

Isabella: She Wolf of France and the death of Edward 2nd https://www.timeref.com/episodes/isabella_shewolf_of_france_and_death_of_edward_ii.htm

Usilton, Larry W.: Isabella of France:https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/biography/isabella-france

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Isabella of France became Queen of England when she was only 12 years old, and she found a husband who was was not interested in her - both because of her age and her gender. From her first step on English soil she was consistently ignored by the King, who much preferred to spend time with his court favourites. Isabella grew up to be a strong and formidable character, and soon King Edward 2nd would push her too far.

Sources/Further Reading

Warner, Kathryn: Isabella of France, the rebel queen - the story of the queen who deposed her husband Edward II

Weir, Alison: Isabella, She Wolf of France, Queen of England

Turner, James: Battle, Betrayal and Baliol - the Struggle for Scotland and the Battle of Annan https://www.medievalists.net/2024/12/battle-betrayal-balliol-scotland/

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_of_France#In_retirement,_1330–1358

Isabella: She Wolf of France and the death of Edward 2nd https://www.timeref.com/episodes/isabella_shewolf_of_france_and_death_of_edward_ii.htm

Usilton, Larry W.: Isabella of France:https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/biography/isabella-france

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Isabella of France became Queen of England when she was only 12 years old, and she found a husband who was was not interested in her - both because of her age and her gender. From her first step on English soil she was consistently ignored by the King, who much preferred to spend time with his court favourites. Isabella grew up to be a strong and formidable character, and soon King Edward 2nd would push her too far.

Sources/Further Reading

Warner, Kathryn: Isabella of France, the rebel queen - the story of the queen who deposed her husband Edward II

Weir, Alison: Isabella, She Wolf of France, Queen of England

Turner, James: Battle, Betrayal and Baliol - the Struggle for Scotland and the Battle of Annan https://www.medievalists.net/2024/12/battle-betrayal-balliol-scotland/

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_of_France#In_retirement,_1330–1358

Isabella: She Wolf of France and the death of Edward 2nd https://www.timeref.com/episodes/isabella_shewolf_of_france_and_death_of_edward_ii.htm

Usilton, Larry W.: Isabella of France:https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/biography/isabella-france

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Carolyn Bessette Kennedy is a modern style icon - almost 3 decades after her early death. However she was much more that a fashionable socialite - friends and family all say she was kind, warm and caring. She forged a successful career in a difficult industry, and fell in love with a man who happened to be in the public eye. Her struggle to get used to the frenzy of media attention was ongoing, and she was only just starting to manage it when she boarded a plane in July 1999.

Beller, Elizabeth: Once Upon A Time - The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy

Conrieri, Stefania: Inside the Super-Secret, Ultra-Intimate Wedding of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette

https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/story/secret-wedding-of-john-f-kennedy-jr-and-carolyn-bessette?srsltid=AfmBOoq7vIkf7B0Bmgl1BdHA9gMHmpGNy7bLOKPoi3ZUmz9PgP1VGJ8N

Gerhart, Ann: Who’s That Girl? Quite Possibly the Perfect Match https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-10-18-ls-54958-story.html

Armstrong, Neil: Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy - The true story behind the mysterious and tragic US icon

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20260212-carolyn-bessette-kennedy-the-true-story-behind-the-mysterious-and-tragic-us-icon

Comiter, Jordana: All About JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette's Honeymoon — and the Media Frenzy That Followed When They Returned https://people.com/all-about-jfk-jr-carolyn-bessette-honeymoon-11922444

Gaffney, Adrienne: The Last Days of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy

https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a28187331/john-f-kennedy-jr-carolyn-bessette-last-days-plane-crash-true-story/

The Life of JFK Jr: Crash and Search Timeline https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/jfkjr/recovery.htm

Wikipedia: Carolyn Bessette Kennedy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolyn_Bessette_Kennedy

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Carolyn Bessette Kennedy is a modern style icon - almost 3 decades after her early death. However she was much more that a fashionable socialite - friends and family all say she was kind, warm and caring. She forged a successful career in a difficult industry, and fell in love with a man who happened to be in the public eye. Her struggle to get used to the frenzy of media attention was ongoing, and she was only just starting to manage it when she boarded a plane in July 1999.

Beller, Elizabeth: Once Upon A Time - The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy

Conrieri, Stefania: Inside the Super-Secret, Ultra-Intimate Wedding of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette

https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/story/secret-wedding-of-john-f-kennedy-jr-and-carolyn-bessette?srsltid=AfmBOoq7vIkf7B0Bmgl1BdHA9gMHmpGNy7bLOKPoi3ZUmz9PgP1VGJ8N

Gerhart, Ann: Who’s That Girl? Quite Possibly the Perfect Match https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-10-18-ls-54958-story.html

Armstrong, Neil: Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy - The true story behind the mysterious and tragic US icon

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20260212-carolyn-bessette-kennedy-the-true-story-behind-the-mysterious-and-tragic-us-icon

Comiter, Jordana: All About JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette's Honeymoon — and the Media Frenzy That Followed When They Returned https://people.com/all-about-jfk-jr-carolyn-bessette-honeymoon-11922444

Gaffney, Adrienne: The Last Days of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy

https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a28187331/john-f-kennedy-jr-carolyn-bessette-last-days-plane-crash-true-story/

The Life of JFK Jr: Crash and Search Timeline https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/jfkjr/recovery.htm

Wikipedia: Carolyn Bessette Kennedy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolyn_Bessette_Kennedy

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Katherine Swynford was born an ordinary girl into an ordinary family. But she became the ancestor of Kings and Queens, and produced the family that became the Tudor Dynasty. Her story is, unusually for the times, a love story - and equally as unusually, she was not a woman after power and prestige.

Sources/Further Reading:

Amin, Nathan: The House of Beaufort, the Bastard Line that Captured the Crown

Weir, Alison: Katherine Swynford, the Story of John of Gaunt and His Scandalous Duchess

Goodman, Anthony: Katherine Swynford

Lineage, Jeanette: Katherine Swynford, The History of a Medieval Mistress

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katherine_Swynford

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Katherine Swynford was born an ordinary girl into an ordinary family. But she became the ancestor of Kings and Queens, and produced the family that became the Tudor Dynasty. Her story is, unusually for the times, a love story - and equally as unusually, she was not a woman after power and prestige.

Sources/Further Reading:

Amin, Nathan: The House of Beaufort, the Bastard Line that Captured the Crown

Weir, Alison: Katherine Swynford, the Story of John of Gaunt and His Scandalous Duchess

Goodman, Anthony: Katherine Swynford

Lineage, Jeanette: Katherine Swynford, The History of a Medieval Mistress

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katherine_Swynford

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