Philippa Gregory and her historical fiction works

¶ … Philippa Gregory, the author of "The Other Boleyn Girl" and other novels. Specifically, it will discuss the relevant aspects of the time and place in which the author lived and wrote the novels. Philippa Gregory is a best selling novelist from England who writes often about Tudor history, such as this novel. It is the fictional story of Mary Boleyn, the sister of Anne Boleyn, who was Queen of England and beheaded by King Henry VIII for supposed adultery. It gives a very vivid picture of England during King Henry's rule, and just about every element of society is used as background for the love story of the two Boleyn girls.

Gregory's novel begins with the grisly execution of Mary's uncle, the Duke of Buckinghamshire, with Mary watching in the crowd. It quickly introduces English society at the time -- rule with an iron fist by Henry and his court, and frightened of displeasing the king in any way. Women's role in this society was to meekly follow their family's wishes, and then their husband's wishes; they had little say in any important matters, and no say at all in the ruling of the country. Mary Boleyn was married at twelve years old, another element of society that was totally acceptable then, but seems disgusting now. Anne tells her younger sister, "Every woman has to have something which singles her out, which catches the eye, which makes her the center of attention" (Gregory 15). This essentially tells the reader what a woman is worth in the court society of the time. She is worth nothing if she is not attractive and vivacious, and Anne wants to both.

The novel reveals much about English families, too. Their society is quite fond of royalty and titles, and they mean a lot more to the English, because where a person is placed in society is based on wealth, power, and title. The Boleyn family wanted an important place in the court, and they used their daughters to gain this powerful place. Their family was not as important to them as their political position, so they used their daughters to gain respect and alliance with the king. For example, when Anne returns from France, her family has arraigned a marriage for her to a man she does not even know. The author writes, "She still had not met her husband-to-be, and the arguments about the dowry and settlements looked as if they would take forever" (Gregory 18). The girls are treated like possessions, which says a lot about the family life and society at the time. They cannot marry for love, they marry to push their family forward and gain acceptance, and that seems like a custom that should have disappeared a long time ago, like it finally has. Her brother George tells Mary after the King expresses an interest in her, "Up you go, Mistress Cary, and all of us go up with you'" (Gregory 28). This clearly is a family who knows how to use its resources effectively, and they see their most important resources as their children. Later in the book, Anne rebels because she wants her marriage to Henry Percy to work, but it has been forbidden by Cardinal Wolsey. She tells her father she loves him, and he says, "That means nothing to me,' my father said. 'Your marriage is the business of the family and you will leave that to us'" (Gregory 142). This shows the status of women in the time period, they were pawns in a very subtle game, and other than that, they had no purpose at all.

While women had no social prominence, men were the leaders, rulers, and powerful people in society. There had never been a Queen to rule England, and men were the leaders of the Church, too. Men were the businesspeople who provided society with their wares and services, and men were the soldiers and the political leaders of other European nations. Men were the rulers in their own families, as well, as Mary's father clearly shows. Men commanded every aspect of life and society in England, and women simply provided the "color" and kept having children to continue the family lines, they had little else to do in society.

Mary, however, is a good mother when her first child is born, and she would rather live in the country and raise her daughter peacefully than return to the hubbub of court life. She thinks to herself, "I wanted the summer never to end. I wanted my baby always to be this small, this perfect, this adorable" (Gregory 169). Mary would be happy with motherhood and a home, while Anne is the one with the determination to move up in the courtly ranks, and this illustrates that not all of society revolved around the court and the King. Many elements of society in England at the were good families, loving parents, and cared about the welfare of their children first, but Mary's parents were not part of that element of society.

English society was extremely religious, and most of the people were Roman Catholic until Henry introduced the Church of England. However, in this story, many of the characters have affairs and it is accepted because it is the King that is having them, in order to conceive a son that will one day rule the country. This shows how society looked aside when it was the King's wish, and how the wishes of Mary, who did not want to betray her husband or her Queen were ignored. Even more important is the fact that Henry will do anything to gain an heir to the throne, even change the laws to form the Church of England that does not disapprove of divorce, allowing him to divorce Queen Katherine of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn. Therefore, Henry changed history when he created the Church of England, and he changed the way society looked at religion and faith.

Henry could not convince the Pope, who was aligned with Spain (Queen Katherine's home), to grant him an annulment so he could marry Anne, and he became increasingly displeased with Cardinal Wolsey as a result. Gregory writes, "Cardinal Wolsey came home, not in triumph with an annulment in his pocket, but in disgrace, and found that he could not even talk to Henry alone" (Gregory 289). This indicates how Henry is gradually taking control of the Church into his own hands, and removing it from Papal power in Rome. When Wolsey dies, he declares himself the leader of the Church and taxes it heavily, adding to his economic wealth, but changing the course of religion in the country, forever. The people become dissatisfied with Henry with all the turmoil in the Church, and they begin to hate Anne, who the king flaunts as the new queen even before he is able to have his marriage to Katherine annulled so he can marry Anne. It shows that society was in turmoil, and that even the King can fall from grace when he takes on too much power and control over his people's wishes and faith.

The book shows how the court lived in great detail, and the economic status of those who served the court, far apart from the rest of the English people. For example, when the King and his party travel through the countryside, the people have to host them and feed them, even if the costs are great. The author writes, "Every courtier living on the route had to play host to the king as if it were his greatest joy instead of his most dreaded expense" (Gregory 92). This illustrates the high standard of living the king demanded, and how the people who could not really afford it had to pay the bill. It shows the king's power, but it shows how society regarded the King, too, almost as if he were a god or a supreme ruler that could do nothing wrong. Similarly, when Henry names the warship "Mary Boleyn, he expects the family to contribute to the costs of the ship, setting their accounts back instead of adding to them, and creating a dilemma for Mary. Again, her brother George sums the family's position up nicely. He says, "Now it's costing Father money to keep you in the king's favor. Now it's not just your heart and happiness on the table, my little sister, it's the family fortune" (Gregory 117). This illustrates the economic position of the court at the time; it literally blackmailed people for money to keep up the high standards the king wanted.

The standard of living for the court was extremely high. They wore the finest clothing, ate the finest foods, and traveled in luxury. They had several different castles where they lived at different times of the year, and owned vast amounts of land. Money had to come from somewhere to back up this standard of living, so the King levied taxes and solicited "contributions" like the one for the warship "Mary Boleyn." However, when Mary moves with William to the country, it shows another aspect of English life that is not as lavish as the court. The author writes, "She taught me how to churn butter and how to make cheese. She taught me how to bake bread and to pluck a chicken, a dove, or a game bird. It should have been easy and delightful to learn such important skills. I was absolutely exhausted by it" (Gregory 507). This shows how hard the people work every day just to survive, while the royal court really has very little to do but amuse themselves.

This was not a time of great industrialization and invention. England was more medieval than adventuresome during this time, and there were still knights and jousting tournaments. While England was becoming a European force, it was through wars and political maneuvering rather than in industrialization and exploration. Henry's time was one of internal strife and social upheaval, rather than what would come in later centuries with the Industrial Revolution and the technologies that grew from that.

Politically, the King was the leader of the country, but Cardinal Wolsey was just as much of a political leader as King Henry was. The author writes, "She knew as well as I did that since Cardinal Wolsey ran the kingdom, a word from him carried the same weight as the king" (Gregory 137). Of course, Wolsey falls from grace when he cannot procure an annulment for the King, and eventually dies in the Tower awaiting a trial. In a very controversial decision that rocked England, Henry changes the law himself so he can marry Anne when he finds out she is expecting his child. Gregory writes, "He treated her with immense tenderness and respect, and he rushed through a new law, so that they might be legally married, under the new English law, in the new English church" (Gregory 440). Henry takes on more and more power in his desperate attempt to produce a legitimate heir, and he changes the way the English believe, and what they think about their King, as well. Mary thinks, "Never dreaming that English justice would come to mean Henry's whim, just as the church had come to mean Henry's treasury, just as the Privy Council had come to mean Henry and Anne's favorites" (Gregory 441). She thinks like the people think as they become disillusioned with their king and his new queen.

When Henry takes over the Church and allows his own marriage, he has committed political suicide with the Catholic Church. They excommunicate him and urge English people that are still loyal to the Pope to defy Henry. His administration spirals out of control when he makes the decision to try Anne and George for adultery, and he spends the rest of his life desperately marrying woman after woman to try to gain a male heir, which never happens. His daughter, Elizabeth I eventually takes the throne, and becomes the first woman to rule England, and one of her greatest rulers.

The author, Philippa Gregory, has written numerous historic novels, and this one became the first of several other books about the Tudors. "The Other Boleyn Girl" was turned into a successful 2008 film starring Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson as the two sisters, and Gregory was not involved in the writing of the screenplay. She uses a great deal of research as the backbone of her novel, and in an interview she says, "My Tudor books are specifically set in a place and a time, and that is accurate to the historical record when that is available. Sometimes, I can base a scene in the novel almost exactly on an account by a contemporary eye-witness" ("Philippa Gregory Watches"). Thus, her experiences and time spent researching help her write her novels, but they also suggest the topics for her novels, as well. She continues, "My own interest in women's history and my aversion to English snobbery led me to write "The Other Boleyn Girl" as a triumph of the common sense of Mary Boleyn over the ambition of her sister Anne" ("Philippa Gregory Watches"). Her experience in research helped her uncover the information on Mary that helped her decide to write about her, but her experience as a writer helped her flesh out the characters and bring them to life in the book.

Gardner was born in Kenya but moved to England at a young age. She still lives in England with her family. She has a PhD in eighteenth-century literature, and she has worked in broadcasting in England. She wrote her first book, "Wildacre" while she was getting her PhD, and once it became a bestseller, she began writing full time. A reporter notes, "In her later novels, Gregory pioneered the genre which has become her own: fictional biography, the true story of a real person brought to life with painstaking research and passionate verve" (Editors). She found the inspiration for "The Other Boleyn Girl" in a library. A British reporter notes, "Her Archimedes impersonation in the library was prompted by her discovery of the other Boleyn girl - not Anne, doomed second wife of Henry VIII, but her older sister, Mary" (Whetstone 20). She also believes that her experience with studying eighteenth-century gothic literature helped prepare her to be a writer and create these historically accurate novels. She is also an expert at research, as the details in this book clearly show. She knows what went on at court, who the major players were, and the details of everyday life, and it shows in this book.