May / Historical Fiction Reading: Wolf Hall

[Scheherazade]

In May we will be reading Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel.

Please post your views and questions in this thread.

[Paulclem]

The style is unusual and takes alittle getting used to at first - she leaves you wondering what is happening and who it concerns, but it becomes apparent as you read through the passages. It's an interesting technique.

[Dark Muse]

One of the things which most particularly bothered me about this book is that in the authors efforts to make Cromwell a sympathetic character it seemed she simply tried to make all the other characters as unlikable as possible thus trying to make Cromwell look better by compression.

And while certainty all the individuals involved leave me with mixed feelings and behaved in ways that are not altogether to be approved of, Mantel it seems simply highlights all of the flaws of Cromwell's enemies, while using an airbrush over his own flaws, and that of his companions and enemies. As well she tries to pass Wolsey off as being a completely innocent victim of the whims of Anne and Henry.

There was too much one sidedness in it for me, that the characters came off as a bit flat, because she does not explore the complexity of the personalities involved. She only displays them as she wants the reader to see them instead of letting the reader come to their own conclusions.

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

I'll be starting this later this week. It'll be interesting, as historical fiction from this time period usually doesn't interest me unless it has dragons and wizards and stuff, so we'll see.

[Emmy Castrol]

I’ve just started and read the first 17 pages. It is surprisingly easy to read for what is supposed to be such a great book which makes me suspicious… easy reading usually indicates little originality of thought. Notice how the very best of writers take ages to read because you have to pay careful attention to the original way they have of structuring their sentences?
But maybe Wolf Hall will prove the pattern in my reading experience wrong.

[kasie]

I have generously loaned my copy to my sister-in-law so I will not be able to read alongside all of you - please forgive me if I make a comment that is way off the mark - I may be relying on a faulty memory of my reading last year.

Paul: One of my friends returned the book to me unread - she said she kept getting confused with all the 'Thomas' characters! She wondered why Mantell couldn't have given different names.... I did wonder myself why Thomas was such a popular name in those days - anything to do with Thomas a Beckett, perhaps?

Muse: Well, he is the 'Hero', after all! And maybe it's good, once in a while, to review previously held assessments of historical characters. I must admit I was shocked at what an unpleasant man More is shown to be - then I thought that maybe he wasn't necessarily the saint he's always portrayed as being. It must be very difficult living with a man who knows he's right all the time.

Emmy: That's quite a wide generalisation - had you any particular authors in mind? I find that once I have tuned in to an author's 'voice', I can manage most of them fluently enough.

[TheFifthElement]

I've started reading today. Looking forward to a good discussion

[Brock]

My copy won't arrive till Thursday! (Is it just me, or is Amazon's Super Saver Delivery getting slower?).

[Dark Muse]

Muse: Well, he is the 'Hero', after all! And maybe it's good, once in a while, to review previously held assessments of historical characters. I must admit I was shocked at what an unpleasant man More is shown to be - then I thought that maybe he wasn't necessarily the saint he's always portrayed as being. It must be very difficult living with a man who knows he's right all the time.

Yes I did try to make allowance for that fact and took it into consideration. But I generally prefer characters who are shown as being more black and white.

I myself am no great fan of More and certainly he is not the Saint in which many people may portray him, but nor do I think he can be seen as being the complete tyrant that Mantel displays him as.

And personally I think an author is far more successful if they are able to make a character appear sympathetic while still displaying them in both thier flaws as well as thier virtues, and showing them as they are, as a flawed human who perhaps may have been unfairly demonized. Opposed to trying to "force" the reader into liking a character simply by showing them in only thier good points, and trying to make them look better in comparison, becasue everyone else around them is painted as appearing so much worse.

[Paulclem]

Weren't all the players in the court of good King Henry Machiavellien? I think they must have been in order to survive for as long as they did whilst still rising through the ranks.

The dissolution of the monasteries is seen as a black chapter in the history of England, and Henry's motives were clearly financial, yet the church, as it was with all the abuse of power that went on then - relic sales, blessings etc, was not the innocent party. In fact - as usual, although the context is religious, it's really all about power.

I like the narrative structure - the use of the present tense seems to have the effect of revealing the action rather than reflecting back on it. Would you agree with that? I'm trying to put my finger on the effect it has upon my reading.

I also like the sparse narrative that does make you work, as perhaps Kasie's friend indicated. It seems to drop you in the middle of the action, but I like this technique as I've got used to it.

[Emmy Castrol]

I do find the present tense is effective, as it draws me into the story better. That might be what contributes to its easy reading and have to admit that it's a good choice considering the setting.

Kasie, I had been thinking of a few years back when I was reading Graham Greene's Brighton Rock the same time as Daphne Du Maurier's Jamaica Inn and was surprised to find that it took me five times as long to read Brighton Rock though it has less pages than Jamaica Inn. I wondered why and that's when I first realised how a writer's choice of words within a sentence, especially if it has not been structured conventionally, can affect the amount of concentration required to read it.

[kasie]

Paul: yes my friend was unwell at the time, I think it was all a bit too much for her. I liked the present tense - I felt it had the effect of putting the reader right into the heart of the action. I thought it maybe tried for the effect that the author, like the protagonists, didn't know what was coming next but living through the events as they they were, as sort of Real Time effect.

Muse: I wonder if Mantell is going to undermine this impression of Cromwell as the story proceeds (possibly into the next book - I understand she plans to continue with a second book).

Emmy: I take your point though I think Paul's point about revealing the action is a good one. Incidentally, (and this is quite off-topic, so please forgive me!) my Dad was living in Brighton at the time Brighton Rock is set: I passed on the book to him when I had read it and he gleefully told me much of it was true, the gang fights etc. He did hasten to add that he and most of his mates disappeared swiftly down side alleys when the action started!

[Dark Muse]

Muse: I wonder if Mantell is going to undermine this impression of Cromwell as the story proceeds (possibly into the next book - I understand she plans to continue with a second book).

When I finished this book I thought it ended in a way that suggested a sequel and I had wondered if indeed she had any such plans. In spite of some of my criticisms about the book I will be looking forward to reading the next on, for there were things I did enjoy about it.

[Paulclem]

This thread looks as if it will be interesting.

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

I'm going to start it tonight. I'll probably jump in on the conversation once I'm a quarter of the way through it. I think I can trust these forums enough to not have to worry about untagged spoilers.