Gemma Doyle Trilogy

Gemma Doyle Trilogy
Author(s)	Libba Bray
Country	United States
Language	English
Series	A Great and Terrible Beauty, Rebel Angels, The Sweet Far Thing
Genre(s)	Fantasy novel
Publisher	Random House
Publication date	December 9, 2003 - December 26, 2007
Media type	Print (Hardcover)

The Gemma Doyle Trilogy^[1] is a trilogy of fantasy novels by Libba Bray. They are told from the perspective of Gemma Doyle, a girl in the late nineteenth century. The Gemma Doyle Trilogy consists of three books: A Great and Terrible Beauty (published December 9, 2003), Rebel Angels (published 2006), and the The Sweet Far Thing (published December 26, 2007).

Contents 1 Plot 2 Characters 3 References to other literature 4 Film 5 References 6 External links

Plot

The story revolves around Gemma Doyle, a young woman sent from her home in British India to the mysterious boarding school, Spence Academy. There she meets Ann, Felicity, and Pippa, three other remarkable young women and together they discover the dark past of their school. Gemma learns of her own heritage and the magical powers she possesses.

The three books in the trilogy span just one year, with A Great and Terrible Beauty beginning in June 1895 and The Sweet Far Thing ending in June 1896.

Characters

References to other literature

A Great and Terrible Beauty refers to many literary classics. Among those mentioned are:

• Persephone: Pippa is sometimes seen as being like the tragic, beautiful Greek Queen of the Underworld, who ate pomegranate seeds to stay in the Underworld, just as Pippa ate berries in the Realm ^[2]
• The Lady of Shalott by Tennyson: Miss Hester Asa Moore leads her art class in a discussion of the Elaine, The Lady of Shalott, and art based upon Tennyson's poem, in Chapter Nine. This poem has special significance for Ann and Pippa, who both see themselves as being trapped, as the lady was. Miss Moore states that the lady dies "because she lets herself float through [the] world." Stanzas five, six, eight, and fifteen of The Lady of Shalott are also quoted, as a form of introduction, before Chapter One.
• The Perils of Lucy, A Girl's Own Story: A fictional three-volume novel that Ann loves. Gemma thinks that stories like it (a popular staple of Victorian literature) about a "poor, timid girl" who is greatly put upon by her wicked peers, before eventually being found to be of noble birth, are "poppycock". As with The Lady of Shalott, the implication is that women, even in a male-dominated society, can only expect to be happy if they do something to make themselves happy, instead of sitting passively by.
• The Odyssey: Kartik reads this in Rebel Angels. Gemma's adventures in Rebel Angels parallels some of Odysseus.

Film

In July, 2006, Icon Productions, the film production company run by Mel Gibson, announced that it would adapt the book into a film based on A Great and Terrible Beauty, to be written and directed by Charles Sturridge. People have been rumored to be playing the characters, but author Libba Bray has confirmed that no one has been cast. Author Libba Bray discusses the current status of the film on her webpage. Bray recently announced that Icon relinquished the rights of the film, and so the film version of the book will not be made.^[3]

References

External links

• Gemma Doyle Trilogy official web site.

The Gemma Doyle Trilogy Novels A Great and Terrible Beauty  · Rebel Angels  · The Sweet Far Thing Characters Gemma Doyle  · Felicity Worthington  · Pippa Cross  · Ann Bradshaw Related Topics Fantasy literature  · Young adult fiction  · Libba Bray  · Film adaptation