The Other Boleyn Girl

This article is about the 2001 novel. For the film adaptations, see The Other Boleyn Girl (2003 film) and The Other Boleyn Girl (2008 film).
The Other Boleyn Girl
Author Philippa Gregory
Country United Kingdom
Language English
Series Tudor Series
Genre Novel
Publisher Scribner
Publication date
2001
Media type Print (hardback & paperback)
Pages 664
ISBN 0-7394-2711-3 (hardcover edition)
Preceded by The Constant Princess
Followed by The Boleyn Inheritance

The Other Boleyn Girl (2001) is a historical novel written by British author Philippa Gregory, loosely based on the life of 16th-century aristocrat Mary Boleyn, the sister of Anne Boleyn, of whom little is known. Inspired by the life of Mary, Gregory depicts the annulment of one of the most significant royal marriages in English history (that of King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon) and conveys the urgency of the need for a male heir to the throne. Much of the history is highly distorted in her account.[1]

Reviews were mixed; some said it was a brilliantly claustrophobic look at palace life in Tudor England, while others are troubled by the lack of historical accuracy. It has enjoyed phenomenal success and popularity since its publication.

The novel was followed by a sequel called The Queen's Fool, set during the reign of Henry's daughter, Queen Mary. The Queen's Fool was followed by The Virgin's Lover, set during the early days of Queen Elizabeth's reign.

Plot

During the 16th century, two sisters who hail from a wealthy family join the court of King Henry VIII. Soon rivalry, scandal and hunger for power results in one's downfall.

Characters

Mary Boleyn/Carey/Stafford: The main character of the story, told from her point of view. Mary is portrayed as an innocent, sexually naïve, young girl who, forced by her family, engages in an affair with Henry VIII under the influence of her sister Anne and her brother George. The novel begins when Mary is fourteen, and ends just days after Anne's execution.

Anne Boleyn: Anne is Mary's elder, more ambitious, sister (although research suggests that she was the younger of the two girls). Anne makes her first appearance at the beginning of the story when she is fifteen. At first, she is instructed to guide Mary in seducing Henry, but later steals Henry's affections when she aims to overthrow Catherine as queen. Anne is portrayed as coldhearted and selfish, but will occasionally show affection to Mary and her family.

George Boleyn: George is the eldest Boleyn child, and the duke of Rochford. He is shown as caring and supportive to Mary, particularly when she is forced to stop her affair with Stafford. It is implied that he is sexually attracted to Anne, and is conducting an affair with Francis Weston. At the end of the book, George is executed, along with the others accused of committing adultery with Anne.

Henry VIII: King of England, Henry first beds Mary, but is diverted by Anne, who refuses him sexual favors, unless he makes her Queen. Though well-meaning, Henry is shown to be easily persuaded by Anne, and quick-tempered.

William Carey: Mary's first husband, he dies half-way through the story from an outbreak of the sweating sickness.

William Stafford: Mary's second husband who pursues Mary, and on the voyage to France, the two begin an affair. Later in the novel they are married in secret, and have one daughter together, Anne (named in honor of the Queen). William genuinely loved Mary, and her two elder children, and was willing to help her retrieve her son Henry from Anne's wardship. At the end of the novel, she and William leave for the country with the three children.

Historical accuracy

Mary Boleyn was the sister of the more famous Anne Boleyn. As such, she is usually mentioned in the numerous biographies that have been written about Anne, but never in any substantial detail. Mary, unlike Anne, has been claimed to be the mistress of two kings – Francis I of France and Henry VIII of England. She was born sometime between 1499 and 1508. A popular but unverifiable legend suggests that Mary was considered the prettier of the two sisters while Anne was witty, intelligent and charismatic. Mary was married twice, first to William Carey, and second to William Stafford. She died in her early forties in 1543.

Areas of disputed historical accuracy include the following:

Adaptations

A ninety-minute television drama based on the novel was broadcast by the BBC in 2003. It had a relatively low production budget of £750,000 and was filmed using modern camera techniques, with much of the script improvised. Jodhi May played Anne Boleyn, Natascha McElhone played Mary, Steven Mackintosh played George, Jared Harris played Henry VIII, and Philip Glenister played Stafford. It received mixed reviews.

A 2008 feature film adaptation starred Scarlett Johansson as Mary, Natalie Portman as Anne, Jim Sturgess as George, Eric Bana as Henry VIII and Eddie Redmayne as Stafford. In Translating Henry to the Screen, a bonus feature on the DVD release of the film, screenwriter Peter Morgan discusses the dilemma he faced in adapting Philippa Gregory's 600-plus-page novel for the screen. He ultimately decided to use it merely as a broad guideline for his script, which Gregory felt perfectly captured the essence of her book, although many plot elements were eliminated, diminished, or changed. Among the more notable deviations in the film, Mary's marriage to William Stafford, a major part of the book, is mentioned only in a note just before the closing credits, there is no mention of Anne's "stealing" Mary's son to keep a grip on the king's favour (there was a scene designed to vaguely cover that, but it was cut from the film), Anne becomes pregnant with Elizabeth after being raped by Henry, Anne and George decide against committing incest, Mary adopts Elizabeth at the end of the film. In addition to this, the character of Elizabeth Boleyn is almost the opposite of that in the book and she is portrayed as protective of her daughters against their father and uncle and critical of the family's social climbing at the expense of their moral integrity.

See also

Sequels

References

  1. von Tunzelmann, Alex (August 6, 2008). "The Other Boleyn Girl: Hollyoaks in fancy dress". The Guardian. Retrieved 2013-05-31.
  2. Denny, Joanna (2004), Anne Boleyn: A New Life to England's Tragic Queen
  3. Ives, Eric (2004). The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn. ISBN 1-4051-3463-1.
  4. Hall, Edmund (1809) Hall's Chronicle. London : Printed for J. Johnson; F. C. and J. Rivington; T. Payne; Wilkie and Robinson; Longman, Hurst, Rees and Orme; Cadell and Davies; and J. Mawman
  5. Weir. Henry VIII: The King and His Court. p. 216.
  6. Bruce, Marie-Louise (1972) Anne Boleyn; p. 13
  7. Lindsey, Karen (1995) Divorced Beheaded Survived: a feminist reinterpretation ...; p. 73
  8. Denny, Joanna (2004) Anne Boleyn
  9. Hoskins, Genealogists' Magazine, Vol. 25 (March, 1997), No. 9, reproduced on line at http://www.genealogymagazine.com/boleyn2.html
  10. Ives, Eric (1986). The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn. Basil Blackwell Inc. 432 Park Avenue South, Suite 1503, New York, NY 10016, USA: Basil Blackwell. p. 420.
  11. Chrisafis, Angelique (30 April 2003). "Thieves breach Boleyn castle defences". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 25 May 2010.
  12. Lindsey, Karen (1995) Divorced, Beheaded, Survived: a feminist reinterpretation ...
  13. Ives, E. W. The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn: the Most Happy; chap. xv

External links

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