Writing the concubine: Anne Boleyn, Eustace Chapuys and popular historiography in Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall trilogy

ABSTRACT

Eustace Chapuys, the Imperial ambassador to Henry VIII’s court, is a vital source for historians of Anne Boleyn, Henry’s second queen. His writings are detailed and numerous, but they are also partisan and provocative – particularly in his descriptions of Boleyn. Historians must consider his writings carefully and contextualise his accounts. This article argues that historical novelists also have the capacity to incorporate historiographical analysis into their fictional narratives using the tools of their own craft, such as characterisation and focalisation. The inclusion of Chapuys as a character offers an opportunity for metafictional engagement with historiography and the process of writing historical novels. This capacity is evident in Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall trilogy and the article offers a close textual analysis of her representation of Chapuys. It will compare Mantel’s approach to three novels which preceded Wolf Hall’s publication: Philippa Gregory’s The Other Boleyn Girl, Emily Purdy’s The Tudor Wife, and Suzannah Dunn’s The Queen of Subtleties. As neo-historical fiction, Mantel’s novels are authentic in their representation but also exhibit a scepticism toward the possibility of obtaining historical knowledge. Mantel’s representation of Chapuys speaks to this tension; she engages directly with his evidence while emphasising the flaws of its production.

KEYWORDS:

• Historical fiction
• neo-historical fiction
• popular historiography
• Tudorism
• Hilary Mantel
• Philippa Gregory
• Suzannah Dunn
• Emily Purdy

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. In-text citations pertaining to the compiled archival documents published in Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII and Calendar of State Papers, Spain will use the abbreviated LP or Cal. S.P. Spain, respectively, followed by the volume number and document number.

2. ‘Katherine’, ‘Katharine’, ‘Kathryn’ and ‘Catherine’ are accepted English spellings for Katherine of Aragon. I use the spelling, ‘Katherine’; however, I faithfully reproduce the author’s chosen spelling in my textual analysis, both in quoted material and when discussing the author’s depiction of the textual representation of that individual.

3. For example, Mantel’s 2020 The Mirror and the Light in which Mary takes Chapuys’ advice because she trusts that he has her interests in mind (133–34).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Laura Saxton

Laura Saxton is an early career researcher and sessional lecturer at Australian Catholic University. She is writing a monograph on the Tudors in twenty-first-century historical fiction. Her research interests encompass historical fiction, popular and public history, collective memory, and postmodern historiography.