The Other Boleyn Girl

For the 2008 film based on the novel, see The Other Boleyn Girl (film).

The Other Boleyn Girl

Author	Philippa Gregory
Country	England
Language	English
Genre	Novel
Publisher	Scribner
Publication date	2001
Media type	Print (Hardback & Paperback)
ISBN	0739427113 (hardcover edition)

The Other Boleyn Girl is a historical novel written by British author Philippa Gregory, based on the life of 16th-century aristocrat Mary Boleyn. Reviews were mixed; some said it was a brilliantly claustrophobic look at the palace life in Tudor England, while others weren't convinced. Even so, it has enjoyed phenomenal success and popularity since its publication in 2002 and has spawned four sequels - The Queen's Fool, The Virgin's Lover, The Constant Princess, and The Boleyn Inheritance.

Plot summary

Historically based, page-turning story of Mary Boleyn, sister of the infamous Anne, decapitated by Henry VIII: here, as much a tale of love and lust as it is a saga about an ambitious family who used their kin as negotiable assets. Rich with period detail, the story is told by Mary, the younger sister, who is married off at 13 to William Carey, a courtier at Henry's court. Mary serves Queen Katherine, mother of the future Queen Mary, and begins her tale when her sister Anne, stylish and beautiful, returns from France to join Mary at court. The sisters' ambitious parents and their uncle, the future Duke of Norfolk, are determined to acquire power and influence, as well as titles and estates, from the king, even if it means that Mary must become his mistress. Their son George is made to work on his sisters' behalf and to live a life not of his choosing (he's homosexual and loves a fellow courtier). Mary bears the king a son, but Anne soon after uses all her wiles to make Henry divorce the Queen and marry her. The Boleyns, more ruthlessly functional than dysfunctional, continue to plot and push to achieve their ends. Mary recounts the king's wish for a male heir; his break with the Pope; Anne's skillful if criminal plotting that leads to the divorce and her marriage to Henry; the birth of the future Queen Elizabeth; and Anne's desperate attempts to bear a son. Meanwhile, she herself, widowed after her first husband dies from the plague, finds love with Sir William Stafford—the only strand of the story with possibilities for future happiness. Absorbing tale of a Renaissance family determined to climb as high as they can, whatever the cost.

Historical Accuracy

Mary Boleyn was the sister of the more famous Anne Boleyn (it is still debated amongst historians about who was the elder). 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, was the mistress of two kings - François I of France and England's Henry VIII. She was born sometime between 1499 and 1508, probably around 1500. A popular but unverifiable legend suggests that she was considered the more beautiful of the two girls.

She was married twice, and died in 1543. Philippa Gregory was intrigued by the story of a queen's sister who apparently has been forgotten by history because she lacked the political importance and impact of her sister. Gregory was fascinated by Mary's story nonetheless and sought to write a novel on the "other Boleyn girl." Some of the novel's storyline was loosely based on the work of American historian, Retha M. Warnicke, and the books of British historian, Alison Weir. Others, however, were clear dramatic devices. As a novelist, Gregory also often altered or ignored actual historic events to portray Mary Boleyn in a more positive light, particularly through her portrayal of Mary as a heroine, determined to achieve independence unheard of for an upper-class woman in the mid-sixteenth century.

Literary significance & criticism

Anne's daughter Elizabeth is a major character in The Other Boleyn Girl's sequel, The Queen's Fool.

Gregory has a high rate of success with using relatively unknown characters in her historical novels - often, they are not typical historical heroines. In The Queen's Fool, she used the character of Mary I in a sympathetic light, whilst she is usually demonised by admirers of Elizabeth I. The Other Boleyn Girl was unusual not only because it centered on the relatively unknown life of Mary Boleyn; but also because of the sources Gregory listed in her author's note. Some queried if she had overstepped the appropriate limits of a historical novelist and had invited criticism precisely because she listed the sources she had consulted, thus allegedly implying that the novel's storyline was more historically accurate than its critics suggested. Her defenders argue that irrespective of the sources used, Gregory has an artistic license as an author of fiction to construct whatever story she feels is appropriate.

Despite the criticism (see below), the novel has enjoyed high commercial success and it has a large and loyal fan-base. It has appealed to popular interest in the Tudor era, which is currently high in both Britain and America. It has been followed by a sequel called The Queen's Fool, set during the reigns of Henry's daughters, Queen Mary and Elizabeth. The Queen's Fool was followed by The Virgin's Lover, set during the early days of Queen Elizabeth's reign. Less successful than The Other Boleyn Girl, The Virgin's Lover once again showed Gregory's refusal to shy away from historical controversy by suggesting Elizabeth ordered the assassination of Mary of Guise and Amy Robsart, the wife of Robert Dudley.

Gregory is also the author of The Constant Princess, a romanticised story of Anne's predecessor, Catherine of Aragon and The Boleyn Inheritance, the tale of Catherine Howard's rise to the throne in 1540.

Questions of Historical Accuracy

Some areas of disputed historical accuracy include the following:

• Birth order of the sisters. Many histories, including Eric Ives's biography of Anne Boleyn, suggest that Mary was almost certainly the elder sister, and the eldest of the Boleyn children, whereas The Other Boleyn Girl presents George as the eldest. Philippa Gregory responds: 'No. No-one knows the ages of the Boleyn girls there is no record of their dates of birth. Having examined the evidence I, and historian Alison Weir believe that she is the youngest. Anne was the first Boleyn girl sent to France, Mary followed. Anne is listed in a Boleyn will and Mary is not. Anne is named in a letter as Mistress Anne Boleyn and Mary as Mistress Boleyn which indicates Anne’s seniority. Anne was betrothed first (though the marriage fell through which is why Mary was married first) In any event there is probably a difference of two years.' (Alison Weir's two published books on the Tudor royals do not back-up this statement: in both The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1991) and Henry VIII: King and Court (2002) she states that Mary was the elder sister. However another historian, Retha Warnicke, believes Mary was the youngest by approximately twelve months.
• Sexuality of George Boleyn. The book depicts George Boleyn as having a homosexual lover, though historians such as Eric Ives suggest he was known as a womaniser. In essence, the historical debate over Boleyn's sexuality has little to do with the history of gay identity, but rather a specific point of argument between those who support Ives's theory that Anne was the victim of a political coup and thus sexual prejudice had nothing to do with her downfall, it was simply a convenient excuse and those who support American academic Retha Warnicke, who also argues passionately in favour of Anne's innocence but believes her destruction had far more to do with the 16th-century's warped view of sexual psychology (centering on a confusing system of prejudices which saw links between miscarriages, fetal deformities, homosexuality/bisexuality, witchcraft and Satanism.) Thus Gregory is justified in defending her novel's sub-plot on the grounds that specific evidence about George's sexual preference is inconclusive, he could just as easily have been bisexual and that there is a school of historical thought which would support the idea that he had same-sex affairs.
• Paternity of Mary Boleyn's children. It has long been rumored that one or both of Mary Boleyn's children were fathered by Henry, with the rumour originating from a report made in 1531 by an anti-Boleyn prior. Some writers, such as Alison Weir, consider it unlikely that Henry Carey (Mary's son) was fathered by the King. Whereas some others, chiefly Eric Ives, have insisted that it is frankly impossible. As always within history there is some debate, with Sally Varloe, Dr. G.W. Bernard (author of The King's Reformation) and Joanna Denny (author of Anne Boleyn: A New Life of England's Tragic Queen and Katherine Howard: A Tudor Conspiracy) arguing that he may have been Henry Tudor's son.
• Role of Thomas and Elizabeth Boleyn. The Other Boleyn Girl depicts Mary's parents as using their daughter and her sexuality as a political pawn. Sources such as Anne Boleyn by Marie-Louise Bruce (1972) suggest that Mary's parents did not encourage her sexual escapades, and were horrified when she was sent home from France in disgrace. Gregory denies there is any evidence of this.
• Anne Boleyn's wardship of Henry Carey. Anne Boleyn took on Mary's son as her ward after the death of his father, and supplied him with an education - a common practice in the Tudor nobility and one very similar to the situation faced by dozens of young aristocratic children, including Anne and Mary's cousin, Catherine Howard who was raised by her grandmother when her father was penniless. Anne's actions are usually seen as a kind by contemporaries and historians but in the novel it is re-imagined as a cruel act. The author's response is as follows: 'Anne did adopt Mary’s son, but there is no evidence for Anne’s motives. She cut off her sister without a pension on the death of William Carey which does not seem very kind. But we simply don’t know her motives either way.' (In fact, Anne secured Mary a pension of £100 a year. )
• Sexual experience of Mary Boleyn. Mary is depicted as a sexually inexperienced young girl, despite her alleged affair with Francis I of France and subsequent promiscuity at the French court, for which she is generally thought to have been dismissed from the French court, shaming the Boleyn family. The author comments: 'There is no evidence for Mary’s sexual activity before marriage and given that she was a Tudor young lady whose marriage would be her fortune it is extremely unlikely that she would be allowed to have lost her virginity. The only evidence for sexual activity at the court of the king is his boast that she had been ‘his hackney’ which is unsupported by any other claim or any evidence in France or England and probably was said only to upset Henry VIII. ... Nobody knows what age Mary was when she went to court, but she was probably only 12 when married according to current best calculations. That would mean that she was the French King’s lover before puberty which is also most unlikely.' (There is considerable uncertainty over the birthdate of all the Boleyn siblings- many historians including Ives would suggest Mary was much older than 12, probably in her early 20s).
• Motivations and Characterisation of Anne Boleyn The Guardian newspaper claimed Anne had been presented as "a scheming trollop," expressing incredulity at such a characterisation. There were also some objections from feminist scholars, many of whom praise Anne Boleyn as a feminist icon. As queen, Anne was also a generous patron of charity and she saved many lives from the Inquisition in Europe. Philippa Gregory says 'The only ‘savage criticism’ I have experienced has been anonymous remarks such as this published without peer review or editing. All reputable reviews have been positive. Calling my version of Anne a ‘scheming trollop’ is not savage criticism but fair comment. Anne Boleyn is not a feminist icon to feminist scholars and I have received no criticism from feminists but much praise for my history of women.' (See aforementioned references for biographies seeing Anne as a feminist icon.)
• Incest between Anne and George Boleyn. Anne Boleyn was charged with committing incest with her brother. At one point in the novel, there is the implication that this might have been true, in a desperate attempt by Anne to become pregnant with a son. This twist in the story provoked the most outcry, one reason being that Anne had sworn upon the damnation of her soul in 1536 that she was absolutely innocent, leading some to feel that it was incredibly disrespectful to distort such a human tragedy in this manner. None of the sources Gregory listed in her bibliography supported the theory that Anne was guilty of the charges used at her trial. She had used two biographies of Anne - one by the American historian, Retha Warnicke and another by Marie-Louise Bruce. Both these writers insisted that Anne was innocent, as did books by David Loades, Alison Weir and Lacey Baldwin Smith that Gregory had used when researching the story. The author says, 'Anne was charged and found guilty of incest with her brother, the novel suggests that this is show trial and implies that Anne would have done anything to save her life and get a son. This is no distortion of the story. ... There is no suggestion in the book that Anne was definitely guilty of incest but this is the charge she faced - as every historian records, and she was found guilty and so executed. Since the novel is written in the first person it is an account of the trial, the guilty sentence and the execution, it is not a later explanation.' However, Gregory ignores the fact that, as stated in Eric Ives' biography of Anne Boleyn, it can be argued that part of the reason Anne was executed was because of her political leanings, which her brother shared and supported. Therefore, if the execution of Anne Boleyn was meant to be an example to supporters of church reform, executing George Boleyn at the same time would have made perfect sense; not because there was any evidence of their having incestuous relations, but because he was nearly as avid a supporter of reform as she was, if not quite as well-connected. The hapless Mary, on the other hand, had no known political stance whatsoever.

Interestingly, in one of the novel's sequels - The Boleyn Inheritance - one of the characters admits that she fabricated the evidence of incest used in the trial against the two Boleyns. This implies that the two were innocent all along and it was simply gossip and innuendo which condemned them. The author responds: 'Yes indeed. This novel is from the point of view of Jane Parker. The Other Boleyn Girl is from the point of view of Mary Boleyn. Both novels are based on the historical record but the reader is supposed to understand that the account comes from their point of view. In the case of The Boleyn Inheritance the journey of the character of Jane Parker towards madness is part of her realization of what she has done. Most readers have understood this.'

Film, TV or theatrical adaptations

BBC TV adaptation

Main article: The Other Boleyn Girl (2003 film)

In 2003, the BBC made a ninety-minute drama based on The Other Boleyn Girl, shot with a relatively low production budget of £50,000 using modern camera techniques, and much of the script was 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.

Film adaptation

Main article: The Other Boleyn Girl (film)

A movie adaptation of the book (with the same title) was released in the US on February 29, 2008 (UK Mar 2008) with Scarlett Johansson as Mary Boleyn, Natalie Portman as Anne, Eric Bana as Henry VIII and also starring Kristin Scott Thomas as Lady Elizabeth Boleyn, Mark Rylance as Sir Thomas Boleyn, Jim Sturgess as George Boleyn, Eddie Redmayne as William Stafford, Benedict Cumberbatch as Sir William Carey, and Bill Wallis as the Archbishop Cramner. The film also features appearances by the UK Model of the Year 2006/7, Siobhan Hustler, as Anne's Lady-in-Waiting and David Morrissey. It received mixed to decidedly negative reviews in the United States, with the New York Times calling it "more slog than romp", and the British press (though noting good performances from Morrissey and other British actors, along with the British director Chadwick and writer Morgan) generally concurred, calling it "ridiculous, but imagined with humour and gusto" and "for the most part ... history as soap opera, middle-brow Carry On Henry".

External links

• The Other Boleyn Girl - Internet Movie Database
• The Other Boleyn Girl Television Movie Homepage
• Review of The Other Boleyn Girl
• The Other Boleyn Girl - Movie Website
• Other Boleyn Girl Trailer Fan Site (Comparison of Historic Figures and actors)
• www.philippagregory.com (Philippa Gregory Official Website)