There has been, it seems to me, a significant upswell in interest in the Tudor dynasty: their rulers, their women, and their attendants. Surely no other hundred-year patch of history has been so obsessively tilled, so speculated upon, than that which starred Henry VIII and his daughters. Unquestionably, the Tudor dynasty has some fascinating figures deserved of this loving attention, but surely other stretches of time, with equally interesting characters, have been forsaken in favor of another portrait of the century of Shakespeare. Could it be that the world's best historians are British and British historians can only get off on the Tudors? Perhaps. And yet Wolf Hall throws all this out the window, making a bonfire for my antipathy as it steals my heart and earns my admiration.
In Wolf Hall, Ms. Mantel wastes little time distinguishing herself from Philippa Gregory. Her prose is peerless. It's economy of phrasing nods respectfully to Hemingwayian minimalism, but it's the emotion she's able to generate from her fairly stoic subject that truly impresses. Thomas Cromwell, henchman-in-chief to a rather childlike Henry VIII, is, outwardly, the essence of stoic, relentless determination. But Ms. Mantel's skill grants her hero an internal personality just as dynamic as the external one Cromwell shows to the world. And this is where the novel succeeds so well for Ms. Mantel has clearly set herself the task of imagining the psyche of a man who has been, for the most part, cruelled by history. Someone had to be the mastermind of Henry VIII's bloody reign. And given that the king's propensity for violence largely corresponds to the period after Cromwell replaced the executed Thomas Moore as his chief minister, fitting Cromwell for the black hat made sense. And yet, this is a man who raised himself up from remarkably -- for his time -- modest means to become a statesman, a thinker and an advocate for the powers of the state over the dominion of religion. Can such a visionary of the future, democratic state be such a villain?
Ms. Mantel's ministerial novel covers the first half of Cromwell's life: his struggles, his family, and his rise to prominence. But even as he attains fame and fortune, the enormity of which surely outstrip even his wildest dreams, sorrow stalks his every step. For the order of the world cannot be overturned, not without exacting its price in blood. While Cromwell is the shining jewel of this novel, Ms. Mantel's deftness with dialogue doesn't desert her when it comes to the historical giants within Cromwell's orbit. The pompous and petty Cardinal Wolsey puts in a potent appearance, as does a wonderfully conceited Thomas Moore who comes off here as a rather savage soul. My favorite satellite, however, is king Henry who is oddly innocent in Ms. Mantel's tale. But then if there had never been anyone to thwart your will, if you were surrounded by sycophants who praised your deeds and forgave your sins, if you were so isolated from the world that your only contact with the people is through their representatives and not the people themselves, would you not also be childishly innocent? It's a fascinating choice, but one that rings true.
This is an outstanding piece of literature. Yes, it is historical fiction; but for the research Ms. Mantel conducted, this story is entirely conjecture. But the quality of the work is measure by the sound of its authenticity and, in Wolf Hall, the sound is as sweet as angel song. (5/5 Stars)
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