Wolf Hall by, Hilary Mantel is an acclaimed novel and winner of the 2009 Man Booker Prize. I’m a history nerd and I’m especially fascinated (as are quite a few people) by Tudor history. There’s just something about Henry VIII going through six wives that never ceases to be boring… Most Tudor novels focus on Henry’s wives, Anne Boleyn being the most popular. However, Mantel decided to write a novel focusing on Thomas Cromwell - a lowborn boy who ended up becoming one of Henry VIII’s most powerful courtiers. Wolf Hall covers Cromwell’s rise to power and the narrative stops before the really bloody drama between Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn begins.
In Wolf Hall, a picture of Cromwell’s father is painted - Walter is a cruel and abusive man and his children despise him. Cromwell thinks back to his father often throughout the novel and at first I didn’t quite get why until it dawned on me that Mantel is posing these questions: How much of Walter’s cruelty is engrained in Thomas? Is Thomas really that much different from his father and does he ultimately become what he despised in his father?
Historians have not generally been kind to Cromwell - he is often described as ambitious, manipulative, and cruel. He had a lot of influence on Henry VIII and one cannot ignore the fact that he did play a role in the deaths of a few people… For a person to get that close to the king, there is no question that Cromwell had to “play the game” and it does take a certain type of personality to want to seek after that type of power. I heard a psychologist state once that those who seek and obtain high positions of power - especially political figures, tend to be extremely narcissistic, even the one’s who seem to be or are portrayed as being kind and likable. The truly “nice” people don’t want to be bothered with the games one has to play.
Even though there is no denying Cromwell’s shadiness in this narrative, Mantel writes in such a way that his character seems a bit vague and nuanced. The reader is predominately in Cromwell’s point of view and there are times when he is rather endearing. He has an extreme affection and love for his wife, children, and those who end up being like adopted children to him. He loves his dogs and he is able to provide comfortable livings for those he cares for - he’s drawn to the misfits, as he himself is a misfit among the wealthy as he is not high-born. I always like it when an author writes dynamic characters and I think that is particularly difficult d achieve when writing about a well-known historical figure. Mantel shows how multi-faceted Cromwell was and still left me asking, “Who was Thomas Cromwell?”
“Some of these things are true and some of them lies. But they are all good stories.”
One of the main focuses of the novel centers around corruption in the Catholic Church, how these political figures manipulated religion to suit their purposes and the seeds of the Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther is alive and well at this time and Mantel does a really good job weaving this pivotal time in religious history into the narrative.
Henry VIII seeks divorce from Katherine of Aragorn in order to marry Anne Boleyn, but according to Rome, Henry VIII does not have proper grounds to separate from his wife. So, Henry and his courtiers set to work on an endeavor to prove that Katherine was not a virgin when she married him and Cromwell plays a significant role in this. Cromwell argues that one should not had to take heed to Rome, as the religious figures with power in Catholicism are corrupt themselves.
“What I cannot stomach is hypocrisy, fraud, idleness - their worn-out relics, their threadbare worship, their lack of invention. When did anything good last come from a monastery? They do not invent, they only repeat, and what they repeat is corrupt. For hundreds of years the monks have held the pen, and what they have written is what we take to be our history, but I do not believe it really is. I believe they have suppressed the history they don’t like, and written one that is favorable to Rome.”
And folks, this is what happens when governments and political leaders are given too much power 😅.
I was curious to see how Mantel would portray Anne Boleyn - some historians and novelists are sympathetic towards her and others tear her to shreds. In Wolf Hall, Anne is written as a cold, manipulative woman and to be fair, I pretty much agree with this. She treated Katherine and Mary horribly. One has to be shady to take part in ruining a person’s marriage for personal gain. However, the reader does have to remember that Anne is being viewed from Cromwell’s perspective and I will be curious to see if Mantel becomes more sympathetic towards Anne in the second installment, when she, you know, unjustifiably loses her head…
Lastly, I’d like to discuss Mantel’s writing style. One of the biggest (if not the biggest) complaints I see about Wolf Hall is that the vague use of “he” is confusing and readers get confused which “he” is being referred to. As a general rule, assume that 99% of the time the “he” is referring to Cromwell. I think the reason why Mantel decided to do this is to emphasis Cromwell’s “commonness.” Thomas was also a very common name during this period in the 1500s and this general use of “he,” at least for me, portrays how this otherwise nondescript and poor boy became so influential, yet his humble, “no name” beginnings are never forgotten.
The writing can also be abstract at times - Mantel cleverly drops clues, riddles and seemingly mundane details that are actually alluding to something more significant.
There are also some beautifully written sentences and passages.
Overall, I really enjoyed Wolf Hall - I found it to be engaging, layered, well researched and cryptic (in a good way). It is not necessary for a first-time reader to have an immense understanding of this period of history, but I do think that having a working knowledge is extremely beneficial. Because I already understood the historical context and who most of these characters were, I could spend more time on the nuances of the plot. I’m really looking forward to the second installment, Bring Up the Bodies.
Rating: 4/5
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