Book Review of ‘s The Boleyn Inheritance

Ardana Reswari and Eta Farmacelia English Department, Faculty of Humanity, Diponegoro University, Semarang 50275

Abstrak

The Boleyn Inheritance adalah salah satu novel bestseller karya Phillippa Gregory. Novel ini diadaptasi berdasarkan kisah nyata kerajaan Inggris pada jaman Tudor. The Boleyn Inheritance bercerita tentang tiga wanita bangsawan yang hidup pada masa pemerintahan Raja Henry VIII. Seorang raja yang terkenal pada masa dinasti Tudor karena kebijakan politik serta kehidupan pribadinya yang fenomenal. Raja Henry VIII adalah raja Inggris yang pernah memiliki enam ratu, dua diantaranya meninggal karena dihukum mati oleh raja Henry VIII sendiri. Novel ini tidak hanya bercerita tentang kehidupan pribadi raja Henry VIII tetapi juga bercerita tentang kebijakan politik, hukum, kebudayaan serta fenomena-fenomena yang terjadi pada masa pemerintahan raja Henry VIII. The Boleyn Inheritance juga banyak menyinggung serta mengangkat isu tentang hak perempuan serta hubungannya dengan dominasi laki-laki. Dalam final project ini penulis berusaha menganalisis novel ini dengan memaparkan kelebihan dan kekurangan yang terdapat dalam buku ini melalui unsur-unsur intrinstik yang ada dalam novel ini seperti tema, alur cerita, setting, karakter serta gaya penulisan sehingga dapat menjadi referensi sebelum membacanya.

1. Introduction power so the happiness will be theirs. Sometimes, they never think about the Almost every young girl dreams of other sides of being a princess or a being a princess or a queen. It is queen. They never think of big burdens because in their childhood, they always that must be carried by Queen and hear about how happy it is to be a Princess. princess or a queen through stories and fairy tales. The most popular fairy tale Unlike fairy tales, Philippa Gregory‘s is Cinderella. Cinderella is described as The Boleyn Inheritance does not only an ordinary girl who has miserable life tell about the glamour life of noble but gets a miracle to meet and marry a woman but also the miserable life that prince. By marrying a prince, her noble women experience. This novel miserable life is taken and replaced with has a concern about the lives of noble happiness. It becomes a mindset in most women who have burden twice higher young girls that to be happy is to be a and more dangerous than that of princess, marry a prince, a king, or a common women. It becomes interesting man who has abundance of money and because the basic story of The Boleyn Inheritance is about the noble women‘s university, and a PhD and Alumna of life in Tudor era in England. the Year 2009 of Edinburgh University. She worked in BBC radio for two years One of the interesting eras in the before attending the University of English Monarchy is the Tudor era Edinburg, where she earned her especially in the era of Henry VIII doctorate in 18th-century literature. reign. There were so many phenomena Gregory has taught at the University of that happened in that reign which not Durham, University of Teesside and only make the change and revolution in the , and was made a that era but also have impacts for the Fellow of in 1994. future of the English monarchy. Henry is well known as the King who has six Queens. Ironically, he beheaded the two She has written novels set in several of them. Based on this history, Gregory different historical periods, though tells these phenomena in her fictional primarily the the 16th history: The Boleyn Inheritance. century. , a novel Gregory tries to explore her point of of the slave trade in England, set in view in three main characters of this 18th-century , was adapted by story: , Jane Boleyn and Gregory for a four-part drama series for Katherine Howard who are the Queen BBC television. It was nominated for and the closest noble women of Henry a BAFTA, won an award from the VIII. The Boleyn inheritance is Committee for Racial Equality, and the interesting to be reviewed because this film was shown worldwide. Some of novel explores the other side, the dark her novels also have won awards and side of being princess, Queen and noble have been adapted into television woman. dramas. The most successful of her novels has been 1.2 The Objective of the Study which was published in 2002 and adapted for BBC television in 2003 and The objective of this study is to give a then Miramax bought the film right and review about —The Boleyn Inheritance“, produced film with the same name —The especially to describe the strengths and Other‘s Boleyn Girl“. It was filmed in weaknesses of this novel through the England and generally released in discussion its intrinsic elements; theme, February 2008. plot, setting, character and style. 2. SUMMARY After the death of Jane Seymour, the 1.3 Philippa Gregory and Her Works third queen of England, King Henry and This following description is taken from his advisor are looking for a noble http://www.philippagregory.com/philip woman to fill the position of Queen. pa-gregory-biography/ and Their decision goes to Anne of Cleves, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippa_G a noble woman from Germany. This regory. decision is not about her beauty but a Philippa Gregory was born on 9 January political strategy. If the King Marries a 1954 in . When she was German-noble woman from Cleves, two years old, her family moved to England will have a good alliance England. She is a past student of Sussex against the papist. Anne‘s brother is a leader of the Protestant dukes and not free to marry. Anne does not want princes. Anne of Cleves herself has a to come back to the Cleves, to her desire to be the Queen of England to abusive brother. She prefers King‘s run away from her dominant brother. offer to live in Richmond. Anne will be She wants freedom and uses this as a appointed as the King‘s sister after their chance to be the greatest woman in marriage is annulled. England. Nevertheless, she is not well prepared to be the Queen of England. On 28 July 1540, The King marries When she meets King Henry VIII in Katherine Howard, a girl who is only Rochester, she does something that fourth teen years old. The king is mad makes the King feel ashamed and about her and gives what she wants. angry. She pushes the King away when The trouble comes when the wound in he tries to get close and kiss her. She the King‘s leg relapses. His health has thinks he is just a drunken man who declined. Duke Norfolk worries because acts impolite. Jane Boleyn as the lady- Katherine has not been pregnant yet. He in-waiting who has served three Queen plans to take a favor to Katherine so she of England before knows that The King will have a child with a young man. He does not like her. She predicts that he asks Jane Boleyn to persuade Katherine will find a way to get out of the and Thomas Culpeper to get close to marriage. each other. He asks Jane Boleyn to manage it. He worries that there will be Months after months the king does not no coronation if the Queen can not give consume his marriage. Jane Boleyn‘s a son to the King. prediction becomes true. The King dispatches Duke of Norfolk to make an Unfortunately, King sends his alliance with France so he does not need archbishop to ask Katherine because he Queen Anne‘s brother as his friend suspects that Katherine has an affair and anymore. Duke of Norfolk himself is takes a lover. She is proven guilty of the rival of , the treason that she ever married Francis King‘s greatest friend who arranges this Darehem when she lived in her marriage. Duke of Norfolk looks after a grandmother‘s house. She also takes reason to make Queen Anne proven Thomas Culpepper, King‘s favorite guilty of treason then plans to enrage courtier as her lover. The council sends King Henry to divorce her and marry her and Jane Boleyn to the tower. They Katherine Howard, his niece. sentence them to death. Duke of Norfolk runs away from the The King claims that the marriage is not responsibility and acts innocent. In the valid because Anne is betrothed to end, Francis Dare ham, Thomas Francis of Lorraine in her youth. The Culpepper, Jane Boleyn, and Katherine King also suspects that some people do Howard who is The Queen at that time treason over him, join the papist and are beheaded because the charges of have a plot to throw the King from the commetting adulteries and treason over throne. Fortunately, Anne is not proven the King. guilty of the alliance with Cromwell but she has to put her name to the agreement that she is pre-contracted and 3. Review of Philippa Gregory‘s The this novel: Anne of Cleves, Jane Boleyn Boleyn Inheritance. and Katherine Howard. 3.1. The Strengths and Weaknesses of Another theme that can be The Boleyn Inheritance seen in this novel is oppression towards The Boleyn Inheritance as a noble women. The Boleyn Inheritance New York Times bestseller novel must shares a number of stories about King have something that attracts the reader Henry‘s domination and the excessive to make it as bestseller. This review power of noble men that causes the explores the strengths and the oppression towards women in the Tudor weaknesses of Phillippa Gregory‘s The Era. The stories will evoke the reader‘s Boleyn Inheritance by scrutinizing its emotion because the psychological elements. oppression that is experienced by the 3.1.1. The Strengths of Philippa three main characters is told very well. Gregory‘s The Boleyn Inheritance It is as though that The Boleyn 3.1.1.1. Theme Inheritance‘s aim is to give an example The first strength of The of how oppression could happens to Boleyn Inheritance is the themes. The every girl in the world even when she main themes of The Boleyn Inheritance belongs to high class position. It shows may be said as history, love, and the that what happen in this novel really criticism over the reign of Henry VIII happens in the real world because The and his oppression over noble women. Boleyn Inheritance based on history of In this book, Gregory tries to tell these Tudor era. This novel is like trying to phenomena of Tudor era during Henry tell and underline that there is the VIII reign through women characters. oppression that happens to the women The Boleyn Inheritance wraps the in every class. history into love drama which always 3.1.1.2. Character and becomes mainstream favorite theme. It Characterization is good for people who do not like The second strength is the reading history. Reading The Boleyn characters and the characterization. Inheritance is like killing two birds with Anne of Cleves, Jane Boleyn, and one stone. The reader can enjoy the plot Katherine Howard are chosen as main and also know the history of Tudor era. characters because they represent the Love plays an important inheritance of , the second role in this novel because The Boleyn wife of Henry VIII who was beheaded Inheritance makes love more complex, of treason. They share one fate, Anne realistic, and somehow ironic. Gregory Boleyn‘s fate. Anne of Cleves shares explores love through her three main the accusations and false witness; characters. When the reader reads each Katherine Howard shares the treat of the of their love stories, the reader can feel axe; and Jane Rochford shares a fortune how love is told as something that is and a title in exchange for her soul. The full of intrigues. Love does not only Boleyn Inheritance tries to give opinion bring joy but also anguish of life and criticism over the reign of Henry because love sometimes brings people VIII through three different characters. to the wrong person and condition. It is What makes these three represented by three main characters of characters interesting is not only that the characters are real people from real life, but also that the characterization England. Nevertheless, no matter how serves as the alter ego of the author hard she tries, she will never succeed. herself. (—Alter ego is a literary Because the more loudly she voices her character or narrator who is a thinly wish, the more it will send her into the disguised representation of the author, death. That is interesting and ironic poet, or playwright creating a because in this time there are so many work.“http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/lit_te women who have the ambition to be rms_A.htm) Gregory is well known as a great, but the men‘s domination block feminist historian. Almost all of her their step. novels are about woman in history. She Jane Boleyn is a witness of has a special interest in rescuing women the tragedy that happens to the five from historical stereotypes. Anne of Queens of King Henry VIII but even Cleves of The Boleyn Inheritance is after witnessing for King‘s domination Gregory‘s literary character that over his wives, she still wants to represents Gregory herself. Through become lady-in-waiting. She is Anne of Cleves, the reader can see that described as a good woman, but even a this character is the alter ego of Gregory good woman also has a weakness. She who tries to raise the awareness about is like the common woman who needs a feminism and patriarchal stereotype. man to give her good prospect because Anne of Cleves is described she has a bad trauma of being a poor as a woman who already has awareness widow. She accepts Duke of Norfolk‘s of men‘s domination and the freedom offer to plot Queen‘s affair in exchange that a woman should get. She is the she can get a good man to marry. character who realizes that. In Tudor era Unfortunately, she becomes a scapegoat men always are the heir who has for Duke of Norfolk‘s guile. Jane opportunity and power and women Boleyn is beheaded because the charge always destined to be either wives and of treason against the King. She is like a mothers at very best, or spinster at the symbol that exists since long time ago worst. She is told as a woman who dare that justice is questionable. Money and to rebel to his brother or even King excessive power can make someone Henry VIII. Anne uses her unique cheat upon the law. It happens to King stubborn personality as a weapon to Henry who takes a role as God. He rebel and survive. She uses silence decides who deserves to live and die rather than crying or begging a mercy without passing through jurisdiction. when her brother tries to abuse her. She Katherine Howard is thinks that silence is a sign to show that described as a woman who dreams of she is a girl who is not easily subdued in glory to be a princess or queen. The that way like her sisters. Her motivation type of this girl is told in so many fairy to become the Queen of England is not tales. Unfortunately, she does not find a about the money and the glamour life, handsome King, but a fat forty seven but to make it as a ticket to freedom. year old man. She stakes everything for Anne also thinks that becoming Queen Queen Position. She believes the myth of England means having the authority that Queen is the happiest woman in the and land greater and larger than Cleves world. She does not realize that being a so it is a change to prove to her family Queen is a dangerous position and is not that she can be the Greatest Queen of a peaceful life for any woman. The different characteristics viewpoint that someday when they get of three main characters make this story the oppression from the man, they will more complex and interesting. know that it is not proper. Especially all of them have the same 3.1.1.3. Point of View portion as central character. Gregory The next strength is the shows how the characters are very point of view. Anne of Cleves, Jane incisive. Gregory creates the three Boleyn, and Katherine Howard as the characters so complex by combining a characters who receive the oppression good and a bad personality with their share their story in the first point of reaction and motivation. view. Using three main characters as The three characters narrators make the benefit to build the represent the character of women in this different emotion because the readers time. How women are portrayed by will know one event through three various characterization in characters‘ experience. The readers can understanding the meaning of freedom. move from one to the other characters‘ There are some women that currently thoughts and feelings. Sometimes, when get to know about women‘s right. the reader reads the book which has first Nevertheless, most of women still do point of view that focuses on one not realize about the existence of gender character there is something crossed in equality. This contrast is clearly seen in their mind on how the other characters‘ the novel because Gregory divides her feelings, thoughts, or even motivation. main characters into two opposite The Boleyn Inheritance which has three characters in relations to the awareness main characters as narrators make it of men‘s domination. Anne of Cleves is more easily for the readers to portrayed as a woman who realizes that understand the plot of this story and her brother‘s domination on her and her bring strong emotion over the main sisters is not fair so she tries to prove characters‘ miserable life that is caused herself by being the Queen of England. by King Henry and noble man‘s Jane Boleyn and Katherine Howard are domination . like the satire to the real world. Despite 3.1.1.4. Setting the violence that happens in front of Setting is the next strength. their eyes, women still hold the stigma The setting of this novel is very detailed that they should come head over the especially in the setting of time and heel over the men. Most of them believe place. It is interesting because each part that it is best to be in the protection of a of the event is always entitled with powerful man who has a lot of money. month and place. It is like reading the They do not realize that the oppression journal of the characters. The reader can come from the domination and excess read the chronology event to event power. They also believe that woman because Gregory put month and place in nature is submissive to men. This each chapter. By reading The Boleyn misconception is often used to reinforce Inheritance, the reader can be familiar male domination. The Boleyn with the place and the palace that Inheritance through the opposite main English Monarchy have. It enriches the characters tries to give the contribution reader‘s knowledge that English have of raising the awareness of men‘s the other courts and palaces besides domination. It gives the woman Buckingham Palace which popularly 3.2.2. Plot known as The Royal residence. Besides, there are double or 3.1.1.5. Style even triple similar events of the plot The final strength of The because each event is experienced by Boleyn Inheritance is about the style of the three characters. For the reader who this novel that makes the reader easy to likes rushing to finish reading or who is read this novel. Although the story obsessed about the ending, The Boleyn occurred in the past, Gregory writes The Inheritance could be a boring one. It Boleyn Inheritance as a contemporary has too many repeated conflicts. Even novel that is easy to read. Reading The though an important information is Boleyn Inheritance is like reading the added in the later chapters, the reader epistolary novel that takes the form of a may become too tired to re-read the letter, or actually consisting of letters same event that is told in the previous written to another person. Even though part by the other characters. the form of this novel is not using a 3.2.3. Accuracy letter, when the reader reads this book, Finally, the accuracy of The the reader will feel like reading journals Boleyn Inheritance is questionable. The of three different people alternately. Boleyn Inheritance is a novel that The reader will get the different introduces the reader to history of experience over the same event. English monarchy especially the reign of Henry VIII but it is not a history 3.2 The Weaknesses of Phillippa book so some data are not precisely Gregory‘s The Boleyn Inheritance accurate. The story and the characters of Apart from those strong this novel indeed represent the real points, The Boleyn Inheritance also has story of Tudor era, but there are some some weak points. There are some weak events, characters and characterization points on point of view, plot and the in this novel that can be doubted. For accuracy which are found as the example, in The Boleyn Inheritance, weaknesses of this novel. These Anne is told as a woman who is weaknesses will be explained on this obsessed with freedom. She has the fear following discussion. to become the Queen and remarry 3.2.1. Point of View Henry VIII. Nevertheless historians First, using first point of assume that Anne has a desire to view of this novel may build good remarry Henry VIII. After King Henry emotion for the reader. However, VIII died, she attempted to have their having three main characters as marriage declared valid so she could narrators exploring their feeling about enjoy the perks of being the Queen the abuser noble men continuously and Dowager. The Boleyn Inheritance is a excessive can make the reader will feel fictional history that the accuracy of the that these characters are over lamented. history is adopted as a fiction by This novel through its point of view Gregory as the author. The accuracy of also leads the reader to one perception the events, characters and and interpretation on the critic of Henry characterizations depend on the author‘s reign as the cruel reign. will.

4. CONCLUSION The Boleyn Inheritance is a highly recommended book to be read for all The Boleyn Inheritance is one of the people, especially for people who are finest fictional histories written by interested in history of English Gregory. This book consists of monarchy. By reading this novel, the tremendous strong points. They are readers will know about the life of themes, character and characterization, noble women and the reign of Henry point of view, setting and writing style. VIII of Tudor era. This book also Although there are some weak points, enriches the reader‘s knowledge about such as double events and lack of English Monarchy including the policy accuracy, those weaknesses do not law, culture and phenomena in Tudor lessen the greatness of this book. Era. It exposes that in the reign of King Henry VIII, King has the absolute right The Boleyn Inheritance is a novel that to set the policy and law as his will. It tells history of English monarchy makes some phenomena that are especially King Henry VIII reign influenced on the present of English through love theme. It is good to make Monarchy. The Boleyn Inheritance is the reader knows about history through also good for women to the entire of the fictional novel. Even this novel is based world especially for young women. on true story that occurred in the past This novel raises the concept of but this book is easily to read. The feminism issue that is the awareness of characterizations of the main characters men‘s domination. This book brings a in this novel are highly correlated with message for the people to look at the phenomena about the awareness of history from woman‘s point of view. men‘s domination that happen in this The three main characters in this book; time. The three main characters that Anne of Cleves, Katherine Howard and share the story as narrators also build a Jane Boleyn are the examples of how good emotion for the reader. The style terrible women‘s life because of men‘s and setting in this novel are so details. It domination. The Boleyn Inheritance is makes the reader feels like going to the not only a best seller book but also a past by reading three main characters messenger to rescue woman from journal. patriarchal stereotype.

Even there are some weak points such as the three main characters that over exploring their feelings continuously and excessive, the repeated conflicts, and also the inaccuracy. some data is not precisely accurate because it is a fictional history that the accuracy of the history is adopted as a fiction. Nevertheless, those weak points do not diminish this book becomes unattractive.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Echols, John M and Hassan Shadily. Kamus Indonesia Inggris: Edisi Ketiga. Jakarta:PT. Gramedia, 1992. Print.

Gregory, Philippa. The Boleyn Inheritance. New York: Touchstone, 2006. Print.

Gregory, Philippa. Philippa Gregory biography.

Wheeler, L. Kip.Literary. homepage. Terms and Definitions. 309 Henderson in the English Department Suite 311.2012

Wikipedia.