Book Review of Philippa Gregory‘s The Boleyn Inheritance Ardana Reswari and Eta Farmacelia English Department, Faculty of Humanity, Diponegoro University, Semarang 5 275 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 enry VIII. Seorang raja yang terkenal pada masa dinasti Tudor karena kebijakan politik serta kehidupan pribadinya yang fenomenal. Raja enry VIII adalah raja Inggris yang pernah memiliki enam ratu, dua diantaranya meninggal karena dihukum mati oleh raja enry VIII sendiri. Novel ini tidak hanya bercerita tentang kehidupan pribadi raja enry VIII tetapi juga bercerita tentang kebijakan politik, hukum, kebudayaan serta fenomena-fenomena yang terjadi pada masa pemerintahan raja enry 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. Introd ction 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 ,rincess. princess or a queen through stories and fairy tales. The most popular fairy tale Unlike fairy tales, ,hilippa -regory.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. )y marrying a prince, her noble women e/perience. 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 ,hD and Alumna of life in Tudor era in England. the Year 2 9 of Edinburgh University. She worked in ))C radio for two years 0ne of the interesting eras in the before attending the University of English 1onarchy is the Tudor era Edinburg, where she earned her especially in the era of Henry 2III doctorate in 1Ath9century literature. reign. There were so many phenomena -regory 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 open university, and was made a that era but also have impacts for the Fellow of 3ingston University in 1994. future of the English monarchy. Henry is well known as the 3ing who has si/ Queens. Ironically, he beheaded the two She has written novels set in several of them. )ased on this history, -regory different historical periods, though tells these phenomena in her fictional primarily the Tudor period the 16th history4 The Boleyn Inheritance. century. A Respectable Trade, a novel -regory tries to e/plore her point of of the slave trade in England, set in view in three main characters of this 1Ath9century )ristol, was adapted by story4 Anne of Cleves, 5ane )oleyn and -regory for a four9part drama series for 3atherine Howard who are the Queen ))C television. It was nominated for and the closest noble women of Henry a )AFTA, won an award from the 2III. The Boleyn inheritance is Committee for Racial Equality, and the interesting to be reviewed because this film was shown worldwide. Some of novel e/plores 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 The Other Boleyn Girl 1.2 The Objective of the St dy which was published in 2 2 and adapted for ))C television in 2 C and The ob6ective of this study is to give a then 1irama/ bought the film right and review about 'The Boleyn Inheritance(, produced film with the same name DThe especially to describe the strengths and Other+s Boleyn GirlE. It was filmed in weaknesses of this novel through the England and generally released in discussion its intrinsic elements7 theme, February 2 A. plot, setting, character and style. 2. S(MMARY After the death of 5ane Seymour, the 1.3 Philippa Gregory and Her Works third queen of England, 3ing Henry and This following description is taken from his advisor are looking for a noble http488www.philippagregory.com8philip woman to fill the position of Queen. pa9gregory9biography8 and Their decision goes to Anne of Cleves, http488en.wikipedia.org8wiki8,hilippa_- a noble woman from -ermany. This regory. decision is not about her beauty but a ,hilippa -regory was born on 9 5anuary political strategy. If the 3ing 1arries a 1954 in Nairobi 3enya. When she was -erman9noble woman from Cleves, two years old, her family moved to England will have a good alliance England. She is a past student of Susse/ against the papist. Anne.s brother is a leader of the ,rotestant 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 3ing.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 3ing.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. 0n 2A 5uly 154 , The 3ing marries When she meets 3ing Henry 2III in 3atherine Howard, a girl who is only Rochester, she does something that fourth teen years old. The king is mad makes the 3ing feel ashamed and about her and gives what she wants. angry. She pushes the 3ing away when The trouble comes when the wound in he tries to get close and kiss her. She the 3ing.s leg relapses. His health has thinks he is 6ust a drunken man who declined. Duke Norfolk worries because acts impolite. 5ane )oleyn as the lady9 3atherine has not been pregnant yet. He in9waiting who has served three Queen plans to take a favor to 3atherine so she of England before knows that The 3ing will have a child with a young man. He does not like her. She predicts that he asks 5ane )oleyn to persuade 3atherine will find a way to get out of the and Thomas Culpeper to get close to marriage. each other. He asks 5ane )oleyn to manage it. He worries that there will be 1onths after months the king does not no coronation if the Queen can not give consume his marriage. 5ane )oleyn.s a son to the 3ing. prediction becomes true. The 3ing dispatches Duke of Norfolk to make an Unfortunately, 3ing sends his alliance with France so he does not need archbishop to ask 3atherine because he Queen Anne.s brother as his friend suspects that 3atherine has an affair and anymore. Duke of Norfolk himself is takes a lover. She is proven guilty of the rival of Thomas Cromwell, the treason that she ever married Francis 3ing.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, 3ing.s favorite guilty of treason then plans to enrage courtier as her lover. The council sends 3ing Henry to divorce her and marry her and 5ane )oleyn to the tower. They 3atherine Howard, his niece. sentence them to death. Duke of Norfolk runs away from the The 3ing 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, 5ane )oleyn, and 3atherine 3ing also suspects that some people do Howard who is The Queen at that time treason over him, 6oin the papist and are beheaded because the charges of have a plot to throw the 3ing from the commetting adulteries and treason over throne. Fortunately, Anne is not proven the 3ing. guilty of the alliance with Cromwell but she has to put her name to the agreement that she is pre9contracted and 3. Review of Philippa Gregory‘s The this novel4 Anne of Cleves, 5ane )oleyn Boleyn Inheritance. and 3atherine Howard. 3.1. The Strengths and Weaknesses of Another theme that can be The Boleyn Inheritance seen in this novel is oppression towards The )oleyn Inheritance as a noble women. The Boleyn Inheritance New York Times bestseller novel must shares a number of stories about 3ing have something that attracts the reader Henry.s domination and the e/cessive to make it as bestseller. This review power of noble men that causes the e/plores the strengths and the oppression towards women in the Tudor weaknesses of ,hillippa -regory.s The Era.