Negotiation Of Power In History: An Interpretation Of Wolf Hall From The Perspective Of New Historicism

Hilary Mantel is considered as one of the most distinguished female writers in modern British literature.Her representative work,Wolf Hall,which was published in 2009,portrays a figure named Thomas Cromwell with his successful life struggles and significant changes from a grass-root to an influential politician and revolutionist based on the Tudor dynasty in Britain.By adopting the concept of “historicity of texts” in new historicism,this thesis aims to examine how the creation of this novel is closely associated with historical elements in the 16 th century of England in three aspects.Firstly,the personal development of Thomas Cromwell and Anne Boleyn is profoundly influenced by the significant progress in economical and diplomatic field under Tudor dynasty.Secondly,the development of the divorce issue between Henry VIII and Katherine truly reflects the political evolution at that period.Thirdly,the relationships among Henry VIII,Wolsey and Thomas Cromwell are consistent with distinctive features between kinship and aristocracy in “real” history.Moreover,this thesis strives for illustrating how patriarchy and hierarchy are challenged and how the counter forces are suppressed based on the concept of “subversion and containment”.According to the above interpretations,the conclusion is reached that under the historical background of Tudor dynasty,negotiation of power attributes to the subversion of the governed and the containment of the ruling class.