Reflection And Re-Creation

Wolf Hall,a commercial and critical success upon publication,is the first fiction of the Cromwell trilogy written by Hilary Mantel,the influential female writer in contemporary Britain.In this novel,Mantel presents a picture of the Reformation from Thomas Cromwell’s perspective and gives a new image to the historical figures.This thesis is to discuss Mantel’s response to the social problems of contemporary Britain in Wolf Hall.With the help of the concept of structure of feeling,which is put forward by Raymond Williams,this thesis argues that Mantel,by re-creating historical figures on the basis of her view on historical writing,reconstructs the structure of feeling of Britain in the twenty-first century.In the introduction,a review of the previous studies on the novel,the significance of this thesis,the concept of structure of feeling,and the framework of the thesis are presented.The main body of the thesis is divided into three chapters.The first chapter explores Mantel’s views on historical writing.Mantel evacuates a history that might be possible without violating the basic historical facts.The second chapter examines the manifestation of the above attitude.Mantel re-creates a different Cromwell by exploiting the gaps in historical records and reinterpreting historical events.This new Cromwell reflects Mantel’s concern about the problematic structure of feeling in contemporary Britain.The third chapter explains why Mantel chooses this image of Cromwell among the various possibilities.Mantel,contemplating the predicaments in the contemporary world which she has personally encountered,intentionally furnishes the protagonist with various merits.Cromwell’s tolerance of his political enemies in fact reveals his tolerance with different cultures,and his despise and rebellion against hierarchy demonstrate his pursuit of equality.Mantel leads readers to experience Cromwell’s attitude.In this process of feeling,readers accept the new structure of feeling represented by Cromwell.The concluding part summarizes the viewpoints of this thesis.It also provides some feasible suggestions for further research.