I believe Mantel uses the "he" technique as a compromise between first person and close third. It's as close as we can get without the constraints of a narration.
And it allows her the flexibility to occasionally give us the POV of a third person as well, even if that POV is implicitly filtered through TC's mind.
The entire first chapter is a study of Tom's character assets, so artfully told. As in, of course he's picked up the Welsh language.
Here's what stood out to me in the text. Tom is trying to figure out how to make money to flee his father and considers helping people load their carts. Page 12.
"Men trying to walk straight ahead through a narrow gateway with a wide wooden chest. A simple rotation of the object solves many problems."
It's that ability to see a problem from a different angle that TC will use again and again.
Thanks David. So great to have you with us for the journey!
I agree about He, Cromwell. I often step back and try to imagine what the narrative would be like if it was close third or first person. You see straight away how inappropriate it would be. That subtly, I think it is one of the most creative and ingenious things Mantel does. And also: we have so little of Cromwell's own hand in the historical record. It is hard to find that "I"... but Mantel takes us as close as we can, or dare.
And as for problem-solving, he's always got an eye out for how something can be done more efficiently! You can see him shaking his head and thinking, I could do all of this better.
David - this same scene of problem solving struck me right away. Something that he sees as a very simplistic solution that others are struggling with. Finding solutions to everyday problems.
Nicola I read your comment earlier this week … I was surprised to read Cromwell referred to as Tom - I previously read until middle of Mirror and never thought of him as Tom. I keep coming back to this - mentioned it to my sister Pam who has joined this great slow read and she agreed.
This feels like the most daunting aspect of 'joining in'. My word, your readers are a very bright lot indeed.
I'm a simple soul coming at 'Wolf Hall' for the first time. On the evidence of the first two chapters, I'll be finding it hard to stay slow. It feels pretty compelling. All the nervousness I had about language, characters and complexity has dissipated. I feel a bit self-conscious that this is the level of my insight but, hey, here goes ... I like the story, and the words. The details are everything (I wouldn't spot hidden meanings if they jumped up and slapped me with a Cardinal's chamberpot) ... the visceral, raw, blood-soaked start had me gripped ... the mystery of the intervening years locked me in, and the intrigues of the Court are already playing out. It's a keeper; I shall try and keep myself from reading ahead. I am in awe of the clever folk in the comments!
Ha, don't be in awe. They're just showing off. Or just excited. Or both. And also: you really don't have to read it slowly. I set this up because I knew there were many re-readers like me who wanted to run through the books with a fine toothcomb. But these are (in my tiny tiny humble opinion) the best books written in our lifetime. You can read them quick, but then you'll want to come back again and read them slow.
haha, no worries, I'm going slow. That's the new bit for me ... and the joining in.
I'm reading other things in parallel. I woke early this morning, popped some classical music on, made myself a hot water and lemon and slowly meandered through Chapter 2. Relishing it.
I am a fine toothcomb re-reader. This is my third time though, and I wholeheartedly agree - the best in our lifetime. So happy to be here, reading these remarkable books again, and in such good company. Coming to you from Los Angeles, California.
It can be intimidating. But I figure it takes all kinds to have a group conversation/experience. I try to remember, when I’m reading a bunch of observations I didnt have, or I see references I don’t quite get, that I don’t have to write a ton or have the smartest analysis to enjoy and be a part of. 😉
Until this morning of January 1, I wasn't sure which book I would read, W & P or Wolf Hall. I'd love to read both, but with another major book already on my read-in-2024 pile (and work and life and other less demanding reading), I don't think I'd be successful. At any rate, it looks like WH won out. I haven't quite finished this week's reading so am skipping for now what I'm sure are Simon's brilliant notes.
But, I do have a WH story of my own. In 2022, on my birthday (literally), I was out and about with my husband, having a fun day. Our last stop was the bakery to pick up my birthday cake before heading home for a small party. No birthday girl should have to wait in line, so I told my husband that I'd be around the corner at the bookshop and to come fetch me when he had the cake. There, I rummaged through the books quite happily. This store has both used and new books, and I've found some good quality used books often. Lo, there was a used copy of WH, hardback. I hadn't read it but knew I'd want to some day. Flipping through the book, I was pleased to see that it was free of marks, the spine wasn't cracked, and it had no odd odors. Reader, I bought it.
The next day at home, I picked it up again. This time, I opened it to the very first page. Where I found this note on a large green post-it, in handwriting unfamiliar to me: Happy Birthday, My precious. To say I was stunned is an understatement. How on earth did I miss that note the previous day? And, what are the odds that, on my birthday, I would choose a book with a note, wishing a happy birthday to the book's recipient....
Great story, fitting for this book too, in which nothing is quite what it appears! I'm glad WH won out. W&P is the blockbuster here, and WH more the art house curiosity! I hope you enjoy.
I remember asking you, Simon, if you would advise doing both readalongs and you gently tried to dissuade me from this task, saying that they are very demanding books. Yet, I have thrown caution to the winds and embarked on both, as a first-time reader of both, I should add. My plan was to stick with WH until I couldn’t, but keep up with W&P to the end. Well, I am enjoying both so much on day two already that I will need to cut out my other leisure activities in order to make the time to do justice to both!
You and so many others ignoring my advice and throwing caution to the wind! Well so be it, I hope you enjoy both and don't miss your other leisure activities! 😅
Hihi I'm guilty too! But the comment sections on both readalongs are what convinced me - the community feeling is just wonderful, I enjoy reading these sections just as much as reading the books. Thank you for setting up the space and handing us the tools to do so Simon!
I’m loving the imagery of the tapestry with King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. I remember from my first Wolf Hall reading that it continues to turn up throughout the book as circumstances shift and fortunes rise and fall. In a lit class, we would have called it “an objective correlative.”
I thought the same thing last year reading War and Peace when we first had descriptions of Prince Andrei’s blue empty sky. Both images appear repeatedly in these extraordinary novels and are so rich with poignant meaning and symbolism, so if this is your first time through, pay special attention to them. Through this reading, I’m going to use page flags every time they’re mentioned.
Yes! The sky motif is so wonderful throughout War and Peace. And this tapestry keeps coming back to us and Crumb, with a rather wonderful result in The Mirror and The Light!
Happy New Year! Looking forward to reading with you!
Going all pop culture, and in a mini W&P tangent, it has just ocurred to me: do you think the image of the sky, from the point of view of Jack, at the beginning and end of the series List, was a wink to that Andrei’s sky moment?
You know, whenever ANYONE mentions it, I always think of Prince Andrei!
Hmm, maybe it’s Jung’s collective unconscious???
I was in an Alanon meeting with a man who I doubt ever read W&P, and he was talking about his spiritual issues, and how he couldn’t believe in a traditional idea of God, but would look outside and say, “Empty sky, please help me.” I thought it was the most Tolstoian thing I’d ever heard. When we get to that point in the book, I might post more about that, just to see what people think.
I think the first chapter is incredibly telling of the kind of adult Cromwell becomes. The fact that, even as a beaten child, he does not give in to his own need for comfort for the sake of not getting his blood on Kat shows incredible self-awareness and restraint. His job in comforting the horses while their hooves are gripped in Walter’s hands mirrors his role in placating the public for the actions of Wolsey. The way he does it is incredible too “telling them how their mothers love them and talk about them still” when he doesn’t have a mother of his own. He’s a child who has grown up on egg shells around an unpredictable adult, the hyper-vigilance is so painfully obvious. There’s so much going on!
I really agree with you about how telling the first chapter is of Cromwell as an adult. I thought about his positioning of himself and the old cloth traders and how he indicated to them the level of bribery sufficient and that sort of machinations and placing people is exactly how he pulls himself into his position at court!
Totally agree! but I found the cloth trader bit interesting for other reasons too. We aren’t aware of his motivation for helping them (it isn’t immediately obvious that they will help him get on board the ship), just as we aren’t aware of his motivation for learning Welsh. Did he think either would help him somehow or did he do it just because he could? He didn’t take advantage of staying with the traders although they offer him room and board. He never takes the easy options!
We’re told that the Williams family are told everything and “talk about you in Welsh”. Maybe he recognised their power came from sharing knowledge without the risk of other’s overhearing, and so he learnt Welsh so he could know what they knew too?
That's an interesting one, maybe a little of both? I think maybe he thought at this point he had nothing to lose and they might be able to help him in return. After all, nothing in society ever seems to come for free and especially in his time.
I love the Lowlanders. They’re so outraged on his behalf. They actually made me cry a little, I was so relieved they were “good” people. I think the learning Welsh is an indicator that even as a child he was intellectually curious. Foreshadows everything else he would, seemingly easily, pick up throughout his life.
I’ve never read Mantel, so I was absolutely thrilled to read the first few chapters and get a sense of her writing style. It is so engaging! I’m stopping myself from reading ahead but her prose and is so engrossing, it is difficult to make myself stop. I’m VERY appreciative of your commentary Simon, not just for your insights, but there were a couple of points I missed entirely. I hadn’t thought of it, but learning the cadence of a slow read or how I am reading is also really interesting.
I couldn’t agree more with your post! I’m also learning how to slow read and really take notice of the small details. Thank you Simon for encouraging and enabling us on this journey!
I’m in heaven. Heaven! I remember learning about this period in A-Level history and always wondered about the lives that preceded these big players. Remembering this is fiction, Mantel has created a world that I can see, hear, feel and touch using genius writing styles to conjur up an image of what their lives may very well have looked like. A multi-sensory experience and don’t get me started on her sentence structure which on its own is a craft like no other I can compare. Simon, these notes are astounding. I am genuinely in awe of the energy, work and time you have put into making this such an immersive readalong. It sounds OTT but this is bringing so much joy into my life and I cannot thank you enough.
I welcomed the new year with Crumb and Wolsey at York Place: firelight, rustling paper and Solomon and Sheba hanging on the wall. I was so engrossed I only realised it was midnight when the neighbours let off fireworks. I was in my happy place and wouldn't change a thing.
I forgot how much I love these opening chapters. As the epigraph says, there's tragedy, humour (I laughed out loud several times) and the satirical (in the old sense of fullness, of landscapes and time).
In terms of spoilers, I don't mind the big obvious ones where its a known event but there are things coming up that I'd prefer to wander into unaware...
And as for I, you, he, himself, Cromwell - I'm here for it. This linguistic wizardry is, for me, what elevates these books from mere story to something full-bodied, something that has depth and is real. Crumb is real. We're hovering at his shoulder, so close we can hear him breathing. We turn when he turns, smirk when he smirks, and raise a collective eyebrow everytime Gardiner comes along.
What a great start to the year. This is going to be fun.
Love it! And thanks for mentioning the epigraph. I didn't have space to write about it in this post. But I think it "sets the stage" perfectly. We have an English writer and an Italian. We have actors and a stage. Politics, private lives and great landscapes. The stage is set!
I've been resisting this delicious invitation for weeks (so many books already! so little time!) but the added textiles element from Bea has done for me. A brilliant way of pursuing my longstanding but hitherto unexplored fascination with the links between text and textile. Thank you so much for creating this amazing project. I'm really looking forward to it
We begin with assault, bodily pain. This was once a real body that Mantel has reanimated through text--what I like to call a “body-not-body”, as opposed to a fictional character, who is simply a “not-body.” By thrusting us into that moment from the outset, Mantel creates a sort of hypothetical phenomenology of the past: what did it feel like to be there, in that moment, inhabiting a 16th-century body? It’s amazing.
The damage done to that body, the pain inflicted, makes me wonder if the ability to withstand that type of beating was something that related to natural selection.
Infant mortality and mistreatment of children was so high for human history up to that point, that could it be possible that the survivors had certain beating-resistant traits?
And with medical advancement and our "softer" life, are we current human specimens on average far less tough?
I think this is the seventh time I've read Wolf Hall since I gave it another chance in 2019 (the prose proved too much of a challenge the first time I tried it in, I think 2013), and I am once again in awe of Mantel's world building skills. I read a lot of fantasy, and so am used to the author feeling the need to stop and explain some detail at length- whether it's necessary or not. So I always appreciate it when an author just plunks me down in the middle of a world, shows it to me through the character's eyes, and respects my intelligence enough to assume that I'll keep up without their stopping the story every few pages to explain every last little thing. And Mantel builds her version of 16th century England so economically! Within a few paragraphs, we have the crux of the issue that will drive Henry VIII's 'Great Matter', and we need only a couple of sentences to get the sense of a gloomy night in London that might be safe or not, and to get a sense of many of the characters who will inhabit (or haunt) the rest of the trilogy.
Thanks for sharing the link. Really enjoyed hearing Mantel in her own words and having a sense of the person behind the writing as well as some of the insights into the process of bringing WH trilogy into being.
Morning. Wolf Crawlers! Reading the opening, I remembered loaning my copy to a friend after urging her to read it. She almost didn't make it past page 1: So Violent! she wrote. I convinced her to keep going and she then became completely immersed/addicted, sloughing through the trilogy in 3 weeks.
What confidence, what assurance, to open Wolf Hall with its protagonist lying on the cobbles, bloodied and almost dead. Mantel knew we'd keep reading, anyway.
Coming from the 2023 read a long of War and Peace - expertly shepherded by Simon. This is my first read of Mantel so I am so excited. In the past, I’ve wanted to read but was scared away for various reasons. Looking forward to reading it with the group. I have found the book unbelievably readable and in fact read ahead two chapters but have sworn to myself not to go too far. Loved reading the comments below too which also add so many insights. So far, I’m loving Cromwell - his personality, his way of life and his ability to stand up for those around him. As for spoilers, I’m a history lover so I’m well aware of the history of this time - I’m not fussed about spoilers but am more looking forwards to Mantels interpretation! Happy New Year!
Happy New Year Rachel! Delighted that I've tempted you from War and Peace to Wolf Hall. It will be a different journey, but I think you're going to get a lot out of it.
I enjoyed (from a writing perspective, not the content itself) the unfolding of details regarding Thomas’ beating in the opening lines of the book. His cheek against the cold floor, particularly. Walter stepping back to get his bearings before running forward with another kick like I’d imagine one would prepare to kick a ball. You can engage so closely with the sensory that you come away feeling like you yourself have just received a beat down. I’m tempted to give this passage to my students as an example of the use of the senses in writing. And they’d probably be drawn in by the drama of this scene.
The singular details while also floating on the edge of unconsciousness is very evocative of the effects of adrenaline which you would get in the situation. It’s incredibly well done and ground the reader immediately into the body of Cromwell, “behind his eyes” as Simon said previously
What a great way to start my 2024 reading year!
I believe Mantel uses the "he" technique as a compromise between first person and close third. It's as close as we can get without the constraints of a narration.
And it allows her the flexibility to occasionally give us the POV of a third person as well, even if that POV is implicitly filtered through TC's mind.
The entire first chapter is a study of Tom's character assets, so artfully told. As in, of course he's picked up the Welsh language.
Here's what stood out to me in the text. Tom is trying to figure out how to make money to flee his father and considers helping people load their carts. Page 12.
"Men trying to walk straight ahead through a narrow gateway with a wide wooden chest. A simple rotation of the object solves many problems."
It's that ability to see a problem from a different angle that TC will use again and again.
Thanks David. So great to have you with us for the journey!
I agree about He, Cromwell. I often step back and try to imagine what the narrative would be like if it was close third or first person. You see straight away how inappropriate it would be. That subtly, I think it is one of the most creative and ingenious things Mantel does. And also: we have so little of Cromwell's own hand in the historical record. It is hard to find that "I"... but Mantel takes us as close as we can, or dare.
And as for problem-solving, he's always got an eye out for how something can be done more efficiently! You can see him shaking his head and thinking, I could do all of this better.
If he were around today, he'd have disrupted some industry and become a zillionaire!
Definitely.
David - this same scene of problem solving struck me right away. Something that he sees as a very simplistic solution that others are struggling with. Finding solutions to everyday problems.
I also love this scene - its an instance of Tom realising he can use his intelligence to advantage.
Nicola I read your comment earlier this week … I was surprised to read Cromwell referred to as Tom - I previously read until middle of Mirror and never thought of him as Tom. I keep coming back to this - mentioned it to my sister Pam who has joined this great slow read and she agreed.
This feels like the most daunting aspect of 'joining in'. My word, your readers are a very bright lot indeed.
I'm a simple soul coming at 'Wolf Hall' for the first time. On the evidence of the first two chapters, I'll be finding it hard to stay slow. It feels pretty compelling. All the nervousness I had about language, characters and complexity has dissipated. I feel a bit self-conscious that this is the level of my insight but, hey, here goes ... I like the story, and the words. The details are everything (I wouldn't spot hidden meanings if they jumped up and slapped me with a Cardinal's chamberpot) ... the visceral, raw, blood-soaked start had me gripped ... the mystery of the intervening years locked me in, and the intrigues of the Court are already playing out. It's a keeper; I shall try and keep myself from reading ahead. I am in awe of the clever folk in the comments!
Ha, don't be in awe. They're just showing off. Or just excited. Or both. And also: you really don't have to read it slowly. I set this up because I knew there were many re-readers like me who wanted to run through the books with a fine toothcomb. But these are (in my tiny tiny humble opinion) the best books written in our lifetime. You can read them quick, but then you'll want to come back again and read them slow.
haha, no worries, I'm going slow. That's the new bit for me ... and the joining in.
I'm reading other things in parallel. I woke early this morning, popped some classical music on, made myself a hot water and lemon and slowly meandered through Chapter 2. Relishing it.
Delightful.
I am a fine toothcomb re-reader. This is my third time though, and I wholeheartedly agree - the best in our lifetime. So happy to be here, reading these remarkable books again, and in such good company. Coming to you from Los Angeles, California.
Here's to fine toothcombs!
It can be intimidating. But I figure it takes all kinds to have a group conversation/experience. I try to remember, when I’m reading a bunch of observations I didnt have, or I see references I don’t quite get, that I don’t have to write a ton or have the smartest analysis to enjoy and be a part of. 😉
That’s such a sensible approach to this ... to anything ... to life. Thanks for the reminder! Enjoy your read.
Don't worry, just say what you think. That's what I'm doing 😂 I'm sure I'll say many silly things along the way. It's all fun.
Fun is the key! I'm here for the joy and the silly things!
One of my favourite passages in these chapters is where Wolsey asks Thomas whose fault it is that the king has no son:
"'God's?'
'Nearer than God?'
'The queen?'
'More responsible for everything than the queen?'
He can't help a broad smile. 'Yourself, Your Grace.'
'Myself, My Grace.'"
Myself, My Grace. It gets me everytime, the wry tone of long-suffering.
There's more humour in these pages than I had remembered.
I highlighted that fragment, too, it’s just so brilliant! One of the aspects I’m enjoying more is the sharp dialogues 👏
Until this morning of January 1, I wasn't sure which book I would read, W & P or Wolf Hall. I'd love to read both, but with another major book already on my read-in-2024 pile (and work and life and other less demanding reading), I don't think I'd be successful. At any rate, it looks like WH won out. I haven't quite finished this week's reading so am skipping for now what I'm sure are Simon's brilliant notes.
But, I do have a WH story of my own. In 2022, on my birthday (literally), I was out and about with my husband, having a fun day. Our last stop was the bakery to pick up my birthday cake before heading home for a small party. No birthday girl should have to wait in line, so I told my husband that I'd be around the corner at the bookshop and to come fetch me when he had the cake. There, I rummaged through the books quite happily. This store has both used and new books, and I've found some good quality used books often. Lo, there was a used copy of WH, hardback. I hadn't read it but knew I'd want to some day. Flipping through the book, I was pleased to see that it was free of marks, the spine wasn't cracked, and it had no odd odors. Reader, I bought it.
The next day at home, I picked it up again. This time, I opened it to the very first page. Where I found this note on a large green post-it, in handwriting unfamiliar to me: Happy Birthday, My precious. To say I was stunned is an understatement. How on earth did I miss that note the previous day? And, what are the odds that, on my birthday, I would choose a book with a note, wishing a happy birthday to the book's recipient....
Great story, fitting for this book too, in which nothing is quite what it appears! I'm glad WH won out. W&P is the blockbuster here, and WH more the art house curiosity! I hope you enjoy.
I remember asking you, Simon, if you would advise doing both readalongs and you gently tried to dissuade me from this task, saying that they are very demanding books. Yet, I have thrown caution to the winds and embarked on both, as a first-time reader of both, I should add. My plan was to stick with WH until I couldn’t, but keep up with W&P to the end. Well, I am enjoying both so much on day two already that I will need to cut out my other leisure activities in order to make the time to do justice to both!
You and so many others ignoring my advice and throwing caution to the wind! Well so be it, I hope you enjoy both and don't miss your other leisure activities! 😅
It’s only wk 1 but keeping up so far. WH is such a treat to read I’ve inadvertently skipped ahead 😝
Hard not to!
Hihi I'm guilty too! But the comment sections on both readalongs are what convinced me - the community feeling is just wonderful, I enjoy reading these sections just as much as reading the books. Thank you for setting up the space and handing us the tools to do so Simon!
Same lol
It was meant to be... thank you for sharing the story. And I fully agree, “no birthday girl should have to wait in line”.
I’m loving the imagery of the tapestry with King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. I remember from my first Wolf Hall reading that it continues to turn up throughout the book as circumstances shift and fortunes rise and fall. In a lit class, we would have called it “an objective correlative.”
I thought the same thing last year reading War and Peace when we first had descriptions of Prince Andrei’s blue empty sky. Both images appear repeatedly in these extraordinary novels and are so rich with poignant meaning and symbolism, so if this is your first time through, pay special attention to them. Through this reading, I’m going to use page flags every time they’re mentioned.
Happy New Year and Very Happy Reading!
Linda
Yes! The sky motif is so wonderful throughout War and Peace. And this tapestry keeps coming back to us and Crumb, with a rather wonderful result in The Mirror and The Light!
Happy New Year! Looking forward to reading with you!
Off to look up 'objective correlative'! 😂
Going all pop culture, and in a mini W&P tangent, it has just ocurred to me: do you think the image of the sky, from the point of view of Jack, at the beginning and end of the series List, was a wink to that Andrei’s sky moment?
Hi Paloma,
You know, whenever ANYONE mentions it, I always think of Prince Andrei!
Hmm, maybe it’s Jung’s collective unconscious???
I was in an Alanon meeting with a man who I doubt ever read W&P, and he was talking about his spiritual issues, and how he couldn’t believe in a traditional idea of God, but would look outside and say, “Empty sky, please help me.” I thought it was the most Tolstoian thing I’d ever heard. When we get to that point in the book, I might post more about that, just to see what people think.
Thanks so much for your wonderful insight!
Linda
I think the first chapter is incredibly telling of the kind of adult Cromwell becomes. The fact that, even as a beaten child, he does not give in to his own need for comfort for the sake of not getting his blood on Kat shows incredible self-awareness and restraint. His job in comforting the horses while their hooves are gripped in Walter’s hands mirrors his role in placating the public for the actions of Wolsey. The way he does it is incredible too “telling them how their mothers love them and talk about them still” when he doesn’t have a mother of his own. He’s a child who has grown up on egg shells around an unpredictable adult, the hyper-vigilance is so painfully obvious. There’s so much going on!
I really agree with you about how telling the first chapter is of Cromwell as an adult. I thought about his positioning of himself and the old cloth traders and how he indicated to them the level of bribery sufficient and that sort of machinations and placing people is exactly how he pulls himself into his position at court!
Totally agree! but I found the cloth trader bit interesting for other reasons too. We aren’t aware of his motivation for helping them (it isn’t immediately obvious that they will help him get on board the ship), just as we aren’t aware of his motivation for learning Welsh. Did he think either would help him somehow or did he do it just because he could? He didn’t take advantage of staying with the traders although they offer him room and board. He never takes the easy options!
The Welsh is interesting. It shows early on his natural ability with languages. It will serve him well across the Narrow Sea.
We’re told that the Williams family are told everything and “talk about you in Welsh”. Maybe he recognised their power came from sharing knowledge without the risk of other’s overhearing, and so he learnt Welsh so he could know what they knew too?
I like that. Also: it is very dangerous NOT knowing things. Not understanding what others are saying. Especially if they are talking about you!
That's an interesting one, maybe a little of both? I think maybe he thought at this point he had nothing to lose and they might be able to help him in return. After all, nothing in society ever seems to come for free and especially in his time.
I love the Lowlanders. They’re so outraged on his behalf. They actually made me cry a little, I was so relieved they were “good” people. I think the learning Welsh is an indicator that even as a child he was intellectually curious. Foreshadows everything else he would, seemingly easily, pick up throughout his life.
I've always loved that line when he gentles the horses.
So moving.
I’ve never read Mantel, so I was absolutely thrilled to read the first few chapters and get a sense of her writing style. It is so engaging! I’m stopping myself from reading ahead but her prose and is so engrossing, it is difficult to make myself stop. I’m VERY appreciative of your commentary Simon, not just for your insights, but there were a couple of points I missed entirely. I hadn’t thought of it, but learning the cadence of a slow read or how I am reading is also really interesting.
Thanks Larry! I think this is one of the real pleasures both of a slow read and a collective read. You just get to notice so much more!
I'm a tiny bit jealous of anyone new to these books 😂 you're in for such a treat.
I’m just today realizing what slow reading does to not only pace but the opportunity to really savor the words!
Absolutely! The language in Mantel is so rich. It deserves this slow read to soak it all up.
I couldn’t agree more with your post! I’m also learning how to slow read and really take notice of the small details. Thank you Simon for encouraging and enabling us on this journey!
Brilliant!
I’m in heaven. Heaven! I remember learning about this period in A-Level history and always wondered about the lives that preceded these big players. Remembering this is fiction, Mantel has created a world that I can see, hear, feel and touch using genius writing styles to conjur up an image of what their lives may very well have looked like. A multi-sensory experience and don’t get me started on her sentence structure which on its own is a craft like no other I can compare. Simon, these notes are astounding. I am genuinely in awe of the energy, work and time you have put into making this such an immersive readalong. It sounds OTT but this is bringing so much joy into my life and I cannot thank you enough.
Thanks Anna! Welcome to the wonderful world of Mantel.
I welcomed the new year with Crumb and Wolsey at York Place: firelight, rustling paper and Solomon and Sheba hanging on the wall. I was so engrossed I only realised it was midnight when the neighbours let off fireworks. I was in my happy place and wouldn't change a thing.
I forgot how much I love these opening chapters. As the epigraph says, there's tragedy, humour (I laughed out loud several times) and the satirical (in the old sense of fullness, of landscapes and time).
In terms of spoilers, I don't mind the big obvious ones where its a known event but there are things coming up that I'd prefer to wander into unaware...
And as for I, you, he, himself, Cromwell - I'm here for it. This linguistic wizardry is, for me, what elevates these books from mere story to something full-bodied, something that has depth and is real. Crumb is real. We're hovering at his shoulder, so close we can hear him breathing. We turn when he turns, smirk when he smirks, and raise a collective eyebrow everytime Gardiner comes along.
What a great start to the year. This is going to be fun.
Love it! And thanks for mentioning the epigraph. I didn't have space to write about it in this post. But I think it "sets the stage" perfectly. We have an English writer and an Italian. We have actors and a stage. Politics, private lives and great landscapes. The stage is set!
I've been resisting this delicious invitation for weeks (so many books already! so little time!) but the added textiles element from Bea has done for me. A brilliant way of pursuing my longstanding but hitherto unexplored fascination with the links between text and textile. Thank you so much for creating this amazing project. I'm really looking forward to it
Ha Bea will be pleased. I'm so glad. We've got a lot of knitters and stitchers here and I think you will all feel very at home in this world!
Resistance is futile 😂
We begin with assault, bodily pain. This was once a real body that Mantel has reanimated through text--what I like to call a “body-not-body”, as opposed to a fictional character, who is simply a “not-body.” By thrusting us into that moment from the outset, Mantel creates a sort of hypothetical phenomenology of the past: what did it feel like to be there, in that moment, inhabiting a 16th-century body? It’s amazing.
Body-not-body. I love that. Somewhere else, I wrote that Mantel's subject is the haunted body. She understands it perfectly.
The damage done to that body, the pain inflicted, makes me wonder if the ability to withstand that type of beating was something that related to natural selection.
Infant mortality and mistreatment of children was so high for human history up to that point, that could it be possible that the survivors had certain beating-resistant traits?
And with medical advancement and our "softer" life, are we current human specimens on average far less tough?
I think this is the seventh time I've read Wolf Hall since I gave it another chance in 2019 (the prose proved too much of a challenge the first time I tried it in, I think 2013), and I am once again in awe of Mantel's world building skills. I read a lot of fantasy, and so am used to the author feeling the need to stop and explain some detail at length- whether it's necessary or not. So I always appreciate it when an author just plunks me down in the middle of a world, shows it to me through the character's eyes, and respects my intelligence enough to assume that I'll keep up without their stopping the story every few pages to explain every last little thing. And Mantel builds her version of 16th century England so economically! Within a few paragraphs, we have the crux of the issue that will drive Henry VIII's 'Great Matter', and we need only a couple of sentences to get the sense of a gloomy night in London that might be safe or not, and to get a sense of many of the characters who will inhabit (or haunt) the rest of the trilogy.
Isn't it just perfection. What a way to begin!
Loved the opening scene. hard to ration myself to only a few pages. However the slow pace means I can go down rabbit holes. Already found this wonderful BBC programme https://archive.org/details/Hilary_Mantel_Return_to_Wolf_Hall_-_m000g6q4_signed
Hearing Mantel in her own voice talking about her writing of the trilogy is so rewarding.
as was learning about the archaeological dig to find the original Wolf Hall.
It's all about the rabbit holes! Glad you're enjoying it Nancy and thanks for sharing the link.
Thanks for sharing the link. Really enjoyed hearing Mantel in her own words and having a sense of the person behind the writing as well as some of the insights into the process of bringing WH trilogy into being.
Morning. Wolf Crawlers! Reading the opening, I remembered loaning my copy to a friend after urging her to read it. She almost didn't make it past page 1: So Violent! she wrote. I convinced her to keep going and she then became completely immersed/addicted, sloughing through the trilogy in 3 weeks.
What confidence, what assurance, to open Wolf Hall with its protagonist lying on the cobbles, bloodied and almost dead. Mantel knew we'd keep reading, anyway.
It is such a stunning opening scene!
Coming from the 2023 read a long of War and Peace - expertly shepherded by Simon. This is my first read of Mantel so I am so excited. In the past, I’ve wanted to read but was scared away for various reasons. Looking forward to reading it with the group. I have found the book unbelievably readable and in fact read ahead two chapters but have sworn to myself not to go too far. Loved reading the comments below too which also add so many insights. So far, I’m loving Cromwell - his personality, his way of life and his ability to stand up for those around him. As for spoilers, I’m a history lover so I’m well aware of the history of this time - I’m not fussed about spoilers but am more looking forwards to Mantels interpretation! Happy New Year!
Happy New Year Rachel! Delighted that I've tempted you from War and Peace to Wolf Hall. It will be a different journey, but I think you're going to get a lot out of it.
I enjoyed (from a writing perspective, not the content itself) the unfolding of details regarding Thomas’ beating in the opening lines of the book. His cheek against the cold floor, particularly. Walter stepping back to get his bearings before running forward with another kick like I’d imagine one would prepare to kick a ball. You can engage so closely with the sensory that you come away feeling like you yourself have just received a beat down. I’m tempted to give this passage to my students as an example of the use of the senses in writing. And they’d probably be drawn in by the drama of this scene.
The singular details while also floating on the edge of unconsciousness is very evocative of the effects of adrenaline which you would get in the situation. It’s incredibly well done and ground the reader immediately into the body of Cromwell, “behind his eyes” as Simon said previously