The subject of this master’s thesis is the Wars of the Roses in Historical Fiction. The thesis compares novels written by three authors of historical fiction: Philippa Gregory, Sharon Penman and Conn Iggulden. These authors all set their respective historical fiction novels during the Wars of the Roses. This thesis looked into the similarities and differences in these novels, while focusing on the quality of writing.
The first part of the thesis defines the historical fiction genre and its subgenre of biographical fiction, which features historical figures as characters. The thesis also looked into the importance of historical accuracy in fiction.
The second part of the thesis consists of a more concrete analysis of the novels discussed. This part begins with the analysis of four motifs found in Philippa Gregory’s The White Queen, The Red Queen and The Kingmaker’s Daughter. Then it continues with Sharon Kay Penman’s The Sunne in Splendour, and Iggulden’s Trinity, Bloodline and Ravenspur. Finally, the thesis makes a comparison of how four historical figures were portrayed by each of the three authors.
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