"We may need to get the title of this forum changed or start a new one which will embrace all the series and the books. Perhaps Ross or Mrs G will advise?"
What title would you like ?
I suggest 'The Real History Behind the Poldark Series'. I don't anticipate that there will be too many posts on the entire series. However if I'm wrong I would suggest that we could break it down into two episodes for each forum.
"We may need to get the title of this forum changed or start a new one which will embrace all the series and the books. Perhaps Ross or Mrs G will advise?"
What title would you like ?
__________________
"Perfection is a full stop .... Ever the climbing but never the attaining Of the mountain top." W.G.
It is helpful to read this I think especially when you come to the Poldark novels and/or series for the first time.
Stella,
Thanks for sharing this. I had no idea this magazine and website existed, and in looking for the Poldark blogs, I stumbled on an interview with Antonia Fraser about her book "The King and the Catholics," which sounds like it might be a good book to read to understand the Catholic emancipation thread that runs through the later Poldark books.
Dark Mare
It seems you have found more in this link than I. If you do read 'The King and the Catholics' please will you share any relevant material here? Winston Graham was such a thorough researcher that I have tended to believe that there was nothing left to read about elsewhere. We may need to get the title of this forum changed or start a new one which will embrace all the series and the books. Perhaps Ross or Mrs G will advise?
-- Edited by Stella Poldark on Friday 22nd of June 2018 10:06:33 PM
It is helpful to read this I think especially when you come to the Poldark novels and/or series for the first time.
Stella,
Thanks for sharing this. I had no idea this magazine and website existed, and in looking for the Poldark blogs, I stumbled on an interview with Antonia Fraser about her book "The King and the Catholics," which sounds like it might be a good book to read to understand the Catholic emancipation thread that runs through the later Poldark books.
History can be dry but WG interweaves details into stories so seamlessly that it makes for fascinating reading. I remember how intrigued I was the first time I saw "rotten boroughs" mentioned. Thinking it was a WG invention, I immediately researched the term and was led off in all sorts of serendipitous discoveries. It was an education. In addition to being a good writer, WG is also a good teacher.
You may already know that Hannah Greig, the historical advisor to the Poldark series, is writing short articles to accompany each episode on the historyextra.com website,entitled 'The Real History Behind Poldark Series 3' (link below.) The latest one for episode 7 explores the links between historical facts and the fictitious story lines in the books (eg how elections were undertaken in Cornwall in the 18th century.)
She quotes Winston Graham - "In all classes of [historical novels] one has to have a degree of historical truth as well as a truth to human nature. Man has not changed but his reaction to certain life patterns has. Unless the writer can understand these and transmit his understanding to the reader, his characters are simply modern people in fancy dress... It is important to deal as much as possible in historical fact. Indeed, I take my hat off to historical fact, for without it I could never have written the Poldarks."
I have underlined the sentence in the quote because I think, to a certain extent, this applies to the film series as well.
Links to the articles for the other episodes in the series can be found at the bottom of the episode 7 web page.
