The Other Boleyn Girl - Is it accurate?

In this latest instalment of her "Questions about Anne Boleyn" series, Claire Ridgway, author of "The Fall of Anne Boleyn: A Countdown", looks at Philippa Gregory's best-selling novel, "The Other Boleyn Girl", which was also turned into a movie and adapted for television.

"The Other Boleyn Girl" has brought Anne Boleyn and Mary Boleyn's stories to life for many people, and provoked an interest in Tudor history, but it has also caused a bit of confusion with some readers not knowing which bits of the story are accurate and which are fictional. In this talk, Claire tries to clear up the confusion by pointing out some of the main inaccuracies in the novel and film.

Here are links to further videos on these topics:

[AmethystEyes]

Claire: when reading the Other Boleyn Girl “we need to take a pinch of salt”

Me: When reading Philippa Gregory we need to take the whole spice rack.

[newfiesmum]

Anne and Mary were sisters; George was their brother - I think that's where fact ends and fantasy begins.

[jennifermoran]

Hopefully you do a video about how accurate “The Tudors” was about Anne Boleyn and whatnot!

[reythejediladyviajakku]

I’d love to see more of these done. Hollywood tends to take too many liberties with history

[suzanking]

Philippa Gregory's novel is akin to those films with the heart-wrenching scenes of Mary of Scotland pleading with Elizabeth I. It's good drama although the two women never met.

[regina]

Perhaps a better title might have been “A Load of Tudor Poppycock”. The movie was strictly for entertainment. Thank you for clearing up this mess!

[kimc]

Thanks, Claire for distinguishing between fiction, focused on entertainment and seeking out historical accuracy. Personally, I prefer historical accuracy because I think the truth is stranger and more entertaining than fiction.

[jillianaprati]

I love reading historical fiction and it usually sparks my interest to research more about the real story.

[bellepierre]

I always thought that the doctors and astrologers were right in saying that Anne was to have a boy when she was pregnant with Elizabeth. She did turn out to be the monarch England needed, a role that a boy was expected to fill.

[chiaroscuroamore]

Two videos in one day! We’re being spoilt!
Historical fiction is great, we as readers just need to remember that it is indeed fiction, with a dash of reality, not the other way around.
Another great video Claire, thank you.

[peachymeechie]

OMG almost an hour about Anne Boleyn!! Yesss!! Thank you so much Claire! I always love to hear what you think about Anne's life and how she was.

[cathyeaston]

Claire thank you so much for the shout out to Riley. She was so thrilled when she heard it. We just came back from an 18 day adventure to England and Scotland and Riley is eager to see all the photos we took there. Just a beautiful place. Thank you for all your videos just love watching them!

[bartonbella]

I’m so thankful to you for bringing the facts about the “incest” charges against her and her family. I turned the movie off when she decided to malign a female character that she tries to claim she champions. The facts that she twists words and creates imaginary thoughts to back up her arguments is sickening.

[backandstillbgmsdangerusda]

I liked The Other Boleyn Girl. I get caught up in the period settings and costumes but I've learned that when history is written as historical fiction, facts are usually embellished or distorted for entertainment.

[ElinorMahoney]

Even though The Tudors isn’t the most accurate show on the planet, I adored Anne’s relationship with Elizabeth. The scene where she and young Elizabeth are looking at the fish in the fountain is so adorable, it’s very sweet.

[onemercilessming]

The operative word is "novel", not "biography".

[paavo]

I always learn something in your videos. Thank you for your scholarship and passion. You referred to the expression, "Take it with a grain of salt." A dear friend of mine always referred to gross exaggerations with, "Take it with a salt sandwich!" Thanks again!

[annieoakley]

Since I've become more of a skeptic in general, I no longer enjoy historical fiction about a real person. The inaccuracies bother me too much to enjoy the story.

[SayaCeline]

I absolutely LOVED that book! It actually got me interested in history, especially Tudor history, to the point where I pursued a teaching degree. I remember seeing the movie when it came out with my then boyfriend, who was also a huge history buff and while I was thoroughly enjoying the drama before me he is getting more and more irritated because of all the inaccuracies. The most irritating of which, apparently, was the fact that a simple house in the countryside had glass windows. We spent the whole drive home talking about how glass would not have been affordable to anyone besides high nobility. I would put the movie on to annoy him sometimes :)

[emmasummers]

Hmm, could you do this for "The Tudors" and Natalie Dormer's version of Anne Boleyn?