Ford Madox Ford's 'The Fifth Queen' is a fictionalized account of Katherine Howard, the fifth wife of Henry VIII, depicted as a young, pious woman yearning for a return to Catholicism. The plot revolves around Katherine's entrance into Henry's court, her accidental rise to become Queen, and her struggles with the machinations of Cromwell and the consequences of her own actions. The novel is described as a suspenseful and engaging portrayal of Henry VIII's court near the end of his reign, highlighting the deep ambivalence felt in England about the Reformation.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
The content warnings for The Fifth Queen would include themes of betrayal, political intrigue, and discussions surrounding infidelity and morality, presenting a medium level of sensitivity.
Has Romance?
There are romantic elements present in The Fifth Queen, though the primary focus lies on the historical and political context rather than the romance itself.
From The Publisher:
Ford Madox Ford's novel about the doomed Katharine Howard, fifth queen of Henry VIII, is a neglected masterpiece.
Kat Howard-intelligent, beautiful, naively outspoken, and passionately idealistic-catches the eye of Henry VIII and improbably becomes his fifth wife. A teenager who has grown up far from court, she is wholly unused to the corruption and intrigue that now surround her. It is a time of great upheaval, as unscrupulous courtiers maneuver for power while religious fanatics-both Protestant and Catholic-fight bitterly for their competing beliefs. Soon Katharine is drawn into a perilous showdown with Thomas Cromwell, the much-feared Lord Privy Seal, as her growing influence over the King begins to threaten too many powerful interests. Originally published in three parts (The Fifth Queen, Privy Seal, and The Fifth Queen Crowned), Ford's novel serves up both a breathtakingly visual evocation of the Tudor world and a timeless portrayal of the insidious operations of power and fear in any era.
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The Fifth Queen?
About the Author:
Ford Madox Ford was born Ford Hermann Hueffer in England in 1873. In 1919 he changed his name to Ford Madox Ford in honor of his grandfather, the Pre-Raphaelite painter Ford Madox Brown, whose biography he had written. Ford was…
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