Reimagining the Tudor World

About this course

The course studies Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet and Ava Pickett’s 1536 alongside extracts from other modern Tudor reimaginings. It considers how these works revisit gender, power, historical memory and the relationship between evidence and imagination, with particular attention to women and other figures marginalised by traditional accounts. Teaching combines tutor presentations, individual reading, small-group work and whole-group discussion. Sessions examine how personal experience is connected to wider political structures, and what contemporary interpretations of the Tudor past reveal about the present.

What you'll learn

• Identify how Hamnet and 1536 reconstruct historical figures
• Analyse ways fiction and drama question established accounts of Tudor history
• Examine connections between gender, political power and historical memory
• Relate individual stories to broader political and social structures
• Reflect on why Tudor history continues to be reinterpreted

Is this course right for you?

The course is intended for beginners and does not require previous experience or knowledge. Participation involves individual reading, small-group activities and wider discussion of literary and historical ideas.

• Hamnet and 1536 can be read before or during the course
• Substantial extracts are provided in each session, so completing both books is not necessary for participation

Before you go

• Students may wish to buy or borrow copies of Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet and Ava Pickett’s 1536.
• Reading the two central texts before or during the course is recommended.