Costumes and creation in the novels of Hilary Mantel about Thomas Cromwell

The author of the essay shows that costumes in Mantel's novels perform general anthropological role to characterize personages, to stress some peculiarities of their inner worlds, mood and social backgrounds. Costumes in the novels often carry out symbolical and many-leveled functions. Much rarer, than traditionally is thought of costumes in a historical novel, they mark definite material world of a definite historical period. Though costumes do not play prevailing role in Mantel's narratives, along with some other material realias they act as historical and cultural guideways which direct readers' imagination of the historical past which Mantel reconstructs. The author of the essay shows that it is more important for the writer to construct psychological, spiritual and emotional atmosphere of the past times, 'to settle' the readers inside the mind, system of values, priorities, world understanding of her protagonist - Thomas Cromwell. The author asserts that Mantel succeeds in it: readers take Cromwell for a hero who deserves their interest, sympathy and empathy, whose views worth thinking and analyzing as the ones which are the most relevant to the perspective of the history of England. The essay demonstrates Mantel's contribution into the development of English historical novel.