Article

Adapting History, Remembering Thomas Cromwell: Screen Adaptation and Collective Memory  

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Abstract

This paper examines how historical fiction and adaptation shape collective memory through the contrasting portrayals of Thomas Cromwell in Robert Bolt's play A Man for All Seasons (1960) and Hilary Mantel's novel Wolf Hall (2009), added to their adaptations for film and television. Bolt's play and its 1966 film adaptation present Cromwell as a corrupt, manipulative figure defined against Thomas More's moral heroism, reinforcing a traditional negative image. By contrast, Mantel's novel and the 2015 BBC adaptation reconstruct him as a pragmatic, sympathetic family man, reflecting contemporary interest in nuance and revisionism.

Through an analysis of collective memory, adaptation, and authenticity studies, this paper explores how these texts challenge or reinforce cultural myths surrounding Cromwell and the resulting effects on the public perception of his character. It argues that adaptation is not a passive act of translation, but a dynamic process of reinterpretation shaped by ideology, audience, and medium. In reshaping Cromwell’s image, these texts demonstrate the powerful role of historical fiction in influencing public understandings of the past.

Keywords: Adapation, historical fiction, Hilary Mantel, Robert Bolt, Thomas Cromwell

How to Cite:

Ledesma, Mia. ‘Adapting History, Remembering Thomas Cromwell: Screen Adaptation and Collective Memory’. Policeman’s Helmet Soup [Dublin, Ireland], vol. 1, no. 1, 2026, pp. 6–23, https://phsjournal.ie/article/pubid/57/