In writing
Mistress of the Sun and the
Josephine B. Trilogy, Sandra Gulland forged fiction from fact. "It’s in the research that the story begins to emerge."
In the decade that it took to write the
Josephine B. Trilogy, and the years following to learn about the Court of the Sun King, she was constantly researching, constantly searching for answers.
"I eventually evolved a method. I needed a way of organizing this mountain of material (without being buried under it)."
Books
and other resources
"I read broadly: biographies, but mostly journals and memoirs,
which I love. The Internet has made it possible to find relatively
obscure out-of-print books from used bookstores all over the
world. (I use Abe Books, Book
Finder, and Tricolor
Books.) Too, a number of texts are available on-line. I
also make extensive use of the inter-library loan system and
university libraries. I consult with historians, and again,
the Internet has greatly facilitated access to experts. A great
deal can be learned from interest groups, as well."
Facts
"I've learned to be methodical in keeping track of information.
Each book and URL is assigned a number and listed on a master
bibliography. I record details
of clothing, customs, food and so forth on individual fact sheets.
For each reference, I note the book and page number so that
I can check a fact when necessary.
"I record events on a massive timeline*,
which becomes the backbone of the story. For the Josephine B.
Trilogy, I recorded what was happening not only to Josephine,
but what was happening in the lives of her family members and
friends, as well as in her community and beyond. At a glance,
I’m able to see what happened on any single day. The timeline
also allows me to see where historians differ and gives me a
basis for judging their claims.
“Each character is assigned a file, as well. As I come
across a reference in a text, I copy it into the character’s
file. It’s interesting when accounts vary: he’s ugly,
he’s handsome, etc."
Daily Life Resources, for example, lists the books and links used to research daily life during
the Napoleonic Era.
*Note: You might need to update Adobe
Acrobat Reader to open this PDF file.
Experience
"It is frustrating writing about a world one can never
directly experience. One of the things that drives me in writing
is an intense desire to find out what it was like in that world
— what it felt like. The closer I can get to the experience
the better. In researching the Josephine B. Trilogy, I took
lessons in 18th century dance, tried treatments Josephine might
have taken at her spa. To
find out what it felt like to wear the fashions of the period,
I acquired an historically-accurate copy of an 18th
century gown. I had expected 18th century clothing
to be uncomfortable, but in fact it is very relaxed, easy to
move in. The Revolutionary period was liberating for men, but
also, in many respects, for women — and one can see
this in the changes in fashion."
Travel
“It is essential to see the places I'm writing about. For
the Josephine B. Trilogy, I travelled to France, Martinique,
northern Italy and Germany seeking the places in which Josephine
stayed. (Some were not easy to find.) I've been to the prison
where she was kept, attended the church she went to as a child,
seen where she was born, where she died. By going to the places
Josephine lived, walking where she walked, looking out a window
as she surely did, she begins to come alive. Too, I invariably
discover mistakes."
........................
From Sandra Gulland’s journal, September 3, 1990, on her
first visit to Paris:
“I long to see horses everywhere, the fine and grubby people.
This is my place. The scale of the river is much grander than
I had imagined. This corner where I sit: Josephine was here,
Aunt Fanny was here—they all were here.”
........................
For the travelling reader:
A wealth of travel options are available for readers of Mistress of the Sun, which takes place
in many of the most beautiful castles of the Loire Valley and Ile de France. (For details,
see the Google map.)
For readers of the Josephine B. Trilogy, Malmaison has been beautifully restored. It's a day-trip from Paris.
From Malmaison, one can walk to the church of Saint-Pierre-Saint-Paul
in the village of Rueil-Malmaison, to see Josephine's and Hortense’s
tombs. The Fondation Napoléon has set out an excellent
travel itinerary for visiting Malmaison and other spots
of interest in the area.
In Paris, Sandra Gulland recommends a visit to the Carmes
Convent, where Josephine and her first husband were kept
prisoner during the Terror. “When I was there, a guided
tour was offered that took us deep into the crypts where skulls
are on display in glass cases. In the reception area above,
one could see the blood stains on the walls from the days of
the Terror.”
A visit to Plombieres-les-Bains,
the spa Josephine frequented, is a delightful experience.
“It’s still very much a simple mountain village, as
it was in Josephine’s day. The food was excellent, the
rates more than reasonable, and, of course, the many and varied
spa treatments were a delight.” For more on this, read
Sandra Gulland’s article, “Mud
Baths and Dusty Coffins: in Search of Josephine B.”
In Martinique, Josephine’s homestead La
Pagerie has been restored for tourists. In Trois-Islets,
the church Josephine attended, the Eglise Notre-Dame-d-la-Délivrance,
is on the central square.
........................
Related links:
Baroque Explorations
My blog on researching the era of the Sun King
Heroine of a Golden Age
Sandra Gulland was invited to be one of the “featured historians”
for the PBS miniseries on Napoleon. “It was an honor. I
was in distinguished company.”
The PBS miniseries on Napoleon
“This interview accurately captures the challenges of researching and writing Mistress of the Sun.”
........................
For further reading:
For further reading about Louise de la Vallière and the era of the Sun Court, please see my bibliography. For further reading about Josephine and her world:
Bruce, Evangeline. Napoleon
and Josephine; The Improbable Marriage. Scribner;
New York; 1995. —Beautifully written, refreshingly researched.
If you read only one book, this is the one.
Cronin, Vincent. Napoleon.
Collins; London; 1971. —Although
unobjective (decidedly pro-Napoleon), I recommend this book. It
is very readable, gives wealth of captivating detail, and captures
the spirit of both the man and the time.
Mossiker, Frances. More
Than a Queen; the story of Josephine Bonaparte. Knopf;
New York; 1971. —Although this is a biography written for
young adults, it is one of my favorites. Clear prose, beautiful
illustrations, well-researched.
Oman, Carola. Napoleon's
Viceroy; Eugne de Beauharnais.
Funk and Wagnalls; New York; 1966. —Well-researched,
fair, well-written.
Schama, Simon. Citizens; A Chronicle of the French Revolution.
Alfred A. Knopf; New York; 1989.
........................
Novels set during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic eras:
Mantel, Hilary.
A Place of Greater Safety. Penguin; London;
1992.
—Winner of a Book of the Year award. An amazing accomplishment.
Piercy, Marge. City of Darkness, City of Light. Fawcett Columbine;
1996. —Historically accurate, a wonderful book. Piercy does not ignore the
significant role of women in the Revolution.
Selinko, Annemarie. Désirée. William Morrow
& Company; New York; 1953. —The classic.
Simon Leys. The Death of Napoleon. Picador; 1991.
—A "what-if" senario, beautifully-written, poetic,
spare. This award-winning novel is now a wonderful movie.
Winterson, Jeanette.
The Passion. —A poetic novel about Napoleon's
chicken chef.
........................
Sites and associations of interest:
The 17th century, and 17th-century France in particular, is a fascinating era, but there are few internet sites for the English-speaking reader. I’ve listed the best of these on Baroque Explorations, my blog on 17th century research. For those interested in the Napoleonic period, however, there are many resources and associations. Here are a few:
The
Napoleon Series (site is down)
Napoleonic
History
The
Napoleon Bonaparte Internet Guide
........................
Napoleonic Associations
Foundation Napoleon
The
International Napoleonic Society
The
Napoleonic Society of America
Souvenir
Napoleonien
Back
to top.
