Talk:Hilary Mantel

Photo removal
A photo of Mantel (Image:HilaryMantel.jpg) was linked in by Wikiscient, but the image's declared fair-use rational (scan of newspaper) doesn't match the reality (good-resolution photo) so I've removed it from the article until that can be sorted out. Hopefully it's just a typo and wikipedia is allowed to use the photo. --VinceBowdren (talk) 17:15, 13 October 2009 (UTC)


 * Well, it's low-res (~23K I think?) but, yeah, it would have to go anyway as per:
 * Note: If the image depicts a person or persons on the cover, it is not acceptable to use the image in the article of the person or persons depicted on the cover, unless used to directly illustrate a point about the publication of the image. Use of the image merely to depict a person or persons in the image will be removed.
 * I should have looked more carefully at the fair-use policy -- thanks for catching that, though! -- Wikiscient 18:43, 13 October 2009 (UTC)

Hilary Mantel is a Former Roman Catholic
Hilary Mantel was raised a Roman Catholic, but she totally lost her faith at 12 years old, according to this interview:. I was even more scrupulous and I did a extent google search to see if she still calls herself a Catholic or about what are her current religious beliefs. I think she is still a spiritual person but doesn't follow any religion currently. I am removing her from the Roman Catholic categories where she appears then.Mistico (talk) 20:59, 8 November 2010 (UTC)

I quote directly from the article: "By the time she was 12 she had rejected religion, but it had already left another indelible mark, the "real cliche, the sense of guilt. You grow up believing that you're wrong and bad. And for me, because I took what I was told really seriously, it bred a very intense habit of introspection and self-examination and a terrible severity with myself. So that nothing was ever good enough. It's like installing a policeman, and one moreover who keeps changing the law.""Mistico (talk) 21:01, 8 November 2010 (UTC)

Overall Comments
1. Why is there a blurb about there not being enough inline citations? Is 41 an insufficient number for such a short article? Can we remove this? 2. Why is there no section about Mantel's writing style? It's very distinct and sets her apart from other writers. Surely enough people have commented on it that it could be cited. This article could be greatly enriched by a section that discusses her writing style. DanQuigley 17:34, 20 November 2014 (UTC). Hilary Mantel was an awful writer. Grew up in an immoral household, led an immoral life, wrote incoherent and barely intelligible novels. Natually, she was popular with her fellow mediocrities. That's the British literary scene for you.

First woman
You could argue that the dubious phrasing of the remark about her being the first woman followed by the words 'following in the footsteps of'... a whole series of men (making it sound as if they are women) speaks to the problematic nature of referring to this distinction. From a feminist point of view, it would be perhaps better to change it simply to the 'fourth person' to win the award. 95.172.64.57 (talk) 18:31, 29 January 2015 (UTC) --Sorted Ender&#39;s Shadow Snr (talk) 10:27, 7 September 2021 (UTC)

Controversy
Mantel's controversial comment about royalty was criticized by the Leader of the Opposition Ed Miliband and Prime Minister David Cameron. It is fair enough to name them, but why name Jemima Khan and Hadley Freeman as defending her? These two are so obscure as to not justify a reference.101.98.163.177 (talk) 06:27, 14 April 2015 (UTC)

Reith Lectures
This article could be improved if it pointed out that Mantel is doing the Reith Lectures in 2017. Vorbee (talk) 17:53, 13 June 2017 (UTC)
 * No reaaon not to, I think.  Feel free, if you can think of a way to integrate a line or two.   Tho it might be more interesting to wait till she's said what she has to say.   There's likely to be something wiki-worthy.   Then, of course, the challenge becomes selecting and / or summarising it appropriately.   Success Charles01 (talk) 18:06, 13 June 2017 (UTC)

Spiritualism
In Mantel's memoir, she has written about her childhood experiences of the spirit world!

https://www.firstthings.com/article/2017/02/the-devil-and-hilary-mantel — Preceding unsigned comment added by 129.110.241.71 (talk) 18:25, 23 September 2019 (UTC)

first novel
wasn't A Place of Greater Safety her first novel, I'm aware that it wasn't published for a while but it was the first one she wrote. Mike Lacey, UK 08:08, 24 September 2022 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by MikeLacey (talk • contribs)


 * I've tweaked that sentence of the lead to make it clear it's referring to her first published novel. The earlier writing of Greater Place of Safety is discussed in the 'early life' section. Modest Genius talk 12:15, 26 September 2022 (UTC)

Edit war: ItsKesha

 * https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hilary_Mantel&diff=1112515597&oldid=1112510920
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hilary_Mantel&diff=1112803322&oldid=1112756410
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hilary_Mantel&diff=1113084864&oldid=1113079884
 * .... 0mtwb9gd5wx (talk) 01:06, 30 September 2022 (UTC)
 * Explain to the folks what an edit war is. Also, explain why the views of a children's author should be included here. All my warmest wishes, ItsKesha (talk) 20:35, 30 September 2022 (UTC)
 * I agree that @ItsKesha unnecessarily incited bad faith edit war. First of all, the source of JK Rowling's comment is intertwined with Bernadine Evaristo's comment quoted by The Independent. Meanwhile, ItsKesha's bad faith argument is shown when she dismissed JK Rowling as "children's author" to make a point while JK Rowling has been cited as among most influential and powerful persons. Her editing permission should be restricted.
 * https://time.com/5793739/jk-rowling-100-women-of-the-year/
 * https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/oct/11/harry-potter-jkrowling-influential-woman
 * https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-11514618
 * http://images.forbes.com/lists/2005/11/CRTT.html
 * @0mtwb9gd5wx @Modest Genius @Hugo999 @Lord Belbury...TheWandering (talk) 05:32, 11 October 2022 (UTC)
 * Edit warring....0mtwb9gd5wx (talk) 05:49, 11 October 2022 (UTC)
 * @ItsKesha Someone should revoke her editing permission. She was deleting a reliable news reference due to her personal bias against the source (in this case, JK Rowling). It's ridiculous to encounter such behavior on Hilary Mantel's page. @0mtwb9gd5wx @Lord Belbury @Modest Genius TheWandering (talk) 07:35, 12 October 2022 (UTC)
 * 3RR. Also possibly gaming the system. TheWandering (talk) 07:57, 12 October 2022 (UTC)
 * Why are you obsessed with adding the opinion of a children's author? You haven't argued your case once. All my warmest wishes, ItsKesha (talk) 17:40, 12 October 2022 (UTC)
 * The answers are already posted up there if you can read. Certainly we can expect that much from an adult Tik Tok singer's fan?
 * 1. Her comment is intertwined why Evaristo's comment.
 * 2. Her relevancy is more than just "children's author" as multiple links indicate. Warm wishes. TheWandering (talk) 01:16, 13 October 2022 (UTC)
 * Tik Tok is timeless, Harry Potter is shite 👍. Glad we can clear that up. Also, you're arguing that her relevancy is down to clickbait? Good one mate. All my warmest wishes, ItsKesha (talk) 18:08, 13 October 2022 (UTC)
 * Tik Tok is timeless, Harry Potter is shite 👍. Glad we can clear that up. Also, you're arguing that her relevancy is down to clickbait? Good one mate. All my warmest wishes, ItsKesha (talk) 18:08, 13 October 2022 (UTC)

I don't know why I was pinged into this thread this morning, but in response I looked at the short quotes from four people reacting to Mantel's death and removed it as out of place. Wikipedia biographies usually end such sections by simply stating the fact of the subject's death, with any significant posthumous commentary on somebody's work or personality going into the "Career" section, or earlier in their "Personal life". All deaths of notable people result in heartfelt responses from colleagues and admirers. --Lord Belbury (talk) 17:54, 12 October 2022 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for speedy deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for speedy deletion: You can see the reason for deletion at the file description page linked above. —Community Tech bot (talk) 18:07, 30 September 2022 (UTC)
 * Hilary Mantel.jpg