Echoes of the past: Memory, materiality and historical gaps in Hilary mantelrsquo;s fiction

The paper analysis a comprehensive exploration of Hilary Mantel’s treatment of history, highlighting how she deepens literary depictions of lived experience within domestic spaces and archival settings, often as a compelling response to pivotal historical events. All human civilizations exhibit a fixation with their history, and much of what is retained and transmitted throughout generations may have only a tenuous connection to the actual events of the past. Traces of the past endure through memories, traditions, and rituals passed down across generations, reinforcing the notion that history is largely an interpretation rather than a factual account of past events. Mantel's concern on physical autonomy and the reconfiguration of historical narratives exemplifies a historical materialist perspective, while using neo-phenomenological concepts to express her interpretation of historical fiction. By incorporating border theory and blending literary genres, Mantel reimagines how her characters experience the past through domestic spaces and archival materials. Neo-phenomenology, in this context, is a type of phenomenological investigation rooted on historical consciousness and the expressive embodiment of the past inside material artefacts. In Mantel’s novels, the notion of the ‘dwelling-as-archive’ emerges as a vital transitional site for memory and historical knowledge. This intermediary realm is central to her work, offering a framework for recovering forgotten memories and reinterpreting lost historical meaning.