Each age produces its own Henry(s). This innovative study in popular culture examines how novels, films, TV-series and historiography shape new versions of Henry VIII for the twenty-first century. From The Other Boleyn Girl to The Tudors, 2009's quint-centenary celebrations of Henry's coronation and Wolf Hall, (hi)stories are produced, distributed and used in very different ways. In each case, the producers' intentions, the narrative and the targeted audiences all contribute to the discourses on Henry VIII. However, there no longer exists a universally accepted popularization of Tudor history, so certain representations can lead to intense debates, for instance in case of the TV-show The Tudors.
Detailed studies of how audiences appropriate the narratives complement a thorough analysis of each text. In this manner, the monograph examines how different sense-resources are shaped into histories in various new subgenres and how the audiences, too, actively compare these histories. All of this takes place within an increasingly diverse historical culture. Simple notions of history as a top-down process are refuted as the role of the consumers and the use which they make of the individual histories is highlighted.

By Jonas Takors

1. "For the future, the whole world will talk of him"
2. "What a king! What a lover! What a man!"
3. A Shape You'll Remember: Visual Representations
4. From Her Story to His Story
5. "Around the throne, thunder rolls"
6. The Tudors as Histosoap (2007-2010)
7. "He doesn't look like Rhys Meyers - does he?" Versions of Henry VIII in the 2009 Quint-Centenary
8. The King as Fool - Henry VIII in Comedy
9 Conclusion: The Tudors Continue