Gemma Doyle Trilogy

infobox Book |
name = Gemma Doyle Trilogy
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author = Libba Bray
cover_artist =
country = United States
language = English
series = "A Great and Terrible Beauty", "Rebel Angels", "The Sweet Far Thing"
genre = Fantasy novel
publisher = Random House
release_date = December 9, 2003 - December 26, 2007
media_type = Print (Hardcover)

The "Gemma Doyle Trilogy" [ [http://www.randomhouse.com/teens/gemmadoyle/home.php Use of term on official website] ] is a trilogy of fantasy novels by Libba Bray. They are told from the perspective of Gemma Doyle, a girl in the late nineteenth century. The "Gemma Doyle Trilogy" consists of three books: "A Great and Terrible Beauty" (published December 9, 2003), "Rebel Angels" (published 2006), and the "The Sweet Far Thing" (published December 26, 2007).

Plot

The story revolves around Gemma Doyle, a young woman sent from her home in British India to the mysterious boarding school, Spence Academy. There she meets Ann, Felicity, and Pippa, three other remarkable young women and together they discover the dark past of their school. Gemma learns of her own heritage and the magical powers she possesses.

The three books in the trilogy span just one year, with "A Great and Terrible Beauty" beginning in June of 1895 and "The Sweet Far Thing" ending in June of 1896.

Characters

References to other literature

"A Great and Terrible Beauty" refers to many literary classics. Among those mentioned are:
*Persephone: Pippa is sometimes seen as being like the tragic, beautiful Greek Queen of the Underworld, who ate pomegranate seeds to stay in the Underworld, just as Pippa ate berries in the Realm [ [http://community.livejournal.com/libbabray/8491.html Libba Bray's explanation of Pippa as Persephone] ]
*The Lady of Shalott by Tennyson: Miss Hester Asa Moore leads her art class in a discussion of the Elaine, "The Lady of Shalott", and art based upon Tennyson's poem, in Chapter Nine. This poem has special significance for Ann and Pippa, who both see themselves as being trapped, as the lady was. Miss Moore states that the lady dies "because she lets herself float through [the] world." Stanzas five, six, eight, and fifteen of "The Lady of Shalott" are also quoted, as a form of introduction, before Chapter One.
*"The Perils of Lucy, A Girl's Own Story": A fictional three-volume novel that Ann loves. Gemma thinks that stories like it (a popular staple of Victorian literature) about a "poor, timid girl" who is greatly put upon by her wicked peers, before eventually being found to be of noble birth, are "poppycock". As with "The Lady of Shalott", the implication is that women, even in a male-dominated society, can only expect to be happy if they do something to make themselves happy, instead of sitting passively by.

Film

Infobox Film
name = A Great and Terrible Beauty


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director = Charles Sturridge
producer = Icon Productions
Gotham Group
Firstsight Films
writer = Libba Bray (novel)
Charles Sturridge
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starring =
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language = English
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imdb_id = 0833962

In July, 2006, Icon Productions, the film production company run by Mel Gibson, announced that it would adapt the book into a film based on "A Great and Terrible Beauty", to be written and directed by Charles Sturridge. [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0833962/ Film adaptation information] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.randomhouse.com/teens/greatbeauty/ "Gemma Doyle Trilogy" official web site] .