The Man in Black: An Historical Novel of the Days of Queen Anne

by G. P. R. James

First published 1860

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3.0(1)

Set in Britain during the reign of Queen Anne, The Man in Black turns the political uncertainty of the early eighteenth century into a story of secrecy, loyalty and romance. Whig and Tory rivalry, the unresolved Stuart succession and the pressures of wartime government create a society in which apparently private connections can have political meaning. James uses hidden motives and uncertain identities to give the novel a more conspiratorial tone than many of his earlier historical romances.

Anne’s reign saw the creation of Great Britain through the 1707 Union and major military commitments in the War of the Spanish Succession. It also ended without a surviving heir, making the Protestant succession an increasingly important political question. The novel draws on that atmosphere of faction and expectation: characters operate in a world where allegiance to court, ministry, dynasty or personal friendship may pull in different directions.