Poldark is a series of twelve historical novels by Winston Graham, chronicling the life of Ross Poldark, a mine owner in Cornwall in the early 19th century. The novels have been adapted into popular television series by Masterpiece Theater and the BBC. Ross is torn between his sympathies for the miners he employs and his love for his cousin’s wife, Elizabeth. The novels are marked by incidents involving miners and their poverty. The first four novels were written between 1945 and 1953, with the latest, Bella Poldark, written in 2002. The television series was praised for its fidelity to the books and historical accuracy.
Poldark refers to a series of twelve historical novels written by Winston Graham. The novels chronicle the rise and fall of the fortunes of Ross Poldark, a sometimes insolvent mine owner living in Cornwall in the early 19th century. Masterpiece Theater and the BBC have turned the books into several hugely popular series. Indeed some suggest that the series was the most popular production ever produced by the BBC.
Poldark is a semi-tragic character, often torn between thoughts of the upper class and his sympathies for the suffering miners he employs. His contemporaries often see him as a radical, and although he is less concerned with class mixing and marries a miner’s daughter, Demelza, his deep-seated hatred of George Warleggan, the nouveau riche, drives many of his actions.
He is equally torn by his love for Demelza and his passion for his cousin Elizabeth’s wife. The first novel begins with Ross returning home from the American Revolution. He was left for dead by his fiancée, Elizabeth, so she agreed to marry Ross’s cousin, Frances.
Though he tries to be faithful to his wife, he often fails to appreciate her due to this obsessive love. Indeed, his actions after Frances’ death lead Elizabeth to quickly marry Warleggan.
While such grandiose themes occur, Poldark’s novels are marked by many incidents involving miners and their growing poverty. In some cases, Ross goes out of his way to support the poor and finds himself arrested for inciting a riot at one point.
The novels seemed to have a particular resonance with both her readers and her television audience. Graham was previously best known for his novel Marnie, which became a hit film by Hitchcock. After the novels became popular, however, Graham was known for little else.
Novels are written over a significant period of time. The first four novels, Ross Poldark, Demelza, Jeremy Poldark and Warleggan were written between 1945 and 1953.
Audiences clamored for more, but didn’t receive a new installment until 1973. The second television series was based largely on books five through seven, The Black Moon, The Four Swans, and The Angry Tide.
Readers often criticize the final television series as missing many of the original actors, such as Robin Ellis as Ross Poldark. It was also more about the fortunes of Ross and Demelza’s children than it was about Ross and Demelza becoming beloved characters. It was difficult to duplicate the strengths of the first two series.
However, many readers enjoy the entire book series. The latest novel, Bella Poldark, was written in 2002, over fifty years after the first novel in the series was written and published. Some find the novels following The Angry Tide to lack the flavor and tension of the first seven works.
What viewers particularly praised about the first two television series is the fidelity to the books. The first series retells the first four books with 16 hour-long episodes. The second series gave 13 episodes to the treatment of three books. Viewers also enjoyed the outdoor shots of Cornwall, which were frequent. Many also praise Graham for his historical accuracy in his treatment of Cornwall and his deftly woven allusions to the history of the world in which the Poldarks are often enmeshed.
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