A Literary Analysis of the Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey Essay

In The Daughter of Time, by Josephine Tey we follow Grant and a host of other characters as they attempt to uncover the mystery of King Richard III. It begins with a portrait and unravels with each book and document Grant is able to consume. One of the arguments surrounding the study of history is where to categorize it. Most university systems (ours included) call history a social science. As a science, many believe history should be studied as such. The scientific method is the most accepted form of study in science. It is used to prove and disprove theories. Many historians use the scientific method to aid their study. Many others choose to basically gather as much information as possible and use this information to formulate an idea. In The Daughter of Time, this is what Grant does. He absorbs as much information as possible in order to come to a conclusion regarding the life of King Richard III. In the beginning Grant is given a photo of King Richard III. Without knowing who the man is everyone seems to feel bad for him and view him as someone who is ill. Once it is clear who he is they immediately gseeh the evil within the man being portrayed. When Grant turns the painting over and realizes that it is King Richard III he has this to say about him, gCrouchback. The monster of nursery stories. The destroyer of innocence. A synonym for villainy.h (Tey, 20) The rest of the characters in the book feel about the same as Grant does. Why does Grant feel this way about a man he has never met? Grant can remember very little about what he learned about Richard, but what he does remember is mostly negative. He decides to investigate by reading two schoolbooks provided to him by Nurse Darroll. The first is called the Historical Reader. It almost seems to be a childrenfs book. It...

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