Everywhere men are seduced by the fantastic exotic flower. And while some feel this novel is only a harlequin romance in disguise, i truly believe it is much, much more than that. The plot of moggachs th novel neatly matches the speculative frenzy of the period, careening from one improbable thrill to the next. It is well acted by a talented cast, and the film combines light drama and comedy to provide an interesting and timely moral message. The following version of the novel was used to create this study guide. As children often do, i returned to the same theme time and time again the clouds and the sun, a simple house, a stick figure child with her dog and three tulips growing on the side of the house. The story follows a young wife whos unable to conceive and after falling for a painter plots. In 1630s amsterdam, tulipomania has seized the populace. Despite sophias efforts to avoid falling in love with jan, the two begin an affair. Turn the paintings round and enjoy their beauty, for they shall outlast us all, writes cornelis in his final note. The dialogue is also sometimes very clunky, as ideas are explained to us. A novel of personal intrigues and starcrossed love. Tulip fever movie and the true story of dutch tulip mania time. Additionally, the schools courtyard was used as the brewery yard in the story.
An artist falls for a young married woman while hes commissioned to paint her portrait during the tulip mania of. Deborah moggachs tulip fever takes place in 17thcentury amsterdam, where roguish rembrandt wannabes like jan van loos are just. Daily mail a sumptuous and enthralling novel about art, love. In 17th century amsterdam, an orphaned girl alicia vikander is. Seventeenthcentury amsterdam, a city in the grip of tulip mania and basking the wealth it has generated. Longwalk to freedom and written by tom stoppard shakespeare in love. It offers curious viewers a very horny, titanicesque forbidden romance, a subplot involving someone pretending to be pregnant for nine months, and then juxtaposes that with indepth sequences about the tulip trade in 1600s amsterdam. Sep 01, 2017 the fever in question, known as the tulip mania sometimes styled as one word, struck in 17th century holland, when the nations nowfamous blooms caused a major financial boom and bust. There is very little about that hectic and often violent period in the history of holland, and its only incidental to the main story which is the illicit love affair between the artist and the wife of a rich, elderly man. Sophias husband cornelis is one of the lucky ones grown rich from this exotic new flower. But the real historical context in which the story is set had to do with a fever less about love. It shows through the story of how our insatiable needs can lead to horrible consequences. It was the first great speculative bubble, a foretaste of the dotcom and property bubbles, and i thought it would make a marvelous plot for a novel, demonstrating, as it did, the human capacity. Moggach, deborah, tulip fever, the dial press, december 18, 2007.
But for wealthy merchant cornelis sandvoort, it is his young and beautiful wife, sophia, who stirs his soul. To celebrate, he commissions a talented young artist to paint him with his young bride. Tulip fever is a story infused with metaphor and imagery laced through a time in dutch history when the tulip was more valuable than gold. Based on the 1999 deborah moggach novel of the same name, tulip fever tells the story of a wealthy dutchman, cornelis sandvoort christoph. The plot is astonishing, and if you remember a series called footballers. She is the prize he desires, the woman he hopes will bring him the joy that not even his considerable fortune can buy. Tulip fever by deborah moggach reading guidebook club.
This book s title is tulip fever, not painting or artists, or even a love affair. Seventeenthcentury amsterdam a city in the grip of tulip fever. The 1630s amsterdam background lends rich definition to the characters and story line and makes tulip fever a highly readable, thrilling book. It is a book about how far one is apt to go in pursuit of love veiled as redemption. This is the setting for tulip fever by deborah moggach, when rembrandt and vermeer painted some of the mostrecognised art of our time. Sep 01, 2017 a highbrow bodiceripper set against the financial frenzy of the western worlds first speculative bubble, deborah moggachs 1999 novel tulip fever has cinematic written all over it. A tale of art, beauty, lust, greed, deception and retribution set in a refined society ablaze with tulip fever. In amsterdam during the 1630s, fortunes were made and lost speculating on tulips. The event was at the empire leicester square the very cinema where, some years before, my thenboyfriend, the cartoonist mel calman, had suffered a heart attack and died as we were. Wealthy merchant, cornelis sandvoort, and his young wife, sophia, have a good marriage. In the 1630s, amsterdam society was very hierarchical. Based on the bestselling book by deborahmoggach who cowrote the script, and after years of delay, tulip fever has finally hit theaters.
Sep 01, 2017 tulip fever follows sophia, the wife of a rich merchant, who slowly falls in love with the artist responsible for commissioning a portrait of her and her husband. Apr 10, 2001 in 1630s amsterdam, tulipomania has seized the populace. A 20yearjourney from page to screen for the sumptuous romance. Christoph waltz and alicia vikander in tulip fever 2017 alicia vikander and. Produced by prestige hit maker harvey weinstein, it has a. Jul 01, 2016 tulip fever, the film of deborah moggachs 1999 novel, is released this spring some time later i was asked to take part in a discussion at a film festival. Charles mackays the madness of crowds is available from project gutenberg. This simple drama does scatter in historical events and social behaviors of the time. Not since patrick suskindsperfumehas a work of fiction so vividly evoked a time, a place, and a passion. Tulip fever amsterdam in the 17 th century was a time when commerce was king and the sale of tulip bulbs made some people very rich and others bankrupt.
One on one with awardwinning writer deborah moggach daily. Read my interview with tulip fevers oscarwinning costume designer. Thanks for exploring this supersummary plot summary of tulip fever by deborah moggach. Tulips, flowers, and petals play a far greater role in the story than as simply a trading commodity. A story of love, deceit, changelings, and mistaken identity worthy of a restoration dramatist. Mar 31, 2012 a gorgeous novel mail on sundayfrom the bestselling author of the best exotic marigold hotel comes a thrilling story of power, lust and deception.
Despite having all the ingredients for success, including three oscarwinning actors. The sins of lust, greed, and vanity combine with a destructive force in the novel tulip fever by deborah moggach. In 1630s amsterdam, tulip fever has seized the populace, but for wealthy merchant cornelis sandvoort, his young, beautiful wife, sophia, is the prize he desires. Christoph was one of the first casting ideas for the film. A gorgeous novel mail on sunday from the bestselling author of the best exotic marigold hotel comes a thrilling story of power, lust and deception. It stars an ensemble cast featuring alicia vikander, dane dehaan, jack oconnell, holliday grainger, tom hollander, matthew morrison, kevin mckidd, douglas. Wageningen tulip portal, an extensive collection of historical resources, including scanned images of 17thcentury dutch tulip books and pamphlets, from wageningen ur library.
Seventeenthcentury amsterdam is a city in the grip of tulip mania, basking in the wealth it has generated. They begin an affair during the height of the tulip war in the netherlands during the mid1600s that drastically changes the lives of all those involved. Tulip fever book halifax public libraries bibliocommons. May 07, 2009 with tulip fever, they studio executives brought in two other people who each had a different go at it. While comparisons are often made between the tulip crash of 1637 and the stock markets plunge in 1929, reading a fictional account of the craze was quite informative. Tulip fever is the story of how sophia and jan plot to outwit cornelis and run off. In turn, it kills the romance underneath sophia, maria and jans scheme. That plot probably sounds a lot like a daytime soap opera if it was set in historic holland, but few of the ideas taken from moggachs novel feel. A modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, supersummary offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. Tulip fever is the story of how sophia and jan plot to outwit cornelis and run off together. A simulated pregnancy and the citys tulipmania are essential elements in the scheme, as are sophias. The rights were controlled by a brilliant producer, alison owen. The book, however, is not particularly about the events of tulip fever. Sophia s husband cornelis, an ageing merchant, is among those grown rich from this exotic new flower.
Tulip fever book tacoma public library bibliocommons. A story of love, deceit, changelings, and mistaken identity worthy of a. Based on the novel by deborah moggach of the same name, tulip fever is beautiful period piece that recreates 17thcentury amsterdam, but it is also a moral tale that comments on individual and societal excess. The dialogue is also sometimes very clunky, as ideas are explaine. Shortly thereafter, sophia is caught up in pretending to be dead so that she can be with her lover. In the novel tulip fever by deborah moggach, sophia sandvoort and an artist named jan van loos meet when the artist is hired to paint a portrait of sophia and her elderly husband, cornelis. It takes place in the netherlands in the 17th century when the inflated speculation in tulip bulbs is in full bloom. Cornelis, an ageing merchant, commissions a talented young painter to preserve his status and marriage on canvas. Seldom has a novel so vividly evoked a time, a place, and a passion. Suspenseful and full of intrigue, tulip fever is a gripping period drama based on a bestselling novel. May 19, 2007 d eborah moggach is perhaps best known for her novel tulip fever 1999, about a romance between an artist and his sitter in 17thcentury holland. To paraphrase bill murrays famous line from tootsie, the longdelayed tulip fever is one nutty 17th century melodrama. Tulip fever by deborah moggach book club discussion.
In 1630s amsterdam, tulip fever has seized the populace. When i was a little girl, i loved to draw all day long. Dec 06, 2018 tulip fever is a story infused with metaphor and imagery laced through a time in dutch history when the tulip was more valuable than gold. Tulip fever is a 2017 historical romantic drama film directed by justin chadwick and written by deborah moggach and tom stoppard, adapted from moggachs 1999 novel of the same name. In researching it, i discovered the tulip mania that had gripped the dutch during. Deborah moggach amsterdam in the 17 th century was a time when commerce was king and the sale of tulip bulbs made some people. Set in 17th century amsterdam, it tells the story of an orphan who arrived barefoot and left.
1417 305 231 901 226 1540 315 269 552 419 717 248 1119 745 481 883 29 1754 959 468 1278 1640 1513 481 513 683 435 1731 110 764 1768 379 568