Book description
This richly illustrated short, extracted from the official book The
Chronicles of Downton Abbey, focuses on the characters individually,
examining their motivations, their actions and the inspirations behind
them. Forwarded by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes.
“I think Cora is very much an emotionally connected mother”, says
Elizabeth McGovern the actress who plays her. “As an American she would
have a distinctive approach, different to the English aristocracy's way
of doing things. Her instinct is to be involved with the day-to-day and
to go about things in a more hands-on way.'
Cora is a woman of resilience and unfailing supportiveness. Where Robert
is emotionally insecure, she is sure of herself and undaunted by the
difficulties they could face. As a mother, she has a role in life, no
matter what else is going on, but being Robert's wife is also very
important to her.
Lord Grantham - Robert - has many good qualities: he is kind, loyal to
his family, loving to his wife, adoring of his daughters, a fair
employer and generous to those around him. But, for him, all these
things are peripheral in the face of his most important role in life -
as the 7th Earl of Grantham.
As he sees it, he has been put on this earth with one prime objective:
to keep Downton Abbey in its proper state and hand it over in this
condition to his heir.
Purchase this ebook short and the others in the series to get closer
still to the characters at Downton Abbey and to understand more about
their social context - from the changing role of the aristocracy to
fashion and beauty, American Anglophiles, the Suffragette movement and
life below stairs in a big country house like Downton.
Search for The Chronicles of Downton Abbey to purchase all shorts
combined. Jessica Fellowes is the No. 1 bestselling author of The
World of Downton Abbey. Formerly the Deputy Editor of Country Life, she
has also been a columnist for the London Paper - her columns formed the
basis of her book Mud & the City: Dos and Don'ts for Townies in the
Country. Jessica also writes for the Daily Telegraph, Telegraph Weekend,
The Lady and Sunday Times Style, and lives with her family in London.
Matthew Sturgis is a freelance writer and critic who has written art
criticism for Harpers & Queen, travel pieces for the Sunday
Telegraph and football reports for the Independent on Sunday. He is the
author of Passionate Attitudes: the English Decadence of the 1890s and
the highly-praised Aubrey Beardsley. He lives in London.
