Penman juxtaposes the central love story between Joanna and Llewelyn the Great against a tapestry of medieval conventions, wars for territory, and the conflict between Llewelyn's fight to maintain an independent Wales and to appease the English King John. Of her research and characterization of Joanna, Penman explains: "All we know about Joanna ... are the bedrock facts about her life. I took those facts and did my best to breathe life into them, seeking to create a woman who would have acted as we know she did. ... Joanna is a rare exception, a woman who made an impact upon her times and who is still remembered today in Wales as Llewelyn's Siwan." In the early 1980s, Penman moved to the Welsh mountains to conduct research for the novel.
In particular, Penman's characters are strong individuals, sometimes, as some reviewers pointed out, too strong. However, Rhian Piprell looks to Penman's treatment of Joan as a reminder that the idea of women wielding power and being influential is not a something unique to the modern world.
Penman explains in an interview: "I think Dragons ... was virgin territory for most readers. The saga of the Plantagenets was much better known, but not many people were familiar with medieval Wales or its princes. And then, too, the story of Llewelyn and Joanna, King John’s illegitimate daughter, is a remarkable one, which struck an emotional chord with many readers."
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