Tracey’s Comments (group member since Jul 17, 2016)

Tracey’s comments from the Sir Walter Scott Appreciation group.

Eveline and De Lacy plight troth but then Archbishop Baldwin intervenes.

This Archbishop was quite a character and was a successor of Thomas a Beckett.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baldwin...

Because of what happened what Beckett the Roman Church had greater hold on the King and his subjects and to go against the wishes of the Church at this time was something few would dare to do. Baldwin preached the Third Crusade in Wales and raised money for it and spent time with Gerald of Wales who wrote the work The Journey Through Wales & The Description of Wales of this time.

Thoughts:
1, The behaviour of Archbishop Baldwin.
2. The actions of Hugo de Lacy.
3. The minstrel and his reference to Isolde and Tristan, being nephew to Isolde's husband King Mark of Cornwall.
4. The behaviour of the Abbess.
5. What is Eveline thinking?

Rosemarie wrote: "I have read until the end of chapter 15 and having trouble feeling any sympathy with Eveline Berenger, even after her experience in the chamber. She has put aside all her Saxon background and allie..."

There was very little intermingling of Saxon and Norman for hundreds of years after the Conquest and I suspect Eveline is more Norman than Saxon and this explains her rejection of her Saxon connection. Normans saw the Saxons as beneath them and so does Eveline.

Comments to be posted here.

Comments to be posted here.

Rosemarie wrote: "That makes a lot more sense than basically opening up the castle to the invaders. He was not a very intelligent person, judging by his actions."

As far as I understand, chivalry was taken very seriously but I am not sure if in reality a Norman Lord would have done this or not. Possibly because I have read instances of where to keep the laws of chivalry a knight has done that which would most likely bring about his demise.

In this week's reading we meet the Norman Sir Hugo de Lacy who comes to Lady Eveline's rescue and also his nephew, Damian.
Also we meet a supernatural being called a Bahr Geist which is similar to the Irish Banshee

From Wikipedia:

Sometimes the banshee assumes the form of some sweet singing virgin of the family who died young, and has been given the mission by the invisible powers to become the harbinger of coming doom to her mortal kindred. Or she may be seen at night as a shrouded woman, crouched beneath the trees, lamenting with veiled face, or flying past in the moonlight, crying bitterly. And the cry of this spirit is mournful beyond all other sounds on earth, and betokens certain death to some member of the family whenever it is heard in the silence of the night.

This particular spirit meets only with the female of the line of Baldringham , of which Eveline is through her paternal grandmother.

Rosemarie wrote: "I think that Raymond Berenger made a big mistake assuming that the Welsh followed the same code of chivalry as the Normans. His idealism cost many lives."

I don't think he thought they would honour chivalry and this in my mind made his decision even more of a mistake, especially as it put so many lives at risk, not just his own. Would it not have been more honourable to just go out there alone rather than take others with him to their death just for the sake of keeping his word?

Rosemarie wrote: "It was a pretty meandering sort of introduction and not very relevant to the action in the novel."

Agreed. I am not sure why it is even there as it adds nothing to the story.

Questions
1. What do you know of the Welsh and Norman conflict at this time?
2. What do you think of Raymond Berenger's decision?
3. Why do you think Scott made Wilkin Flammock take a different stance on keeping one's word?
4. What are the differences between the Welsh and the Normans?

Rosemarie wrote: "I have started reading it already and finding it a fairly fast read once you get past the introduction."

I didn't make much of the introduction and so didn't include it in the schedule. What did you think?

Post comments/thoughts here.

Reading Schedule:
Week 1: chapter 1-8
Week 2: chapter 9-16
Week 3: chapter 17-24
Week 4: chapter 25-end

This is the first of the two 'Tales of the Crusades' by Sir Walter Scott.
It is set in the Welsh Marches during the reign of Henry II, father of Richard the Lionheart and King John.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welsh_M...

It was originally published along with the second tale, The Talisman, which was much better received.

http://www.walterscott.lib.ed.ac.uk/w...

Mary & The Wrongs of Woman

Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797) is a little outside our time period of the 19th century, but because changes then were slower than in modern days, we are including the latter 1700's in with the early 1800's in literature and political thought.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/...

The printing is great

Haaze wrote: "How was Corinne, or Italy? I'm completely unfamiliar with that novel."

I didn't rate it. Not that the author didn't have writing ability but that the characters I never became interested in. But don't let that put you off reading it.

Haaze wrote: "Yes - that is very true! Lately when I read a contemporary book I always think that I should have read a "classic". I actually find it more and more difficult to read modern books nowadays after ha..."

I have found some good 20th century works through NYRB classics and also Virago Press and am adding in some of these to my reading this coming year. I am also trying to get a good foundation in Ancient and Medieval literature from which all the others took their lead and inspiration.

It is sad that the reputable companies are no longer interested in some of the once great authors. However I got an excellent copy through CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform from Amazon for my birthday this year. I started reading it and was enjoying it but put it aside to finish off my lists for this year and to allow others to be able to get a copy in time of a group read.

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1535...

Not all these, what I call 'knock-offs' are equal. I got another version and the writing was so tiny even with a magnifier I couldn't enjoy it.