<
https://theconversation.com/the-book-that-changed-me-hilda-lewis-the-gentle-falcon-a-vivid-touching-tale-of-the-court-of-a-medieval-child-queen-185209>
"Fiction has a way of planting seeds in the mind that can germinate for a long
time before they spread into root systems or blossom into conscious ideas. A
book can change you dramatically overnight, but it can also take its own sweet
time.
When I was about 11 or 12, I was given Hilda Lewis’s medieval novel
The Gentle
Falcon (1952) as a school prize. We would now describe this as Young Adult
fiction. It is also an excellent example of the kind of historical fiction that
offers the reader an immersive experience in another world.
The Gentle Falcon opens in 1396 when Richard II of England, then aged 29, is
about to marry his second wife, the six-year-old princess Isabella of France.
These historical events are shown to us through the eyes of Lewis’s fictional
heroine, an English girl, Isabella Clinton, who at the age of 15 is given the
job of being companion to the new queen.
Lewis’ medieval world is brilliantly illuminated. In contrast to some
historical fiction, where authors fill their pages with the results of their
painstaking research, Lewis shows this world indirectly, rather than explaining
every detail. As Sybille (as she is renamed by the queen) moves from her
country life of genteel poverty into the richly decadent royal court, she
starts to take in and make sense of the medieval world around her, in memorable
details of fabrics, textiles and food; the vanities and vagaries of social
rituals and adult politics; and most importantly, the emotional landscape of
leaving home and growing up."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
