McNaughton, Janet. An earthly knight.McNAUGHTON, Janet. An earthly earth·ly adj. 1. Of, relating to, or characteristic of this earth. 2. a. Terrestrial; not heavenly or divine: earthly existence. b. knight. HarperTrophy. 343p. c2003.0-06-008994-6. $6.99. JS To quote the review of the hardcover in KLIATT, March 2004: McNaughton has a Ph.D. in folklore folklore, the body of customs, legends, beliefs, and superstitions passed on by oral tradition. It includes folk dances, folk songs, folk medicine (the use of magical charms and herbs), and folktales (myths, rhymes, and proverbs). and her attention to detail is careful and impressive. The story is set in Scotland in 1162, and the focus is on two sisters of a Norman nobleman--Isabel and Jenny. As the story begins, Isabel is disgraced--we must wait to discover why. She has sanctuary in her father's home, but lives in a state of shame. Jenny, therefore, as the second daughter, is expected to make an advantageous marriage for the family honor. It seems the best will happen to them: Jenny will be engaged to marry Earl William, heir to the King of Scotland. Tension mounts as it becomes clear that Earl William is William I, king of England William I or William the Conqueror, 1027?–1087, king of England (1066–87). Earnest and resourceful, William was not only one of the greatest of English monarchs but a pivotal figure in European violent, selfish, and domineering dom·i·neer·ing adj. Tending to domineer; overbearing. dom  i·neer . What will Jenny do, especially now that she discovers she is pregnant with her true love's child? McNaughton has based this story on two traditional Scottish ballads: "Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight is the English common name representative of a very large class of European ballads. The subject matter is frequently associated with the genre of the Halewyn legends circulating in Europe. " and "Tam Lin Tam Lin is the hero of a Borders' legend about fairies and mortal men. While this ballad is unique to Scotland, the motif of capturing a person by holding him through all forms of transformation is found throughout Europe in folktales. "--so the man Jenny falls in love with is known as Tam Lin, believed to have been taken over by faeries, living alone in the forest, away from other humans. Jenny rides her horse into the forest to meet Tam Lin. He listens to her and respects her, unlike Earl William, her fiance. They fall in love and she becomes pregnant with his child--disgraced, as Isabel had been disgraced. The greater danger, however, is rescuing him from the power of the faery world. Adolescents who enjoy historical fiction, the medieval world, adventurous heroines, and a touch of the supernatural will certainly want to read this intelligent, well-written story. Claire Rosser, KLIATT J--Recommended for junior high school students. The contents are of particular interest to young adolescent and their teachers. S--Recommended for senior high school students. |
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