The Pillars of the Earth- World without end
The Pillars of the Earth-World without End.
(The titles of the TV series. What follows is a review of the book)
This series, was brought to my attention, by a former co worker. There was a channel 4, mini series. Which I enjoyed thoroughly.
Of the two books, I think I enjoyed Pillars of the Earth, much more thoroughly. I think Follet's interest, started to wane towards the end of world without end. Also, I was pleased to read and learn, about the Anarchy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Anarchy
``When Christ and all his saints slept''
So I came to this series, with the pre conceptions of having watched the series. I actually bought the book, on my way back to Europe from Santiago de Chile. ( I needed something to distract me, from the unwholesome, and expensive food )
Its a historical epic. I used to love those. I remember the wings of war, and war and remembrance. The Great War, American front. I also remember, what the problem with them, is. Everything is happening to everyone. We get the Anarchy. We get the plague and than the stirrings of the peasants revolt. Its a broad stroke ( The Foundation Saga, I wrote a High school paper on that. Speaking of AH, the series is sent in the Earldom of Shiring and the town of Kingsbridge. Its somewhere near Gloucestershire. A town created ex nihlio like that would change history )
I get the feeling, that its Follet's attitude to medieval history. Or rather Mediaevalism. He writes that a member of a low church sect, churches to him, were plain clean buildings. When he travelled he was confronted, with the beauty of medieval Christian architecture. Something which my trips to Sienna and Kiev have confirmed in me. So, he created the character of Jack Builder, to give exposition on the construction of the great cathedrals. As with the Age of Empires computer games Follet's novels like Michael Crichton's timeline did popularise a revised view of the medieval period, that does not see it as low point between the Ancients and the Modern. See Monty Python's the holy grail, or horrible Histories, often excellent, but gives the appearance that the middle ages were the dung ages. Follet grew fearsome of weaving the exposition into the Novels. We hear a narrators voice, as the story comes to its conclusion, the cult of the Virgin Mary was spreading. Oh and would a medieval woman, canny as she was, have used the term self esteem?
The follow up novel, set generations later. Is a repost of sorts. The Monastery, which guided by Father Phillip, a Godly and good man, which was the light bringing commerce, and civility and order to Kingsbridge, is now dominated by the self seeking, and the corrupt. While a chapter of Nuns, flourishes. There is a trial for Witchcraft, in the later of the two novels. Preaching against Dissection, performed by one of the novels villains, and flagellation. Comments, about how Arab medicine was better than Christian one. What was given in Pillars of the Earth was taken away
The Earl Ralph, and Aliena's brother Richard, seem to be the same character. Ralph is simply a more evil version of Richard, with elements William of Hamleigh thrown in. ( A taste for teen brides) There seems to be overlap between Aliena, and Caris, and Aliena and Merthin, have similar paths. Aliena and Merthin, are both gentry, who have to embrace trade. Aliena and Caris, are both determined women, natural leaders. Who are at the forefront of medieval commerce and medicine and trade. Jack Builder, and Merthin, both make side trips, to foreign lands. Spain and Italy. Both Jack and his later counterpart, have romances with beautiful exotic women, but both return home, having learned the secrets of Arab mathematics, and Italian masonry. I could even mention Sam and Alfric
I did enjoy the treatment of Merthin's mother. She drove him, mad, in the same way, my mother drove mine mad as a child, fussing over him when he lost a fight when he would have preferred she ignored it. Or being overenthusiastic about everything even when the family, have been reduced in status. We shall be pensioners of the monastery. I guess I am something like Merthin, I would never master my fathers trade either.
I did enjoy the book. I did enjoy the stories about Gwenda. The medieval peasant. her struggles to feed herself, and family, and make a little money, in the midst of plague, and war and rumours of war. Marxism, and Whiggery have inflicted a terrible view of the past. Gwenda's life, shows her meeting the triumphs and tragedies of one of the crowd, with bravery and hard work. In the end, she dies in bed and happy, she could have been sold into prostitution. The later book has a provoking exchange between Gwenda and her mother, when she discusses that. They had to feed the babies somehow
There long, its 2500 pages in all. If one wants to be entertained and educated, you cannot go far wrong. They are books, that I would recommend to an intelligent child
(The titles of the TV series. What follows is a review of the book)
This series, was brought to my attention, by a former co worker. There was a channel 4, mini series. Which I enjoyed thoroughly.
Of the two books, I think I enjoyed Pillars of the Earth, much more thoroughly. I think Follet's interest, started to wane towards the end of world without end. Also, I was pleased to read and learn, about the Anarchy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Anarchy
``When Christ and all his saints slept''
So I came to this series, with the pre conceptions of having watched the series. I actually bought the book, on my way back to Europe from Santiago de Chile. ( I needed something to distract me, from the unwholesome, and expensive food )
Its a historical epic. I used to love those. I remember the wings of war, and war and remembrance. The Great War, American front. I also remember, what the problem with them, is. Everything is happening to everyone. We get the Anarchy. We get the plague and than the stirrings of the peasants revolt. Its a broad stroke ( The Foundation Saga, I wrote a High school paper on that. Speaking of AH, the series is sent in the Earldom of Shiring and the town of Kingsbridge. Its somewhere near Gloucestershire. A town created ex nihlio like that would change history )
I get the feeling, that its Follet's attitude to medieval history. Or rather Mediaevalism. He writes that a member of a low church sect, churches to him, were plain clean buildings. When he travelled he was confronted, with the beauty of medieval Christian architecture. Something which my trips to Sienna and Kiev have confirmed in me. So, he created the character of Jack Builder, to give exposition on the construction of the great cathedrals. As with the Age of Empires computer games Follet's novels like Michael Crichton's timeline did popularise a revised view of the medieval period, that does not see it as low point between the Ancients and the Modern. See Monty Python's the holy grail, or horrible Histories, often excellent, but gives the appearance that the middle ages were the dung ages. Follet grew fearsome of weaving the exposition into the Novels. We hear a narrators voice, as the story comes to its conclusion, the cult of the Virgin Mary was spreading. Oh and would a medieval woman, canny as she was, have used the term self esteem?
The follow up novel, set generations later. Is a repost of sorts. The Monastery, which guided by Father Phillip, a Godly and good man, which was the light bringing commerce, and civility and order to Kingsbridge, is now dominated by the self seeking, and the corrupt. While a chapter of Nuns, flourishes. There is a trial for Witchcraft, in the later of the two novels. Preaching against Dissection, performed by one of the novels villains, and flagellation. Comments, about how Arab medicine was better than Christian one. What was given in Pillars of the Earth was taken away
The Earl Ralph, and Aliena's brother Richard, seem to be the same character. Ralph is simply a more evil version of Richard, with elements William of Hamleigh thrown in. ( A taste for teen brides) There seems to be overlap between Aliena, and Caris, and Aliena and Merthin, have similar paths. Aliena and Merthin, are both gentry, who have to embrace trade. Aliena and Caris, are both determined women, natural leaders. Who are at the forefront of medieval commerce and medicine and trade. Jack Builder, and Merthin, both make side trips, to foreign lands. Spain and Italy. Both Jack and his later counterpart, have romances with beautiful exotic women, but both return home, having learned the secrets of Arab mathematics, and Italian masonry. I could even mention Sam and Alfric
I did enjoy the treatment of Merthin's mother. She drove him, mad, in the same way, my mother drove mine mad as a child, fussing over him when he lost a fight when he would have preferred she ignored it. Or being overenthusiastic about everything even when the family, have been reduced in status. We shall be pensioners of the monastery. I guess I am something like Merthin, I would never master my fathers trade either.
I did enjoy the book. I did enjoy the stories about Gwenda. The medieval peasant. her struggles to feed herself, and family, and make a little money, in the midst of plague, and war and rumours of war. Marxism, and Whiggery have inflicted a terrible view of the past. Gwenda's life, shows her meeting the triumphs and tragedies of one of the crowd, with bravery and hard work. In the end, she dies in bed and happy, she could have been sold into prostitution. The later book has a provoking exchange between Gwenda and her mother, when she discusses that. They had to feed the babies somehow
There long, its 2500 pages in all. If one wants to be entertained and educated, you cannot go far wrong. They are books, that I would recommend to an intelligent child
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