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Description edit see section history

This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that... read more

Summary edit see section history

The Castle of Twilight is the story of the family of 12th century Le Crepuscule Castle in 14th century England (the year 1380) - the good and the bad. Reigning "Lady of the House" Eleanor has spend years in widowhood and is left to live vicariously through the lives of her children. Her... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

The Castle of Twilight is the story of the family of 12th century Le Crepuscule Castle in 14th century England (the year 1380) - the good and the bad. Reigning "Lady of the House" Eleanor has spend years in widowhood and is left to live vicariously through the lives of her children. Her daughter, Laure, much to the sadness and disappointment of her mother, joins a nunnery but has a change of heart in her life calling when she meets suave troubador Bertrand Flammecouer.Laure abandons the nunnery and runs off with Flammecouer in the middle of the night - no word to anyone as to where she plans to go or how she plans to live with Flammecouer. Can he be trusted? Meanwhile, Laure's brother Girault still mourns the loss of his first love Lenore and is reluctant to give his heart to anyone again. Per his mother's wishes, Girault travels to the town of Rennes and some months later comes back with a new bride. In a strange twist of fate, his new bride is also named Lenore. Has he married her solely to replace his lost love? Everyone within the castle walls seems to be deeply affected in some way by these two relationships. A dark, moody read reminiscent of dark Victorian novels.

Characters/People edit see section history

  • Madame Lenore: There are two Lenores in the story 1) the dead cousin/first love of Girault 2)wife of heir to Le Crepuscule Castle, Girault
  • Laure: Girault's sister. Joins The Virgins of the Magdalene Convent in her teenage years and takes the name "Angelique" there, but soon abandons life there to run off with a handsome troubador
  • Madame Eleanore: Lady of Le Crepuscule Castle, biological mother of Laure and Girault
  • Alixe la Rieuse: adopted daughter of Eleanor
  • Girault: son of Eleanor (her eldest child), falconer and heir to Le Crepuscule Castle
  • David the Dwarf: court jester and sort of butler in Le Crepuscule
  • Courtoise: Girault's squire
  • Charles, Bishop of St. Nazaire: family friend, performs all religious services for family
  • Bertrand Flammecceur: traveling troubador from Provence, France; bit of a ladies man who lures Laure away from her convent life
  • Eloise: a dim-witted nun that acts as escort to Laure whenever she goes outside convent walls. develops a flirtation with Flammecouer's squire, Yvain
  • Yvain: squire of Bertrand Flammecouer
  • Mere Piteuse: prioress, Reverend Mother of the Virgins of the Magdalene Convent
  • Souer Celeste: sub prioress of the convent
  • Favriole: Le Crepuscule Castle court herald
Show all 14 characters
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Quotes edit see section history

  • “Hast thou not loved, Lenore? Knowest thou nothing of the joy of living, the two in one united by divine fire? Dost thou not worship God for the reason that there is now in thee a double soul? Wake! Wake from thy dream-life! Suffer! For out of suffering, great joy will come upon thee!”
    Laure

Setting & Locations edit see section history

South Breton Coast, England
  • England: Breton Coast, Brittany, Dover, London
  • France: Provence, Normandy, Calais, Rennes

Organizations edit see section history

  • Trouvère: Trouvère (French pronunciation: <tʁuvɛʁ>), sometimes spelled trouveur <tʁuvœʁ>, is the Northern French (langue d'oïl) form of the word trobador (as spelled in the langue d'oc). It refers to poet-composers who were roughly contemporary with and influenced by the troubadours but who composed their works in the northern dialects of France. The word trouvère comes from the Old French trovere, from the Provençal word trobaire, meaning 'to find or invent (rhetorically)'<citation needed>. The first known trouvère was Chrétien de Troyes (fl. 1160s-80s) (Butterfield, 1997) and the trouvères continued to flourish until about 1300

First Sentence edit see section history

It was mid-April: a sunny afternoon.

Table of Contents edit see section history

CONTENTS

PAGE vii FOREWORD

CHAPTER
I THE DESOLATION OF AGE i
II THE SILENCE OF YOUTH 29
III FLAMMECCEUR 62
IV THE PASSION 94
V SHADOWS 121
VI A LOVE STRAIN 154
VII THE LOST LENORE 177
VIII To A TRUMPET CALL 209
IX THE STORM 235 X FROM RENNES 260
XI THE WANDERER 286
XII LAURE 316
XIII LENORE 347
XIV ELEANORE 378
XV THE RISING TIDE 401
XVI THE MIDDLE OF THE VALLEY 423

Glossary edit see section history

  • Caprice: a sudden, unexpected, or impulsive action
  • Quaff: to drink deeply
  • Prate: to talk long and idly; chatter
  • Posset: a hot drink of sweetened and spiced milk curdled with ale or wine
  • Mountebank: a person who sells quack medicines from a platform2: a boastful unscrupulous pretender : charlatan
  • Niais: stupid; a fool
  • Gage: a token of defiance; specifically : a glove or cap cast on the ground to be taken up by an opponent as a pledge of combat
  • Jess: a short strap secured on the leg of a hawk and usually provided with a ring for attaching a leash
  • Tabouret: : a cylindrical seat or stool without arms or back2: a small portable stand or cabinet
  • Ahime: Italian for "alas" or "woe is me"
  • Chansonette: song
  • Expiate: to make amends for
  • Obeisance: a movement of the body made in token of respect or submission : bow2: acknowledgment of another's superiority or importance : homage
  • Ineffable: indescribable or unutterable
  • Caitiff: cowardly, despicable
  • Riven: torn apart
  • Evensong: vespers, evening prayer
  • Portend: Describe this term.
  • Condole: grieve
  • Bonhomie: good-natured easy friendliness
  • Succor: : relief; also : aid, help2: something that furnishes relief
  • Temporize: : to act to suit the time or occasion : yield to current or dominant opinion2: to draw out discussions or negotiations so as to gain time
  • Paroxysm: : a fit, attack, or sudden increase or recurrence of symptoms (as of a disease) : convulsion <a paroxysm of coughing>2: a sudden violent emotion or action : outburst
  • Prie-Dieu: a kneeling bench designed for use by a person at prayer and fitted with a raised shelf on which the elbows or a book may be rested2: a low armless upholstered chair with a high straight back
  • Dolmen: a prehistoric monument of two or more upright stones supporting a horizontal stone slab found especially in Britain and France and thought to be a tomb
  • Tenzon: A Provençal poem taking the form of a dialogue or debate between two rival troubadours.
  • Manchet: a kind of white bread made from the finest flour
  • Chanson: a music hall or cabaret song
  • Cresset: an iron vessel or basket used for holding an illuminant (as oil) and mounted as a torch or suspended as a lantern
  • Anomalous: irregular or abnormal
  • Portcullis: a grating of iron hung over the gateway of a fortified place and lowered between grooves to prevent passage
  • Houppelande: a robe or long tunic, belted or with a fitted bodice, usually having full trailing sleeves and often trimmed or lined with fur.
  • Bliaut: The bliaut or bliaud is a women's and also a men's overgarment worn from the eleventh to the thirteenth century Western Europe, featuring voluminous skirts and horizontal puckering or pleating across a snugly fitted under bust abdomen. The sleeves are the most immediately notable difference when comparing the bliaut to other female outer clothing of the Middle Ages. They fit closely from the shoulder to approximately the elbow, and then widen from the elbow to drape to floor- or nearly floor-length. This garment's usage appears to be geographically limited to areas of French influence, with some works depicting the garment or the garment in transition as far away as Rome and modern Germany.
Show all 33 glossary entries

Themes & Symbolism edit see section history

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Margaret Horton Potter (Author)
  2. Charlotte H. Weber (Illustrator) - did primary artwork for 1903 edition

Other Contributors:

  1. Miss Mabel Harlow (Illustrator) - contributed artwork borders to chapter pages in 1903 edition

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: A.C. McClurg & Co.
Country: USA
Publication Date: 1903
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 429

Classification edit see section history

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Reading Level: Ages 9-12

some challenging vocabulary and one scene of an attempted suicide (though only hinted at).

More Books Like This edit see section history

   
  • Tales of King Arthur: The Sword in the Stone (Books of Wonder)
  • Uncanonized: A romance of English monachism

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