John Hicklin - "The Ladies of Llangollen"

John Greenleaf Whittier - "Snow Bound"

Alexandre Dumas père - "The Queen's Necklace"

Fustel de Coulanges - "La Cite Antique"

Annual Bibliography of Commonwealth Literature 2007
This paper argues that discourses of love in Ghanaian market literature for youth offer a view into complex negotiations of agency and empowerment. Drawing on Deborah Durham's notion of youth as "social `shifters'" and Francis Nyamnjoh's conception of the "interconnectedness" of agency, I take Ghanaian market literature as one specific case of how African literature for youth foregrounds questions of continuity and change as African societies enter into increasingly complex global relations. In this literature for youth, received notions of love, often constructed out of impressions from American pop and hip hop music, carry new notions of agency that compete with existing "domesticated" forms. Authors like Ike Tandoh and Evelyn Tay employ discourses of love to offer youth alternative avenues for empowerment in a context of socio-economic disenfranchizement. In a creative process of "straddling", this writing both reveals and reproduces the contradictions that obtain in youth configurations of agency.

At Agincourt

G >> G. A. Henty >> At Agincourt




During the next month Guy spent most of his time at Penshurst getting
everything in readiness for its mistress. Lord Eustace advanced him the
monies that he was to receive for the ransoms of Count de Valles and the
five knights, and the week before the wedding he went up with the Count of
Montepone to London, and under his advice bought many rich hangings and
pieces of rare furniture to beautify the private apartments. The count
laid out a still larger sum of money on Eastern carpets and other
luxuries, as well as on dresses and other matters for his daughter. On
jewels he spent nothing, having already, he said, "a sufficient store for
the wife of a royal duke."

On his return Guy called upon the king at his palace at Winchester, and
Henry declared that he himself would ride to Summerley to be present at
the wedding.

"You stood by me," he said, "in the day of battle, it is but right that I
should stand by you on your wedding-day. Her father will, of course, give
her away, and it is right that he should do so, seeing that she is no ward
of mine; but I will be your best man. I will bring with me but a small
train, for I would not inconvenience the Baron of Summerley and his wife,
and I will not sleep at the castle; though I do not say that I will not
stay to tread a measure with your fair bride."

Two days later a train of waggons was seen approaching Summerley; they.
were escorted by a body of men-at-arms with two officers of the king. Lord
Eustace, in some surprise, rode out to meet them, and was informed that
the king had ordered them to pitch a camp near the castle for himself and
his knights, and that he intended to tarry there for the night. As soon as
the waggons were unloaded the attendants and men-at-arms set to work, and
in a short time the royal tent and six smaller ones were erected and
fitted with their furniture. Other tents were put up a short distance away
for the grooms and attendants. This greatly relieved Lady Margaret, for
she had wondered where she could bestow the king and his knights if, at
the last moment, he determined to sleep there.

For the next three days the castle was alive with preparations. Oxen and
swine were slaughtered, vast quantities of game, geese, and poultry were
brought in, two stags from the royal preserves at Winchester were sent
over by the king, and the rivers for miles round were netted for fish. At
ten o'clock Guy rode in with fifty mounted men, the tenants of Penshurst,
Stoneham, and Piverley, and these and all the tenants of Summerley rode
out under Lord Eustace and Guy to meet the king. They had gone but a mile
when he and his train rode up. He had with him the Earl of Dorset and five
of the nobles who had fought at Agincourt and were all personally
acquainted with Guy. The church at Summerley was a large one, but it was
crowded as it had never been before. The king and his nobles stood on one
side of the altar, while Lord Eustace, his wife, Agnes, and Charlie were
on the other. Guy's tenants occupied the front seats, while the rest of
the church was filled by the tenants of Summerley, their wives and
daughters, and the retainers of the castle, among them Long Tom, with his
pretty wife beside him. When everything was in order the Count of
Montepone entered the church with his daughter, followed by the six
prettiest maidens on the Summerley estate.

"In truth, Sir Guy," the king whispered as the bride and her father came
up the aisle, "your taste is as good in love as your arms are strong in
war, for my eyes never fell on a fairer maid."

After the ceremony there was a great banquet in the hall, while all the
tenants, with their wives and families, sat down to long tables spread in
the court-yard. After the meal was over and the tables removed, the king
and the party in the banqueting-hall went out on the steps and were
received with tremendous cheering. Guy first returned thanks for himself
and his bride for the welcome that they had given him, and then, to the
delight of the people, the king stepped forward.

"Good people," he said, "among whom there are, I know, some who fought
stoutly with us at Agincourt, you do well to shout loudly at the marriage
of this brave young knight, who was brought up among you, and who has won
by his valour great credit, and our royal favour. Methinks that he has
won, also, a prize in his eyes even greater than the honours that we have
bestowed upon him, and I doubt not that, should occasion occur, he will
win yet higher honours in our service."

A great shout of "God bless the king!" went up from the assembly. Then the
party returned to the hall, while casks of wine were broached in the
court-yard. As Lord Eustace had sent for a party of musicians from
Winchester, first some stately dances were performed in the hall, as many
as could find room being allowed to come into it to witness them. The king
danced the first measure with Katarina, the Earl of Dorset led out Lady
Margaret, and Guy danced with Lady Agnes, while the other nobles found
partners among the ladies who had come in from the neighbourhood. After a
few dances the party adjourned to the court-yard, where games of various
kinds, dancing and feasting were kept up until a late hour, when the king
and his companions retired to their tents. At an early hour next morning
the king and his retinue rode back to Winchester.

Until he signed the marriage contract before going to the church, Guy was
altogether ignorant of the dowry that Katarina was to bring, and was
astonished at the very large sum of money, besides the long list of
jewels, entered in it.

"She will have as much more at my death," the count said quietly; "there
is no one else who has the slightest claim upon me."

Consequently, in the course of the wars with France, Guy was able to put a
contingent of men-at-arms and archers, far beyond the force his feudal
obligations required, in the field. Long Tom was, at his own request,
allowed by his lord to exchange his small holding for a larger one at
Penshurst, and always led Guy's archers in the wars.

Sir John Aylmer remained at Summerley, refusing Guy's pressing invitation
to take up his abode at Penshurst. "No, lad," he said; "Lord Eustace and I
have been friends and companions for many years, and Lady Margaret has
been very dear to me from her childhood. Both would miss me sorely did I
leave them, the more so as Agnes is now away. Moreover, it is best that
you and your fair wife should be together also for a time. 'Tis best in
all respects. You are but two hours' easy riding from Summerley, and I
shall often be over to see you."

Four years after his marriage the king promoted Guy to the rank of Baron
of Penshurst, and about the same time the Count of Montepone, who had been
for some months in Italy, finding that his enemies at Mantua were still so
strong that he was unable to obtain a reversal of the decree of banishment
that had been passed against him, returned to Penshurst.

"I have had more than enough of wandering, and would fain settle down
here, Guy, if you will give me a chamber for myself, and one for my
instruments. I shall need them but little henceforth, but they have become
a part of myself and, though no longer for gain, I love to watch the
stars, and to ponder on their lessons; and when you ride to the wars I
shall be company for Katarina, who has long been used to my society alone,
and I promise you that I will no longer employ her as my messenger."

Once established at Penshurst the count employed much of his time in
beautifying the castle, spending money freely in adding to the private
apartments, and decorating and furnishing them in the Italian style, until
they became the wonder and admiration of all who visited them. In time he
took upon himself much of the education of Katarina's children, and
throughout a long life Guy never ceased to bless the day when he and Dame
Margaret were in danger of their lives at the hands of the White Hoods of
Paris.

THE END.

Copyright (c) 2007. topboookz.com. All rights reserved.