Word by Word: Hi y'all. Happy April!

Lorraine Norwood
Apr 17
6 min read

“Whan that Aprille with his shoures soote . . .”

Ack! If those words remind you of your high school English class when you had to memorize Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales and you hated it, I get it. But as I’ve gotten older, I appreciate the language of Chaucer’s masterwork, especially the bawdy stories and satire. In fact, sometimes I listen to audio versions in the original Middle English for sh*ts and giggles. Yeah, I can’t help it. I’m a word nerd. Here’s part of the Prologue with an English translation:

Whan that Aprille with his shoures soote

When April with its sweet-smelling showers

The droghte of March hath perced to the roote,

Has pierced the drought of March to the root,

(So priketh hem Nature in hir corages),

(So Nature incites them in their hearts),

Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages,

Then folk long to go on pilgrimages. . .

Guess who narrates Chaucer in Middle English on YouTube?

Morgan Freeman!! Yes, Morgan Freeman—what a voice! Try it here for fun.

So, back to The Canterbury Tales . . .

Written between 1387 and 1400, The Canterbury Tales is a long poem featuring 30 pilgrims who travel from an inn in south London to the shrine of St. Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral, a distance of 87 miles. To stave off boredom, the pilgrims, who represent the types of people living in the 14th century, tell each other stories, some moralistic, some bawdy. I’ve scoured the Middle English version for words I can use in my novel The Solitary Sparrow. The Sparrow’s time period is 1308-1349 which is before Chaucer was born. My main character Meg speaks Middle English with a Warwickshire accent.

But here’s the thing—I’m writing books set in the 1300s, when the language in England was shifting from Anglo-Saxon to Norman French (after 1066) to Middle English. If my historical fiction is authentic and verisimilitude -ish , I should write in Middle English, right? But who is going to read that, much less buy it? The answer is: nobody.

That conundrum reared its head when I wrote the very first page of The Solitary Sparrow. How was I going to write a novel that contemporary readers understood without making it too contemporary? Modern-day slang? No. Ditto to modern-day dialogue. How could I give it the flavor of Middle English without confusing the reader?

After many tries, much proofreading, reading aloud, and research on individual words, I finally reached a compromise with myself. My first rule is to remember the reader. If the reader has to slog through the text, she’s not going to enjoy the book. So, rule number two is no contemporary phrases, slang, cuss words, and inauthentic figures of speech. Likewise, rule number three is a careful use of Middle English words and expressions so the reader gets the “flavor” of Middle English rather than a book full of “thou” and “thee”.

Finally, to help me develop an inner ear for the patterns of speech and language, I’ve read a lot of books, stories, and poems in Middle English, most with an English translation. I’ve also depended on writer friends and beta readers to catch words that are inappropriate. All of this sounds very tedious, but for a word nerd like me—it’s fun!

The cover of a modern translation of The Canterbury Tales showing a portrait of Chaucer holding a stylus and Rosary beads.

Chaucer’s stories about medieval England bring the fourteenth-century to life. The stories are peopled with saints, sinners, nuns, knights, and ordinary folk whose tales are irresistible even today. One of the most popular tales is The Wife of Bath. The cover below is from a 1973 book “The Wyf of Bathe – A Liberated Woman’s Great Story!”

What I've Been Reading

Edward III’s Faithful Knight: Walter Mauny and His Legacy by Stephen Porter

Sir Walter Mauny (sometimes 'Manny') was described as King Edward III's 'faithful knight'. He started his life as an orphaned younger son who rose to a distinguished soldier, naval commander and diplomat. Along the way he amassed a fortune from the profits of war and gifts from the king. He used some of his fortune to purchase a burial ground in London for victims of the Black Death. While researching Edward III’s knights, I came across Sir Walter’s exploits and knew immediately he had to be a character in Book Two, A Pelican in the Wilderness. Unfortunately not much has been written about Mauny, so I was thrilled when I found this book. He will become very important to Meg’s life and to Queen Philippa. More later.

Follow the Author: Joan Fernandez

Saving Vincent: A Novel of Jo van Gogh – available on April 15, 2025

Author Joan Fernandez has written the amazing story of one woman’s passionate belief in the talent of her brother-in-law Vincent van Gogh. After the death of Jo’s husband (and Vincent’s brother) Theo, she is left with nothing but an infant son and hundreds of paintings that most people think are worthless. At first she is devastated, but soon she defies tradition, opening a boarding house and choosing to promote Vincent’s art herself. She meets the powerful opposition of Parisian art critics, collectors and academics who vow to stop her.

I’ve been reading bits and pieces of this book since it was just an idea in the author’s mind. I’ve been privy to the growth that she’s made as a writer and I’m overjoyed to see it in print with that beautiful cover. After a trip to Europe to do research, Joan solidified her plan to write about Jo van Gogh and the legacy she left the world. Joan’s writing is evocative and inspiring, with a backdrop of Paris, artists, and stuffy society types who exhibit societal expectations of women. It’s obvious that Joan Fernandez is as passionate about the character of Jo as Jo is of her brother-in-law’s artwork.

Jo is steadfast in her belief that Van Gogh was a brilliant artist whose work would one day light up the Parisian art world. It makes you wonder how many women were really behind the success of famous male artists whose names are commonplace today. If she had listened to the naysayers, Van Gogh’s art would have been destroyed and we would know nothing of this amazing but troubled artist. It’s hard to imagine a world without Van Gogh! If you love art and artists, Paris in the 1890s, and stubborn women, you’ll love this book.

Publisher: She Writes Press (April 15, 2025)
Length: 384 pages
ISBN13: 9781647428709

BOLO: Be on the lookout!

Be on the lookout for Gabi Coatsworth’s new book, A Field Guide to Library Ghosts.

I just finished reading the Advanced Reader’s Copy of Gabi’s new book and it’s absolutely delightful. Told from two points of view (one POV is not alive but definitely lively), the book explores the depth of love, especially a love that is eternal.

Estimated publication date for the book is in the fall. Gabi just sent a final copy to the publisher. Within the next month or so, she should have a final cover. Proofreading is her next task.

A Field Guide to Library Ghosts is Gabi’s third book. Her first, a memoir titled Love’s Journey Home, will rip your heart out, make you sigh with happiness, and make you laugh. The second book, A Beginner's Guide to Starting Over tenderly explores grief, self-discovery, and the notion that you can fall in love more than once in a lifetime. Library Ghosts continues to explore many of these same notions, but with the confidence and maturity of a writer sure about her skills.

Gabi is a native of the UK who has lived in the US for 30 years or more. She’s a wonderful addition to our Zoom writing meetings; it’s always a pleasure to see her. I hope you get to meet her on the page. You won’t regret it.

Medieval Recipe: Apple Muse

APPLE MUSE (From the Harleian Manuscript 279) Take Appelys an sethe hem, an Swerge hem thorwe a Sefe in-to a potte; thanne take Almaunde Mylke & Hony, an caste ther-to, an gratid Brede, Safroun, Saunderys, & Salt a lytil, & caste all in the potte & lete hem sethe; & loke that thou stere it wyl, & serue it forth.

MODERN RECIPE (Based on an interpretation by James L. Matterer of www.GodeCookery.com)

INGREDIENTS

2 Apples
1 Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
4 Tbsp Honey
1 cup (2 slices) grated bread
1 tsp. sandalwood - https://amzn.to/2y67f4h
Pinch of Saffron - https://amzn.to/3agWmuv
Pinch of Salt

METHOD 1. Fill a small pot half full of water and set it to boiling. 2. Peel, core, and slice apples. 3. Boil them until soft. Then mash and press through a sieve, or blend until smooth. 4. Add almond milk, honey, grated bread, saffron, sandalwood powder, and salt and simmer until thick. 5. Serve it forth, hot or cold.

Courtesy of “Tasting History with Max Miller:" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtCKA_NeEQ0

Drollerie Winner

This is the drollerie from last month:

Congratulations to Stephanie for the winning caption:

After the dog steals your Thanksgiving tERdUCKeN!

Stephanie, your bookmarks are on the way!

And here is the drollerie for April—an astonished monk(?) spies a winged pig. Have you got a funny caption? If so, send it to me and I’ll send you one-of-a kind handmade bookmarks from The Solitary Sparrow.