Investiture
Pronunciation: [in-ves-ti-cher, -choor]
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Medieval Latin investitura, from investitus, past participle of investire
The act of formally putting someone into an office or landholding; it was a major occasion of dispute in the eleventh and twelfth centuries when reformers opposed lay rulers who invested clergy with the symbols of their positions.
Filed under: Medieval Glossary, Medieval History on February 29th, 2008 | No Comments »
Noah Lukeman is the President of Lukeman Literary Management Ltd., founded in 1996, and he is the author of the bestselling books The First Five Pages: A Writer’s Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile and The Plot Thickens: 8 Ways to Bring Fiction to Life. He has valuable insight into the world of publishing, […]
Filed under: Writing Tips, Fiction, Creative Writing on February 28th, 2008 | 2 Comments »
Cover art for the fifth novel in George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series was recently released. There is no official date on when A Dance With Dragaons will hit bookshelves, but it’s rumoured for this coming Fall.
Filed under: George R.R. Martin, Fiction, Fantasy on February 27th, 2008 | 16 Comments »
I’ve been compiling a list of medieval historical fiction novels to read, and I thought I would highlight a new one every week if possible. Many of these I have not even read myself.
The first one is The Whale Road by Robert Low.
Product Details:
The Whale Road
By Robert Low
Hardcover - 352 pages
Publisher - Thomas Dunne Books (August […]
Filed under: Medieval History, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Book Reviews on February 26th, 2008 | 2 Comments »
The year is 877 AD, and the Saxons have just defeated the Danes at Cynuit, though troubles for Alfred and his kingdom of Wessex are far from over. The Danes control three of the four major kingdoms in England — Northumbria, Mercia, and East Anglia — and they are continuing to push farther into Wessex, intent […]
Filed under: Bernard Cornwell, Historical Fiction, Book Reviews on February 25th, 2008 | 6 Comments »
Heriot
Pronunciation: \hare-E-et\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English heregeatwe, plural, military equipment, from here army (akin to Old High German heri army) + geatwe equipment
a) A payment which a feudal lord may claim from the possessions of a dead serf or other tenant, essentially a death tax. There are various forms of heriot. Generally if […]
Filed under: Medieval History on February 22nd, 2008 | No Comments »
This week heirs of J. R. R. Tolkien, author of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy and “The Hobbit,” and a group of publishers joined the battle with a lawsuit demanding at least $150 million from New Line Cinema, the movie studio that hit the jackpot with three enormous hits based on the trilogy. Read […]
Filed under: Fantasy, Books and Movies, Literary News on February 21st, 2008 | 2 Comments »
I came across this post on Pick the Brain that discuss George Orwell’s essay Politics and the English Language written in 1946. In the essay, Orwell focuses on how to communicate more effectively as a writer. His rules are quite simple and logical, much like Strunk’s advice on writing in The Elements of Style.
Never use a metaphor, […]
Filed under: Writing Tips on February 20th, 2008 | No Comments »
This is one of those tough grammar questions in writing that even I have a tough time remembering. When do I use who and when do I use whom? The following is an easy way to remember this distinction.
Use who when you could replace it with he or she.
Example 1: Who/whom is driving in the car? […]
Filed under: Writing Tips on February 19th, 2008 | 2 Comments »
Scutage
Pronunciation: \?skü-tij, ?skyü-\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Medieval Latin scutagium, from Latin scutum shield
Date: 15th century
The sum that the holder of a knight’s fee may pay his lord in lieu of military service. Sometimes used as a form of tax.
Filed under: Medieval History on February 15th, 2008 | 2 Comments »
