Song of the Sparrow
Encyclopedia
Song of the Sparrow is a young adult novel by Lisa Ann Sandell
, published in 2007. It is written completely in lyrical form. It is set during the Dark Ages in Britain and is a retelling of the story of The Lady of Shalott
a figure from Arthurian legend.
describes why she decided to write about Elaine of Ascolat and retell the story of The Lady of Shalott
, saying, "The stories, the myth of King Arthur
and his companions live on and persist throughout time because they deal with such incredibly important and universal, such fundamentally human themes as love, friendship, loyalty, justice, faith, peace and hope and they resonate with the eternal chimes of truth, regardless of history or fact."
Sandell studied Arthurian legend at the University of Pennsylvania
and noticed that the women in these stories were portrayed as weak, passive characters.She wrote Song of the Sparrow to "release Elaine from these shackles."
warrior, her family's house was burned to ashes on their island of Shalott, and she now lives with her two brothers, Lavain and Tirry, and her father in an army encampment for Britain. Elaine is only 8 years old. She quickly makes friends with Arthur
, Lancelot
, Tristan
, Gawain
, and many others. Over the years, Elaine turns into a beautiful young girl of sixteen, with long, fiery red hair. She does all of the mending, washing, and healing of all three hundred and fifty soldiers in the camp. Elaine is in love with Lancelot, Arthur's right-hand man, her long-time playmate and companion. Suddenly, when Aurelius
, the leader of the entire Briton army, is poisoned by a Saxon spy, Arthur is left to lead and unite all of Britain
.Many leaders don't appreciate Arthur's youth and inexperience, and leave with their men and horses. The night that Arthur is proclaimed leader, Lancelot tells Elaine he must go and win the favor of Lodengrance
, for he is needed at Arthur's round table
.
Elaine gathers at the Round Table with her father and brothers to listen to Taliesin
, the Merlin
, give Arthur his title. Being the only girl there besides Morgan, Elaine feels awkward but familiar. After the men accept Arthur as their new leader, Elaine goes to talk to Lancelot who calls her "grown up now" and "a woman" . She is astonished. They part and Tristan comes up to her and speaks about how he came to be part of the army. The next day as Elaine is working on Tirry's clothes, she pricks herself with a sewing needle, something she "[hasn't] done in years." She runs out from the tent weeping, only to be found by Morgan. Elaine says it is a "bad omen" and Morgan brings Elaine to her tent. Arthur comes in and they discuss the planned attack on the Saxons, in which Arthur explains that he doesn't want to murder, but it must be done to protect the people. A few days later, Lancelot returns from his mission, bringing back Lodengrance and his stunning daughter, Gwynivere, to be wed to Arthur. However the new dux bellorum is not too ecstatic. Lancelot introduces his feelings for the new girl in front of Elaine. "She should be mine. But I will never have her," says Lancelot, which crushes Elaine, especially when he calls her "a child." To add to her heartbreak, she finds Gwynivere to be "filled with poison." Gwynivere's superior attitude puts the two girls at odds right when they meet.
Elaine and Tristan place a frog in Gwynivere's embroidery pouch as a way of repenting her cruelness to Elaine. After the act, he warns her not to follow the men to the Saxons, which is exactly what she decides to do. On the day of their leaving, Elaine, a jumble of worry and nerves, says goodbye and good luck to her father and brothers. She waits a while before taking her own saved provisions and following in their tracks. A brave and persistent woman in her endeavor, she faces loneliness and a nagging feeling of a following presence on her journey. She crosses a river that almost takes her life, simply to be caught by Saxon soldiers. A fight ensues, and Gwynivere appears from the woods, defending Elaine by attacking her captors. The two girls are then both caught and taken to the Saxon camp as prisoners. Tensions and injuries pose obstacles and strain as the time passes, locked away from battle and the men they love.
Elaine awakens to the sound of Arthur's army fighting the Saxons. She begins to talk to Gwynivere, admitting her worry and senselessness. While Gwynivere comforts Elaine, Gwynivere confesses herself to be "a jealous person." Later, Yellow Hair's companion comes in to give them a bedpan and unties the ladies. When they hear of the Saxon's surprise attack on Arthur, Elaine solidifies her decision to escape and warn him. The two girls begin to dig a hole near an open tent flap. Once Elaine gets freed, she sprints and distracts the Saxons as Gwynivere sneaks out and dashes to find Arthur around the mountain. Elaine makes her way to a river to find a Saxon boat, but before she gets in, an arrow from the Saxons pierces her chest. She crawls in the boat and starts to float downstream, pondering before blacking out.
As Elaine heals from her wound, Arthur decides to move camp back to Carleon-Usk. Elaine is tired often, and takes frequent rests, in which she receives visits from some men, like that of Lancelot. The two resolve their strain, finally friends again. Tristan later joins Elaine on one of her rests, professing his jealousy of Lancelot and true love for Elaine, who suddenly and shockingly realizes she loves him as well. Upon return to camp, they all gather at the round table as Arthur invites them to start a new life and city with him, upon that very place. Elaine and Tristan, Elaine's family, and many of Elaine's friends stand with their consent to build their new city and establish their freedom in Camelot.
Lisa Ann Sandell
Lisa Ann Sandell is an American author of young adult novels. She has written and published three books, A Map of the Known World, Song of the Sparrow, The Weight of the Sky, and 21 Proms.-Biography:...
, published in 2007. It is written completely in lyrical form. It is set during the Dark Ages in Britain and is a retelling of the story of The Lady of Shalott
The Lady of Shalott
"The Lady of Shalott" is a Victorian ballad by the English poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson . Like his other early poems – "Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere" and "Galahad" – the poem recasts Arthurian subject matter loosely based on medieval sources.-Overview:Tennyson wrote two versions of the poem, one...
a figure from Arthurian legend.
Reason for writing
According to the author's note at the end of Song of the Sparrow Lisa Ann SandellLisa Ann Sandell
Lisa Ann Sandell is an American author of young adult novels. She has written and published three books, A Map of the Known World, Song of the Sparrow, The Weight of the Sky, and 21 Proms.-Biography:...
describes why she decided to write about Elaine of Ascolat and retell the story of The Lady of Shalott
The Lady of Shalott
"The Lady of Shalott" is a Victorian ballad by the English poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson . Like his other early poems – "Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere" and "Galahad" – the poem recasts Arthurian subject matter loosely based on medieval sources.-Overview:Tennyson wrote two versions of the poem, one...
, saying, "The stories, the myth of King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
and his companions live on and persist throughout time because they deal with such incredibly important and universal, such fundamentally human themes as love, friendship, loyalty, justice, faith, peace and hope and they resonate with the eternal chimes of truth, regardless of history or fact."
Sandell studied Arthurian legend at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
and noticed that the women in these stories were portrayed as weak, passive characters.She wrote Song of the Sparrow to "release Elaine from these shackles."
Plot summary
When Elaine of Ascolat's mother is murdered by a PictPICT
PICT is a graphics file format introduced on the original Apple Macintosh computer as its standard metafile format. It allows the interchange of graphics , and some limited text support, between Mac applications, and was the native graphics format of QuickDraw.The original version, PICT 1, was...
warrior, her family's house was burned to ashes on their island of Shalott, and she now lives with her two brothers, Lavain and Tirry, and her father in an army encampment for Britain. Elaine is only 8 years old. She quickly makes friends with Arthur
Arthur
Arthur is a common masculine given name. Its etymology is disputed, but its popularity derives from its being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur....
, Lancelot
Lancelot
Sir Lancelot du Lac is one of the Knights of the Round Table in the Arthurian legend. He is the most trusted of King Arthur's knights and plays a part in many of Arthur's victories...
, Tristan
Tristan
Tristan is one of the main characters of the Tristan and Iseult story, a Cornish hero and one of the Knights of the Round Table featuring in the Matter of Britain...
, Gawain
Gawain
Gawain is King Arthur's nephew and a Knight of the Round Table who appears very early in the Arthurian legend's development. He is one of a select number of Round Table members to be referred to as the greatest knight, most notably in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight...
, and many others. Over the years, Elaine turns into a beautiful young girl of sixteen, with long, fiery red hair. She does all of the mending, washing, and healing of all three hundred and fifty soldiers in the camp. Elaine is in love with Lancelot, Arthur's right-hand man, her long-time playmate and companion. Suddenly, when Aurelius
Ambrosius Aurelianus
Ambrosius Aurelianus, ; called Aurelius Ambrosius in the Historia Regum Britanniae and elsewhere, was a war leader of the Romano-British who won an important battle against the Anglo-Saxons in the 5th century, according to Gildas...
, the leader of the entire Briton army, is poisoned by a Saxon spy, Arthur is left to lead and unite all of Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
.Many leaders don't appreciate Arthur's youth and inexperience, and leave with their men and horses. The night that Arthur is proclaimed leader, Lancelot tells Elaine he must go and win the favor of Lodengrance
Leodegrance
King Leodegrance is the father of Queen Guinevere in Arthurian legend. His kingdom of Carmelide is sometimes identified with a location somewhere in the southwest of England, but may be located in Breton Cornouaille near the town of Carhaix, which is the Carhaise of L'Histoire de Merlin King...
, for he is needed at Arthur's round table
Round Table (Camelot)
The Round Table is King Arthur's famed table in the Arthurian legend, around which he and his Knights congregate. As its name suggests, it has no head, implying that everyone who sits there has equal status. The table was first described in 1155 by Wace, who relied on previous depictions of...
.
Elaine gathers at the Round Table with her father and brothers to listen to Taliesin
Taliesin
Taliesin was an early British poet of the post-Roman period whose work has possibly survived in a Middle Welsh manuscript, the Book of Taliesin...
, the Merlin
Merlin
Merlin is a legendary figure best known as the wizard featured in the Arthurian legend. The standard depiction of the character first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, written c. 1136, and is based on an amalgamation of previous historical and legendary figures...
, give Arthur his title. Being the only girl there besides Morgan, Elaine feels awkward but familiar. After the men accept Arthur as their new leader, Elaine goes to talk to Lancelot who calls her "grown up now" and "a woman" . She is astonished. They part and Tristan comes up to her and speaks about how he came to be part of the army. The next day as Elaine is working on Tirry's clothes, she pricks herself with a sewing needle, something she "[hasn't] done in years." She runs out from the tent weeping, only to be found by Morgan. Elaine says it is a "bad omen" and Morgan brings Elaine to her tent. Arthur comes in and they discuss the planned attack on the Saxons, in which Arthur explains that he doesn't want to murder, but it must be done to protect the people. A few days later, Lancelot returns from his mission, bringing back Lodengrance and his stunning daughter, Gwynivere, to be wed to Arthur. However the new dux bellorum is not too ecstatic. Lancelot introduces his feelings for the new girl in front of Elaine. "She should be mine. But I will never have her," says Lancelot, which crushes Elaine, especially when he calls her "a child." To add to her heartbreak, she finds Gwynivere to be "filled with poison." Gwynivere's superior attitude puts the two girls at odds right when they meet.
Elaine and Tristan place a frog in Gwynivere's embroidery pouch as a way of repenting her cruelness to Elaine. After the act, he warns her not to follow the men to the Saxons, which is exactly what she decides to do. On the day of their leaving, Elaine, a jumble of worry and nerves, says goodbye and good luck to her father and brothers. She waits a while before taking her own saved provisions and following in their tracks. A brave and persistent woman in her endeavor, she faces loneliness and a nagging feeling of a following presence on her journey. She crosses a river that almost takes her life, simply to be caught by Saxon soldiers. A fight ensues, and Gwynivere appears from the woods, defending Elaine by attacking her captors. The two girls are then both caught and taken to the Saxon camp as prisoners. Tensions and injuries pose obstacles and strain as the time passes, locked away from battle and the men they love.
Elaine awakens to the sound of Arthur's army fighting the Saxons. She begins to talk to Gwynivere, admitting her worry and senselessness. While Gwynivere comforts Elaine, Gwynivere confesses herself to be "a jealous person." Later, Yellow Hair's companion comes in to give them a bedpan and unties the ladies. When they hear of the Saxon's surprise attack on Arthur, Elaine solidifies her decision to escape and warn him. The two girls begin to dig a hole near an open tent flap. Once Elaine gets freed, she sprints and distracts the Saxons as Gwynivere sneaks out and dashes to find Arthur around the mountain. Elaine makes her way to a river to find a Saxon boat, but before she gets in, an arrow from the Saxons pierces her chest. She crawls in the boat and starts to float downstream, pondering before blacking out.
As Elaine heals from her wound, Arthur decides to move camp back to Carleon-Usk. Elaine is tired often, and takes frequent rests, in which she receives visits from some men, like that of Lancelot. The two resolve their strain, finally friends again. Tristan later joins Elaine on one of her rests, professing his jealousy of Lancelot and true love for Elaine, who suddenly and shockingly realizes she loves him as well. Upon return to camp, they all gather at the round table as Arthur invites them to start a new life and city with him, upon that very place. Elaine and Tristan, Elaine's family, and many of Elaine's friends stand with their consent to build their new city and establish their freedom in Camelot.
Characters
- Tristan: Tristan is Elaine's friend from the beginning. He is handsome, clever, and a cunning warrior, liked by all and eventually is Elaine's love.
- Gwynivere: Gwynivere is Arthur's betrothed, a beautiful, blonde, elegant lady. She is prone to jealousy and vanity, but she becomes Elaine's best friend.
- Tirry: Tirry is Elaine's oldest brother. He is very mature and protective of his sister.
- Lancelot: Lancelot is Arthur's best friend and Elaine's former playmate and her first love. He loves Gwynivere but cannot have her.
- Gawain: Gawain is described as a big, blond, broad man. He is a bear in size, strength, and heart, and one of Elaine's good friends.
- Merlin: a mysterious, magical hermit who proclaims Arthur dux bellorum.
- Morgan: Arthur's sister, originally the only other female. She is beautiful, intelligent, graceful, strong-minded, and Elaine's close friend and confidant.
- Lavain: Lavain is Elaine's second oldest brother. He is "hotheaded and brash" but loves and cares for Elaine.
- Lodengrance: Lodengrance is Gwynivere's father who offered her hand in marriage to Arthur to aid him in war.
- Yellow Hair: Yellow Hair is a Saxon who catches Elaine and Gwynivere while they were following Arthur's army.
- Arthur: is on Lancelot's side all the time.