The Cornerstone (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: Zoé Oldenbourg
- First Published: 1953
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Historical
- Time of Work: Early thirteenth century
- Setting: France and the Holy Land
- Genres: Long fiction, Historical fiction
- Subjects: Family or family life, France or French people, Incest, Fratricide, parricide, or filicide, Catholics or Catholic Church, Middle Ages, Middle East, Knights or knighthood, Feudalism, Thirteenth century, Chivalry, Crusades
- Locales: France, Holy Land
Characters Discussed
Ansiau (ahn-see-OW), the old lord of Linnières in Champagne. Returning from the Crusades half-blind and ill, grieving for the son who died in the Holy Land, and troubled about his ungovernable illegitimate daughter, he finds that he no longer has the force to govern. He resigns his fief to his son Herbert and sets out on a pilgrimage to Acre and Jerusalem. Eventually, he becomes totally blind and thus especially vulnerable to the marauders in battle-torn southern France. His piety and his kindly nature win him the respect of strangers and the loyalty of...
[The entire page is 1134 words long]
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