Book Summary:
The book contains monologues written for middle level students. They are written during the medieval time period and are intended to connect to each other in content and plot. While they are intended to be acted out and read by seperate students, the monologues are intertwined and allow the students to see how life was for a variety of people during this time period, attempting to bridge the scope of status of the time. The monologues are short and written in the dialect of medieval English.
APA Reference of Book:
Schlitz, L. A. (2007). Good masters! sweet ladies!: Voices from a medieval village. New York: NY: Candlewick Press
Impressions:
My major impression of this book is that it is one of a kind. I haven't seen any titles of this nature which serve the purpose of providing monologues for students. This title is incredibly specific in what it aims to do and that in itself sets it apart from the rest. The author did an excellent job of researching what life was like for various rankings of people at that time. She even includes a map of the village which gives further perspective on the citizens within the monologues. The fact that she provides links within her monologues between the characters allows for the students to see how different life could be like at that time as well as how these characters are similar to them in age and maturity. The author did an excellent job of providing text that would stretch the student reader (both in their acting skills and comprehension skills), while maintaining interesting storylines. The text is challenging in that the dialect is so different. This is a text that would take some effort on the part of the reader, therefore making it even more specific in the audience who will be willing to use it; however, those who take the chance will not be disappointed as it is an exemplary text with an important purpose.
Professional Review:
Grades 5-8. The author of A Drowned Maiden’s Hair: A Melodrama (2006), Schlitz turns to a completely different kind of storytelling here. Using a series of interconnected monologues and dialogues featuring young people living in and around an English manor in 1255, she offers first-person character sketches that build upon each other to create a finer understanding of medieval life. The book was inspired by the necessity of creating a play suitable for a classroom where “no one wanted a small part.” Each of the 23 characters (between 10 and 15 years old) has a distinct personality and a societal role revealed not by recitation of facts but by revelation of memories, intentions, and attitudes. Sometimes in prose and more often in one of several verse forms, the writing varies nicely from one entry to the next. Historical notes appear in the vertical margins, and some double-page spreads carry short essays on topics related to individual narratives, such as falconry, the Crusades, and Jews in medieval society. Although often the characters’ specific concerns are very much of their time, their outlooks and emotional states will be familiar to young people today. Reminiscent of medieval art, Byrd’s lively ink drawings, tinted with watercolors, are a handsome addition to this well-designed book. This unusually fine collection of related monologues and dialogues promises to be a rewarding choice for performance or for reading aloud in the classroom.
Reference:
Review of Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village. (2007). Booklist, 103(22). Retrieved from www.titlewave.com
Library Uses:
This text could be used in a library activity including the theater students. They could use this text to identify how important it is to research what times were like and how people acted before performing a monologue. The students could do research in order to enhance their own monologues assigned by the teacher and then perform them in the library.
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