Intermission
Part 1 is now complete, with the birth of Anna Larsdatter. There will be a brief intermission while I write a little further ahead in part 2. My goal is to begin posting it by July 1, possibly only one episode per week at first. I have a very busy schedule until mid-July. If you have not read all of part 1, please take the opportunity to do so. As a “teaser,” here are the opening paragraphs of part 2:
Part 2: Skurdal
Chapter 9
Gudbrands Valley, 1814
On the tenth Sunday after Trinity, Anna Larsdatter was confirmed at the Sødorp church. Confirmation was at that time the most important rite of passage in a young person’s life. After two years of rigorous preparation – the only formal education most children received – they were ceremoniously accepted as full members of the church and the community. The entire congregation turned out to celebrate and congratulate the confirmands, who dressed in their finest clothes (albeit homespun, in the case of huusmen* like Anna).
*Huusman: the lowest class of tenant farmer; loosely translated, “Peasant.”
On the same day, Nels Poulsen returned from the war, flat on his back and barely alive. It was not a war really, only a few brief skirmishes that never reached the area where Nels was stationed. The only casualty in his regiment was Nels himself.
(to be continued)
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"Anna Hansdatter" is a serial novel, in the tradition of Dickens and Mark Twain, while not quite aspiring to their league. If this is your first visit, and you like today's episode, please consider going to "start from beginning," or maybe "beginning of part 2" to follow the story as it has unfolded thus far.
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- Chapter 9 (episodes 1-7)
- Chapter 10 (episodes 8-12)
- Chapter 11 (Episodes 13-19)
- Chapter 12 (Episodes 20-28)
- Chapter 13 (episodes 29-34)
- Chapter 14 (episodes 35-42)
- Chapter 15 (Episodes 43-49)
- 50. Fast Thinking
- 51. Aftermath
- 52. Hospitality
- 53. Wool
- 54. Detention
- 55. Reversal of Fortune
- 56. Adoration
- 57. Hero’s Portion
- 58. Wandering
Part II
Meta
June 29th, 2009 on 8:52 pm
George 6 29 ’09
I’m just going to try and see if this works. I forgot about this for a while, but will now go through everything, hopefully quickly.
I notice that you have HUUSMAN, andd HUUSMEN. If you want to spell it the Norwegian way, it’s HUSMANN and HUSMENN. Another English word for it is crofter, which describes the type of person better…someone who has a small farm, beholden to a wealthy farmer (bonde). A peasant describes just about everybody who is not a city dweller. But I’m nitpicking here!
See you Friday at the Peace Corner!
Med vennlig hilsen…Berit C
June 29th, 2009 on 10:06 pm
Good comment, Berit. Yes it worked. For atmosphere, I chose one of the archaic spellings for “husmann” that I found in old sources. I also found it spelled “Huusmand.” From “huus” instead of “hus” for “house.” If it bothers a native-speaker like yourself, though, I am considering changing it.
I agree, “peasant” is a not very descriptive of these folks’ situation, but I don’t think most readers could relate to “crofter” or “cotter.” Again, “peasant” seems to evoke the atmosphere I want. I could change it to “house-man;” I read another story that used that word.
Thank you again for the comment. More, please.
Beste Hilsen!