Michael Barnes
Apparently this novel is a frequently prescribed text for English Literature courses in Victoria. Certainly a more absorbing read than some of the texts I was set in high school. Based on some of the towns in England which during the last major outbreak in 1666 of bubonic plague (AKA the Black Death) chose to isolate themselves to prevent the spread and specifically in this story Eyam, a Derbyshire village. Our point of view is Anna Frith, a shepherdess who also works as a servant in the rectory. The charismatic and largely (with a few exceptions) compassionate rector of the church, Michael Mompellion, convinces the villagers to quarantine themselves within the village so the plague will not spread to nearby towns. A wealthy Earl leaves supplies and food on a large stone at the boundary line. The rector’s wife Elinor works with Anna nursing the sick, and preparing herbal tonics to strengthen people. The villagers turn to superstitions, magic charms, fasting and flagellation, and devil worshiping in the hope that something might stop the spread of the plague. Digging graves is unending work. How can people keep their faith and their sanity when they are suffering such great losses?
During the quarantine we see the myriad ways people can respond to these desperate times, which is very much how we saw people reacted during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and we knew what was the cause and how to treat (and significant sections of the 21century population still managed to F* up so I can't be too dismissive of the actions of the villages in this tale. With my love of chemistry my favourite was the experiments by Anna Frith and the rectors wife Elinor to craft a restorative to fortify the afflicted, no so much as a cure to the plague but to give them strength to survive the sickness.
Also in a time of increasing anti-Muslim sentiment I welcomed towards the novels end the reflection that at the time in many aspects the Arabic communities were a stark contrast of enlightenment to the society we had seen described in the novel. How timely.
Apparently this novel is a frequently prescribed text for English Literature courses in Victoria. Certainly a more absorbing read than some of the texts I was set in high school. Based on some of the towns in England which during the last major outbreak in 1666 of bubonic plague (AKA the Black Death) chose to isolate themselves to prevent the spread and specifically in this story Eyam, a Derbyshire village. Our point of view is Anna Frith, a shepherdess who also works as a servant in the rectory. The charismatic and largely (with a few exceptions) compassionate rector of the church, Michael Mompellion, convinces the villagers to quarantine themselves within the village so the plague will not spread to nearby towns. A wealthy Earl leaves supplies and food on a large stone at the boundary line. The rector’s wife Elinor works with Anna nursing the sick, and preparing herbal tonics to strengthen people. The villagers turn to superstitions, magic charms, fasting and flagellation, and devil worshiping in the hope that something might stop the spread of the plague. Digging graves is unending work. How can people keep their faith and their sanity when they are suffering such great losses?
During the quarantine we see the myriad ways people can respond to these desperate times, which is very much how we saw people reacted during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and we knew what was the cause and how to treat (and significant sections of the 21century population still managed to F* up so I can't be too dismissive of the actions of the villages in this tale. With my love of chemistry my favourite was the experiments by Anna Frith and the rectors wife Elinor to craft a restorative to fortify the afflicted, no so much as a cure to the plague but to give them strength to survive the sickness.
Also in a time of increasing anti-Muslim sentiment I welcomed towards the novels end the reflection that at the time in many aspects the Arabic communities were a stark contrast of enlightenment to the society we had seen described in the novel. How timely.