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"On a bright autumn day,
as long ago as the year 943, there was a great
bustle in the Castle of Bayeux in Normandy
... "
Online text of The
Little Duke
(Many thanks to Sandra Laythorpe and others)
The Little Duke on paper
republished The Little Duke in paperback (2001).
The book, in good clear print and with copies of the original illustrations,
has a brief introduction by
Publication
details, summary and further reading for The
Little Duke(Text
kindly supplied by Amy de Gruchy) Publication1854,
published by Macmillan Contents
The Little Duke, the first of C.M. Yonge's historical tales for children,
appeared as a serial in her magazine in 1851. In 1854 a longer version on good paper,
attractively illustrated and priced five shillings was brought out by
Parker and Sons who had published Yonge's first best-seller, , the previous year.
The
main character is Richard Duke of Normandy,
the great grandfather of William the Conqueror.
At the beginning of the tale he is a boy of
eight, who succeeds to the dukedom when his
father is murdered in 943 A.D. His overlord
King Louis carries the boy off to the French
court. There his life seems to be in danger,
and he is rescued by his faithful squire and
returns to Normandy. There the serial ends,
but the book continues with an account of
the subsequent struggle between the Normans
and French. It concludes with a summary of
Richard's life, stressing his magnanimity. The
child Richard is an extremely well-drawn character,
a recognisable small boy albeit one shaped
by his particular heredity and environment.
The author never allows him to be wiser and
more perceptive than is natural for his age,
and in matters beyond his comprehension intervenes
as the omniscient narrator. The minor characters
are seen through his eyes in general, and
with the exception og King Louis, have only
one or two traits apiece, but are consistent
, all that would be required by child readers. C.M.
Yonge's aim seems to have been to convey moral
as well as historical instruction. The first
part concentrates on Richard's failings, their
punishment and his reform, the second part
on his virtues. She also wished to acquaint
readers with the characters and events of
a little known period of history. Her historical
detail is meticulous, but her account of events
is biased in favour of the Normans. The
book went through many editions before 1900
and was to be found in school libraries until
the middle of the twentieth century. It is
now . Further
ReadingFor
contemporary reviews: L.
Madden, J.B. Shorthouse and C.M. Yonge,
unpublished thesis, University of London Diploma
in Librarianship, 1964. For
Charlotte Yonge's historical fiction: Alice
Fairfax Lucy, 'The other Miss Yonge', in A
Chaplet for Charlotte Yonge.
Edited
for The Charlotte Yonge Society by Georgina
Battiscombe and Marghanita Laski. The Cresset
Press, London 1965 L.A. de Gruchy, 'C.M.
Yonge's historical novels - the influence
of Scott', 1837-1901:
Journal of the
Loughborough Victorian Studies Group,
no. 5, October 1980, pp. 30-49. L.A.
de Gruchy, The Monthly Packet, unpublished
thesis, University of London, 1986, p. 153
et seq.
Mark Twain and The Little Duke
The following is extracted from Volume VI of Mark
Twain's Letters 1907-1910
(Samuel Clemens)
To Rev. F. Y. Christ, in New York:
REDDING, CONN., Aug., '08.
....
Yesterday a guest said, "How did you come to think of writing 'The
Prince and the Pauper?' I didn't. The thought came to me from the outside
— suggested by that pleasant and picturesque little history-book,
Charlotte M. Yonge's "Little Duke," I doubt if Mrs. Burnett
knows whence came to her the suggestion to write "Little Lord Fauntleroy,"
but I know; it came to her from reading "The Prince and the Pauper."
In all my life I have never originated an idea, and neither has she, nor
anybody else.
....
Your friend and well-wisher
S. L. CLEMENS.
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