In a Dark Wood Wandering: A Novel of the Middle Ages

by Hella S. Haasse

This novel exemplifies historical fiction at its best; the author's meticulous research and polished style bring the medieval world into vibrant focus. Set during the Hundred Years War (1337-1453), the narrative creates believable human beings from the great roll of historical figures. Here are the mad Charles VI, the brilliant Louis d'Orleans, Joan of Arc, Henry V, and, most importantly, Charles d'Orleans, whose loyalty to France brought him decades of captivity in England. A natural poet and scholar, his birth and rank thrust him into the center of intrigue and strife, and through his observant eyes readers enter fully into his colorful, dangerous times. First published in the Netherlands in 1949, this book has never been out of print there and has been reprinted 15 times.

Hella S. Haasse has written 17 novels as well as poetry, plays and essays, and has received many honors and awards including the Netherlands State Award for Literature. Her books have been translated into English, French, German, Swedish, Italian, Hungarian, Serbo-Croatian and Welsh.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Medieval, Historical, France, Classics, Dutch Literature

592 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1949

About the author

Hella S. Haasse (1918 - 2011) was born in Batavia, modern-day Jakarta. She moved to the Netherlands after secondary school. In 1945 she debuted with a collection of poems, entitled Stroomversnelling (Momentum). She made her name three years later with the novella given out to mark the Dutch Book Week, Oeroeg (The Black Lake, 1948). As with much of her work, this tale of the friendship between a Dutch and an Indonesian boy has gained the status of a classic in the Netherlands. Titles such as Het woud der verwachting (In a Dark Wood Wandering, 1949), Een nieuwer testament (Threshold of Fire, 1966) and Mevrouw Bentinck of Onverenigbaarheid van karakter (Mrs Bentinck or Irreconcilable in Character, 1978) have been greatly enjoyed by several generations.

Reviews

[Annet · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a dark wood wandering...A novel of the Middle Ages... Well, what a book, and what a writer. I saw I started this book in May of this year already.
It is not an easy book and I took some pauzes to read other books. But when I returned the story captured me every time again. It is indeed a book you need to take your time with I think... read it slowly, take in the scenery, the language, the content....
I wasn't very familiar with the French history in depth and it is utterly fascinating. And the historic figure of melancholy Charles of Orleans, leader and poet, was so fascinating and sympathetic. Hella Haasse, the grande dame of the Dutch literature, she's a poet as well. So there were some tough parts in this book, hard to get through, I admit, but overall it is such a grand book and the last 200 pages or so kept me fascinated til the very end. I doubted between four and five stars, but the last part of the book is so wonderful and beautiful, I can't give anything other than five grand stars!
Recommended for history fiction fans (the serious stuff) and Dutch literature.
Note, very happy to see this book has been translated and several of my Goodreads friends have read it in English, so they got to know one of Holland's greatest writers in this outstanding book!

[``Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this book many times and absolutely love it. If you're interested in Medieval French history or the Hundred Years War this is the best of the best.
"In a Dark Wood Wandering" is tied with "Gone With the Wind" as my favorite book of all time.

The setting is Medieval France during the Hundred Years War. The French King Charles VI is insane and his evil wife Isabeau is ruling the country with the help of the king's brother Louis, Duke of Orleans - her lover. All the women love Louis and Louis loves all women. So maybe it wasn't a good idea to seduce the wife of his cousin and enemy the Duke of Burgundy? The greedy and grasping Burgundians are some of the most despicable people in Medieval history.

While his brother suffers bouts of insanity Louis is raping the French treasury and living the good life. His wife, Valentina of Milan has been banished to the provinces by a jealous Queen Isabeau. When one of Louis's favorite mistresses dies in childbirth with his child her cuckolded husband demands Louis come and get the child as he does not want him. Such is the beginning of Jean, the future Bastard of Orleans, who will play a major role in the forthcoming continuation of the Hundred Years War.

SPOILERS BELOW!

The Duke of Burgundy has his cousin, Louis, the Duke of Orleans, murdered in the streets of Paris one dark night causing France to descend into Civil War. Now that Duke Louis is no more, his son, the teenage Charles becomes the new Duke of Orleans. And never was a man least fit for warfare than Duke Charles. Charles is a poet by nature while his younger brother John is a devout Christian, long suffering and saintly. Duke Charles's illegitimate brother Jean, the Bastard of Orleans, fortunately has the soul of a warrior. Jean grew up with his legitimate brothers and was well loved by them. Once King Henry V of England invades the weakened by Civil War France, the teenage Charles, Duke of Orleans is taken prisoner during the Battle of Agincourt.

In fact, the French army is decimated at the Battle of Agincourt leaving France open and helpless as the English King easily conquers Normandy. Does the English king really have a legitimate claim to the throne of France as King Henry asserted? Considering that the Plantagenet King John, lost the Norman province of Normandy to France a couple of centuries before King Henry seems to think that he does.

Plus, after the death of King Philip the Fair of France, and his 3 sons, does the French crown rightfully devolve to King Philips's daughter Isabella, married to Edward II, King of England, thus making King Edward the III of England and his heirs the rightful Kings of France?

King Henry V of England is the great grandson of Edward III and he renews hostilities with France during the second part of the Hundred Years War. Unlike the French King, Henry V is very good at warfare - and possesses a steel trap of a mind as he methodically conquers France. As soon as he has conquered France he intends to free Jerusalem and the Holy Land from the infidels.

Duke Charles of Orleans has been a prisoner of war in England for 25 years after barely surviving the battle of Agincourt. Since he is heir to the French throne King Henry will never let him be ransomed either. So during his lonely life as a POW he writes beautiful poetry that some might enjoy reading.

As Duke Charles writes poetry and his younger brother John prays, Jean, the Bastard of Orleans is busy waging war against England and running the duchy of Orleans for his imprisoned older brother. Jean is every bit as brilliant as King Henry V. The day finally arrives when the English army besieges the town of Orleans. After the cream of the crop of the French nobility died at Agincourt, or are still being held for ransom, things are not looking good for the city of Orleans either. It will take a miracle in fact for Orleans to survive the siege.

Considering the fact that the Duke of Orleans is being held prisoner in London it is a major breech of chivalry for the English to besiege his kingdom. King Henry V of England has died and his infant son Henry VI is now King of England. Ironically, the tables have turned now that England is being ruled by the greedy and grasping Dukes of Suffolk and Beaufort as the young king's regents. They proceed to run England into the ground; the same way the insane King of France's greedy and grasping uncles and brother ran France into the ground. To make matters even worse, King Henry VI of England will inherit his French grandfather's insanity as a young man through his mother, Catherine Valois, daughter of the insane French king.

This is the historical background related in this brilliant book of Duke Charles of Orleans, from his youthful and happy childhood, his marriage to the French king's beautiful oldest daughter Isabelle, and finally to his capture at the battle of Agincourt and subsequent imprisonment in England. Truth be told, his illegitimate brother Jean, is running the duchy much better than either one of his legitimate brothers would have ever been able to manage. The Lord works in mysterious ways.

But even Jean has his hands full as the English army besieges Orleans. Once Orleans falls Duke Charles will lose everything, so he puts his trust in Jean's capable hands and prays for help.
Orleans is situated in the Loire valley, and once it falls the rest of France will soon follow. Yes, it will take a miracle to save Orleans, no doubt about that, but then a miracle does occur.

The French maiden, Joan of Arc is guided by her visions to save France. She arrives at the French court to tell the French King that God has heard his prayers and has sent her to save Orleans. Having nothing to lose and to make a long story short, King Charles sends an army to save Orleans with Joan of Arc leading the way. Joan arrives in Orleans with much rejoicing from the citizens to be sure and she comforts Jean and John of Orleans assuring them that God has heard good POW Duke Charles's prayers and has sent her to save them, promising that Duke Charles will return home one day.

And save them she does. After 25 years the now elderly Duke Charles of Orleans returns to his duchy in France after half brother Jean has routed the English, driving them out of France. He remarries and his son born late in his life will one day inherit the throne of France as Louis XII.

This magnificent book has something for everyone when it comes to historical fiction as this brilliant work tells the story of the long suffering Duke Charles of Orleans and the unspeakable horrors that France suffered during the Hundred Years War.

If you are new to historical fiction and this period of history, be patient as you are slowly and hypnotically regressed to 14th century France. I've never read a book of historical fiction that took me back in time to such an extent that I felt I was there in person, experiencing the ups and downs of these real Medieval personages and their sad tale.

[Ted · Rating 5 out of 5]

Assassination of Louis I, Duke of Orleans, in 1407


Hélène "Hella" Serafia Haasse is far better known in Europe, and particularly in the Netherlands, than she is in the U.S. She has been called the “Grand Old Lady” of Dutch literature. Born in 1918 in the Dutch East Indies, in her early years she moved repeatedly with her family back and forth between various places in the Netherlands’ colonies in SE Asia, and to the Netherlands itself on occasion. She was about twenty when she settled in Europe.

Haasse died in 2011 at the age of 93. Here’s a picture of her from 2007.




My edition of In a Dark Woods Wandering [Het woud der verwachtung,literally the Forest of Long Awaiting, a metaphor popular with medieval poets] has a great Introduction by Anita Miller written for the first English translation of this wonderful historical novel. (The Dutch edition has never been out of print since being published in 1949 as Haasse’s first novel.) Miller notes that in 1950 the Times Literary Supplement called it a “monumental” novel, with characters which “take their place as living human beings”.

So true.

[By the way, the Introduction tells the astounding story of how the novel came to be translated into English by a Chicago postal clerk, Lewis C. Kaplan, who taught himself Dutch in the early 1950s and at that time began to search for Dutch material to translate, who got in touch with Hella Haasse, and when she sent him a Dutch volume, worked on translating it over the next several years, with no further input from the author. The rest of the story is too long to relate here, but it’s surely one of the most incredible tales of translation I can recall.]

Following the Introduction by Miller, the novel begins with the author’s “Cast of Major Characters”. Listed under the date November 24 1394, are these:

Valentine Visconti, Duchess of Orleans. [1371-1408]
Wife of the King’s brother, Louis d’Orleans, daughter of Gian Galeazzo Visconti, Lord of Milan.

Charles VI, King of France. [1368-1422 - Charles the Mad]
The elder son of Charles V, "Charles the Wise".

Isabeau, Queen of France. [1370-1435]
The wife of Charles VI.

Louis, Duke of Orleans. [1372-1407]
The younger son of Charles the Wise; brother to Charles VI, husband of Valentine Visconti.

Philippe, Duke of Burgundy. [1342-1404]
Also known as Philippe the Bold (Phillipe le Hardi). Brother of Charles the Wise and therefore uncle to Charles VI and Louis d’Orleans. He is married to Margaretha of Flanders; their son is Jean de Nevers.

Jean, Duke of Berry. [1340-1416]
An obsessive aesthete, collector and bibliophile. The patron of the famous Book of Hours. Also a brother of Charles the Wise and therefore uncle to Charles VI and Louis d’Orleans.

Louis, Duke of Bourbon. [1377-1410]
Brother-in-law of Charles the Wise and therefore uncle to Charles VI and Louis d’Orleans on their mother’s side (Queen Jeanne).

BUT … this list of “Major Characters” leaves out the main character of the book! These characters are only supporting actors and actresses, part of the backstory of the novel - a story of four Houses of medieval France - Orleans, Burgundy, Berry, and the Royal House of Valois – during the years of the second half of the Hundred Years War (1337-1453), starting in 1394.

And why 1394, and that specific date, November 24? That is the birth date of Charles d’Orleans (1394-1465 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles,...), the son of the above Louis, Duke of Orleans, and the above Valentine Visconti. In a Dark Wood Wandering is actually a quasi-fictional biography of this man, known to us as a poet who wrote in both French and English and left over 500 poems as one part of his legacy.

Immediately following this Cast of Characters are two pages of family trees of the four families, (immensely helpful to the reader). Then comes the Table of Contents:

Prologue 1
First Book: Youth
I Louis d’Orleans, The Father 89
II Of Valentine, The Mother 193
III Burgundians and Armagnacs 235
Second Book: The Road to Nonchaloir
I Exile 361
II The Thought Book 469

All of these section titles refer directly to the life of Charles d’Orleans. [Though I don't understand the reference to "Nonchaloir". Indifference? Help.]

Charles fought in the battle of Agincourt in 1415. Discovered under a pile of bodies by the English, unwounded but unable to extricate himself, he was taken to England, and moved from castle to castle, including the Tower of London, for the next 25 years. Henry V had decreed before his death in 1422 that Charles was too important to be exchanged or ransomed; thus Charles spent over a third of his life in captivity.




The imprisonment of Charles, Duke of Orléans, in the Tower of London, from a 15th-century manuscript of his poems

The novel explores in great and fascinating detail (but written entirely as a work of fiction) the life of Charles: the intrigues that surrounded these four families, each attempting to increase their wealth, holdings, and power, with an eventual eye on the throne of France, held by the Royal House Valois; Charles’ relations with these main characters, all of them related to him in some way; and his relations with the women that he wed.

Women. For Charles had three wives. First was Isabella of Valois (1389-1409), the young woman who was widowed at the age of nine by the death of her first husband, King Richard II. Charles and Isabella were married in 1406 when he was twelve and she was 17; she died in 1409 in childbirth. Next he was wed to Bonne of Armagnac (1399-~1432); she died childless while Charles was in captivity in England. Charles’ last wife was Marie of Cleves (1426-1487), whom he wed in 1440 when he was at last allowed to return to France. Marie was 14, he was 49. Charles and Marie had three children: Marie of Orléans (1457–1493); Louis XII of France (1462–1515); and Anne of Orléans (1464–1491) who became the Abbess of Fontevrault and Poitiers.


The story begins with a Prologue, also dated Nov. 24, 1394, introduced with a quotation from Dante (in Italian, or perhaps French? Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita …):
In the middle of the journey of our life,
I found myself in a dark wood,
For the straight way was lost.


A problem, disposed of.

One problem I had with the book, whilst reading it, was that I was always wondering how closely the events of the narration coincided with the known history of the period. But I’ve since concluded that the answer to that is almost certainly very closely indeed! I could be wrong, but I now believe that the “fiction” of the novel is confined as much as possible to the author’s versions of thoughts and words of the characters, not to what historically happened; and that even the general personalities, the driving ambitions, and perhaps even the internal worlds of the characters were very possibly much as Haasse portrays them. (Perhaps I’m being naive, but that’s my feeling, and I like it.)


My assessment.

As the quote from the Times Review above indicates, the characters of this novel do everything but step off the page into your reading room, they are so beautifully and finely drawn by Haasse. They seem real human beings. In telling their stories along with Charles’, Haasse is an all-knowing narrator, showing us not only the imagined words of the characters (many of the scenes carry their part of the story with extensive conversation), but also with their supposed thoughts and motivations. They’re all very different, some of them having vaguely modern sensibilities, others seeming to be more representative of what I envision the medieval mindset to have been. All, I presume, supported by at least some chronicles from the period.

Charles himself is portrayed by Haasse as a man lacking in much of the medieval mind-set that others in the novel have. A poet, a man deeply loving, or at least respecting, each of his three wives, who pines especially for the second in his long years of captivity, when he began writing the poetry which he left us. I found the Second Book (see above) by far the most poignant part of the novel.

One of my friends (msg #15 below) pointed out that Charles' third wife, Marie, was unusually old (for that time) when her children were born - in her thirties. I started wondering how that was possible, and if the dates were correct, how could it have happened.

I scanned the last part of the book, and found out. In that final part, Haasse returns repeatedly to the relation that Charles and his 35-year younger wife have. Now I have no idea where her portrayal of this came from, whether there is evidence, or whether it is a masterpiece of fictional imagining on the author's part. I will not reveal anything, except to say that Haasse's narrative seems to me both believable and profoundly moving. When I realized what was being said about the development of this relationship over the years, I couldn't hold back my tears.

I recommend the book to anyone who likes historical fiction, or has an interest in medieval France or the Hundred Years War.

And, In spite of the popularity of this book, Haasse is most well-known (according to Wiki) for her historical novel of the Dutch East Indies, Heren van de thee, translated in 2010 as The Tea Lords.

[Hana · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a Dark Wood Wandering: A Novel of the Middle Ages is a vast multi-generational saga set in the first decades of 15th century France and England. It’s not an easy read but it is deeply satisfying, filled with wonderful characters and by the end I felt that I had survived terrible times in a world so completely different from our own as to almost defy comprehension.

At the center of the story is Charles of Orleans, son of Louis, Duke of Orleans and Valentine Visconti. Charles is an unlikely hero—an introvert, indecisive and often directionless but he grew on me and in the story’s closing moments I sensed that Charles d’Orleans lived the shift in perception and attitudes that took Europe from the Middle Ages into the Renaissance.



As Barbara W. Tuchman said of that era: "Times were to grow worse over the [first fifty years of the 15th century] until at some imperceptible moment, by some mysterious chemistry, energies were refreshed, ideas broke out of the mold of the Middle Ages into new realms, and humanity found itself redirected." Charles d'Orleans was one of those who broke the mold.

The challenge for readers is that Hella Haase does not simply focus on Charles d'Orleans. In an eighty-five page Prologue Haase introduces over two dozen characters and almost as many plot lines to create a rich, hugely complex tapestry of life in the royal courts of late 14th century Europe: Popes in Avignon and Rome, Dukes in Italy, Holy Roman Emperors, Flemish and Bavarian princes, Kings and wanna-be kings in England, and Dukes and Duchesses of Valois, Orleans, Burgundy, Berry, Bourbon, and Anjou all crowd into the picture. I suspect more than a few readers give up before the prologue is finished, which is a shame.

I will spin you a magic thread, then, to help you find your way through the crowded castles and mysterious passageways. It’s a crimson thread that joins five key figures and a central story line weaving its way towards Charles d’Orleans. In fact we meet Charles in the very first scene, though we are not told his name for several pages. He is a new-born baby, swaddled and getting his first meal from a wet nurse while his mother, Valentine Visconti, lies exhausted beneath rich brocades in a sweltering hot, torch lit lying-in chamber.



Valentine Visconti is the first character to remember. The daughter of a ruthless Milanese count, she is exquisite but essentially a lonely and rather sad woman who becomes the victim of a whispering campaign that forces her out of Paris to spend most of her young life at various rural estates belonging to her husband.



Valentine’s husband is Louis, Duke of Orleans. When we first meet him Louis is a young man whose eye tends to wander and who has just developed an unquenchable lust for a green-eyed maiden in the service of his wife. The Duke of Orleans is the second character we need to watch. At first he seems a lightweight, given to wild parties and frivolity, but he is more complex than that because Louis is the brother of the King of France which brings me to…



Charles VI, the once beloved king whose descent into madness is one of the most tragic stories I have ever read. Charles came to the throne as a young boy, acceding on the sudden death of his wise and justifiably admired father, Charles V. As he grows older, Charles VI goes in and out of a madness that has never been diagnosed, but which leaves him a raving, wild beast who no longer recognizes those around him, not even his wife….



Queen Isabeau of Bavaria is loved enough by her royal husband in between bouts of madness that she bears him ten children before she reaches the age of thirty-five. Isabeau is perhaps the book’s most ambiguous figure—manipulative, ambitious, determined to find a way for her children to survive and hold onto power despite the toxic world she inhabits. When her husband Charles is in his mad phases he spurns her, literally pushing her away and humiliating her in public. She in turn fights back in the only ways she can devise, forging court alliances, arranging marriages for her children, and hatching plots against those she fears and one she hates with passionate jealousy.

For there are two people whom the King does not spurn, who can reach him even in his insanity—one is the King’s brother Louis, Duke of Orleans (who would inherit the throne should Charles die) and the other is Valentine, Louis’ beautiful wife, for whom the King develops a passion that he fails to conceal. Louis and Valentine could become powers behind the throne, except that there is one more character to consider…



Philippe, Duke of Burgundy, the King’s uncle, the most powerful of the Regents in King Charles’ youth, and now Regent yet again, ruling France as the King slides into madness.

I like the Duke of Burgundy best when he is dead, buried in his magnificent tomb…



But Philippe the Bold lives for an astonishingly long time and while he is alive he is like a great spider, weaving a vast web, catching French and Flemish and Bavarian provinces in its sticky strands like so many helpless flies. Beyond catching flies, there is one more purpose to Burgundy’s web, which is to separate Louis, the Duke of Orleans, from his brother the King and from Queen Isabeau.

And so at last we reach Book 1, which tells the story of Charles d’Orleans in his youth in the first decade of the 15th century. At twelve he is a bookish, rather slight young boy who lives a sheltered life with his exiled mother, Valentine, until in a bid to cement the bonds between the royal house of Valois and the house of Orleans, Charles is married to the King’s oldest daughter, Isabelle, sixteen years old, the still-virginal widow of England’s late King Richard II.

The scene at the wedding feast is mind-blowing, as the child-husband and his cousin-wife struggle to stay awake and on their dignity and have a first, horrifying conversation. This was the moment when I was well and truly hooked; the moment when I realized that I was now living in an alien world through the scholarship and imagination of Hella Haase.

Content rating PG for dark but not explicit themes: mostly the endless wars, with attendant famine, rape and plunder; also some adultery and terrible scenes of madness.

[Jeanette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is beyond exceptional. 6 star historical fiction as it is rarely, rarely written any longer. This is translated from the Dutch and holds all the verse in French. Completely within medieval eyes of the Charles, Duke d'Orleans (1394-1465). This character's birth and Baptism herald the first pages, and his last breaths, the last. But primarily it is the tale of French nobility during that dangerous 15th century- and especially during the 100 years War with England as the primary adversary. France is weak in multiples of territorial subdivisions. They have a mad King and primarily 4 main noble houses are dominant to French direction. Orleans, Berry, Valois, and Bourbon.

With hundreds of characters, this is that political, personal, and historic subterfuge for Charles' living years. Dense and complicated alliances, allegiances, family and economic class connections. The art or language, the form or manners of approach and discourse always entirely considered. It's not the current type of historical fiction tale but includes this art, this verse, this sense of proportion and value within 15th century Orleans' "eyes" within its long and convoluted entirety. Including the blow by blow, and verse by verse composition of Charles' 25 year imprisonment in various cells within England while manipulating for ransom funds and possibilities for both himself and his younger brother to return to France.

Having read numerous fiction and non-fiction within the English outlook for these same conflicts to determine continental controls, this work become a bright light into the French purposes and understanding for the exact issues.

This is no easy or action packed whirlwind read. It is a serious and at some points exquisite medieval reality just before full Renaissance revivals and Reformation schisms come to shake up all the furniture and hangings in the room. And this book, and these lives, do help you understand the why for those growing influences. Completely different worldview in this time than from our present or last 4 centuries, and individual life is far, far more treacherous within health, regardless of any cultural or economic class situational factor.

What a feat for Hella Haasse to have written this within the mid-20th Century. This is a masterpiece. The style and translation are of one mood and manner, as well. Nary a revisionist or author initiated nuance to mar this medieval history saga. The reality of what has happened certainly did not need embellishments.

Highly rec, if you are a serious history student. Especially of French / European continental History.

[Melindam · Rating 3 out of 5]

My thanks to the Dunnetteers: to Ryan for prompting me to read this book, and to Roman Clodia, Alex, and Ryan for the buddy read. It was very helpful to be able to share questions, thoughts, and observations with you along the way.

Starting this book made me realise that—biased, critical, or balanced as they may have been—I had never read a book about the Hundred Years’ War that wasn’t by a British author or wasn't told from an English perspective. Having now finished In a Dark Wood Wandering, written by a Dutch author and from a French point of view, hardly redresses the balance, but it may go some way toward offsetting my one-sided reading… a bit. (?)


“O cursed spite, / That ever I was born to set it right!” (Hamlet, I.v)

Hamlet’s lament could just as easily belong to Charles d’Orléans (1394-1465), the reluctant poet-duke and main character of the novel.
Like Shakespeare’s prince, Charles is haunted by the murder of his father, trapped in a web of dynastic rivalries, and condemned to watch history unfold largely beyond his power to shape it. He is not a hero or an avenger, but a witness: passive, melancholy, and deeply introspective, while around him the history of France is actively being shaped by other, far more forceful, if not always likeable, characters.
The historical vision and action are vivid and engaging, while the protagonist feels pastel and muted by comparison.
The result is a “novel” offering a very uneven reading experience and left me with mixed feelings.

Strengths
- Historical -political clarity: I felt that Haasse did a great job with presenting factions, alliances, and betrayals in a way that was easy to follow.
- The imagery and atmosphere of the book felt like a gorgeous medieval tapestry.
- A panoramic sense of Europe in transition: with the passing of Charles VI and VII and Louis XI coming into power, we can see the late Middle Ages dissolve into the early Renaissance.


Weaknesses
- The main character: as mentioned before, I found Haasse’s choice for an MC baffling. His passivity and helplessness in the face of the tumultuous events instead of driving the narrative, arrests it and flattens even the more dramatic moments.
- Uneven pacing and style: short bursts of action/character interaction give way to long-long passages of exposition. The political, historical, and religious background is explained clearly, but these stretches feel more like nonfiction than character-driven historical fiction.
- Female characters (with a few exceptions) remain largely sidelined even if they play an important part in the story.
- And the “nadir” of the book for me: Charles’s long captivity in England after the battle of Agincourt.
The earlier chapters, though centered on a hesitant and melancholy Charles, at least place the reader squarely in the thick of events: the assassination of his father, the civil war between Armagnacs and Burgundians, and the shattering defeat at Agincourt. But once Charles is taken prisoner and Haasse elects to follow him into captivity, the narrative takes a nosedive.
What had been vivid and immediate became secondhand and muffled. The retaking of Orléans by Joan of Arc, the coronation of Charles VII at Reims are reduced to afterthoughts through Dunois’s letters or the brief reports of messengers.
For a book that so powerfully evokes the sweep of history, this narrowing of perspective feels like a missed opportunity, and it left me deeply frustrated.
I understand that Charles’s passivity may have been part of Haasse’s point: individuals swept up by massive historical forces, the sense of being lost in a “dark wood” (echoing Dante), searching for meaning. But I don’t have to like it—and I didn’t.

I’d suggest this book to readers who want to learn about France during the Hundred Years’ War and don’t mind an uneven mixture of fiction and nonfiction—or the lack of a strong, active protagonist.

The audiobook is currently included in the Plus catalogue on Audible for free. The narrator, Katherine Kellgren, isn’t bad, but at times she tends to shriek even when voicing the omniscient narrator and I found that rather irritating.

[Jan-Maat]

There are books which are unjustly forgotten; this is one of those in the opposite category - those that it is a bit odd that they are remembered, and that it is I suspect comes down to its historical resonance - as a book looking at the fifteenth century from the immediate perspective of post WWII it is perfect and revealing of the attitudes of someone who lived that war, as a book about the Valois family during the 100 years war it is anachronistic in its attitudes and naive in its politics reflecting no doubt cheerfully nationalistic history writing of the turn into the twentieth century informed by popular French thinking and the desire for the recovery of Alsace-Lorraine.

The edition I read had 601 pages of text and weighed 1140 grams (or over 2 pounds if you prefer). I am impressed by Haasse's achievement, which to be clear I admire more than I enjoyed. If I was to give it a star rating, I would award it three stars, with the proviso that I would rate some chapters as two or one star. And if I was editing the book I would reduce its length radically and push the author into serious and substantive rewriting, although I stress that this is in no way a bad book, just rather flat and diffuse. Reading the many glowing reviews I feel that it appeals most to readers who want to know about history but prefer something soft boiled - those for whom the prospect of a 600 page non-fiction book with footnotes and awareness of the potential for varying interpretations would be daunting; but who are open to something long, so long as it is fictional, accurate, and unambiguous. Having said that, I think there are now non-fiction history books that do have a strong narrative drive which might capture a reader's attention as well as something like this does.

Haasse wrote a lot, some of her writing is slightly mysterious and dreamlike, other stories reflect her childhood in Indonesia, yet others are set in France - where she lived for much of her life as an adult, and some of her writing is historical fiction - these categories can overlap. Haasse was already writing this book during WWII, Hilary Mantel had a compulsion to write a giant novel about the French Revolution; a place of greater safety, perhaps Haasse simply had a similar drive to write about this topic - the latter part of the 100 Years War. Certainly I think her wartime experience and thoughts about the pre-war era colour her perception of the politics of the medieval era of her story. The English taking the part of the Nazis, the Burgundians becoming a dreadful fifth column, the Armengacs a kind of popular Front. This is clear and understandable, however using the past as a distant mirror is an injustice to the history. This means that the dominant idea of the first half of the book is Or if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot continue ( Mark 3.25) and it is eventually a countdown to Agincourt.

Haasse's central character is Charles of Orleans. He felt like a bit of an empty coat, or better said aToom Tabard to me rather than a character. He was a poet who wrote a huge amount, the grandson of King Charles V of France, ancestor (eventually) of Charles VIII and Francois I, a magnate, a man who was taken prisoner at Agincourt and then spent most of his adult life in captivity in England.

A a teenager he becomes the senior member of his family and marries his cousin, he comes across as a fairly naive fellow who is manipulated by a future father-in-law to provide a legitimate pretext to engage in a power struggle with the Duke of Burgundy. His time in England in this narrative is spent receiving visitors who tell him that significant people have died and so we learn that five or more years have passed. Eventually he is returned to France - though he has to reconcile with the Burgundians to do so.

To fill in the historical background Haasse sometimes abandons Charles and focuses instead on pop-up characters - a group of Parisian townsmen, or Joan of Arc, so you do get a reasonably comprehensive overview of the history, though Haasse soft pedals the alleged womanising of Charles' father rumour had it that he chased after noblewomen including his sister-in-law the Queen of France, had he been happy chasing after bourgeois or peasant women, politically the situation would not have been so bad which probably did not contribute to a relaxed, trusting and cooperative relationship between the relatives of King Charles VI of France, a man who suffered from bouts of madness which made it impossible for him to operate as an effective source of power and authority in the Kingdom.

It is a bulky book, and as long books tend to, it's sheer mass bears down on the reader and makes an impression - for this reason it is best to hold the volume away from sensitive parts of the body. It does provide the reader with a reasonably thorough high level political view of the history of France from the 1380s through to the mid fifteenth century. Famous people pop up, Christine de Pizan, the Duke of Berry who had the tres riches heures book made for himself, in addition to others mentioned above. It's less fun than reading Froissart, and is weaker on cusine than the goodman of Paris, I suspect more use of the poetry of Charles of Orleans could have been made to give a sense of the emotional world of the man who for me always felt rather more like a conscripted soldier of 1940, finally released from a prisoner of war camp in 1945 and who finds himself suddenly an old man in the post-war world, than a medieval (or pre-renaissance if you prefer) nobleman.

This had been on my wishlist on the website of a certain internet retailer for many years, so I am glad that I finally have consumed it.

If I were to offer up a word picture of my impression of this book, it would be of a large cat asleep on a chair, sometimes it twitches, deep in lively cat dreams, once it stretches and stirs and you think it is going to wake up, but no, it just settles into a more comfortable position and sleeps on.

[Eric_W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many years ago I went through a stage when I read every historical novel I could get my hands on, from Gone With The Wind through all of Cecilia Holland's fine tales. For years since I have avoided them until I ran across a review of Hella Haasse's In A Dark Wood Wandering, Originally written in Dutch in 1949 - it was wildly popular in Holland - it was not completely translated into English until 1989. Most of the work had been completed years earlier, but the death of the translator and subsequent burial of the manuscript in a closet for years prevented its publication.

The epic story takes place in France at the time of the Hundred Years War, beginning with the reign of the mad king Charles VI. In wonderful detail the story reveals what life was like during the 14th and 15th centuries in the courts of Europe. Haasse follows the life of Charles, Duke of Orleans, through palace intrigues and the long battle for power between the duchies of Burgundy, Bourbon, Orleans and the king.

Unfortunately for France, Charles VI suffered from periods that came and went of insanity with cycles of increasing severity during which he would not recognize his kin. He would dance around, attack and occasionally kill people, generally making a nuisance of himself.

Because he still had periods of lucidity when all appeared normal, and because he eventually could recognize the onset of his periods of madness and learned to warn his courtiers, the power of the monarch fell only intermittently to his Council, dominated by his brother Louis, Duke of Orleans, and his uncle, the Duke of Burgundy, a powerful duchy that derived much of its wealth and power from its ties to England.

Louis of Orleans, and later his son Charles (the poet and our story's hero,) after Louis was murdered by the Duke of Burgundy, sought to achieve a more nationalistic role for France and to sever the connections and claims of the King of England. This chauvinistic fervor was the source of much power for Joan of Arc, born about 1412.

Of course, the English wanted most of France too, and Haasse's description of the Battle at Agincourt, brief though it is, gives a real flavor of what it must have been like to be a French knight, his horse mired in mud up to the knees, unable to move, so tightly were the knights lined up in traditional formation, as the peasant English archers inexorably marched down on them, slaughtering as they went, in a battle that redefined warfare.

edited 11/26/09

[Roman Clodia · Rating 3 out of 5]

WiT 2025, #7

Another year crawls slowly by. Some information reaches him in the course of the year... and then he overhears a rumour, an echo of events in London and overseas in France and Flanders

This was a wildly uneven reading experience for me, more akin to narrative history than fiction but without the analysis that history would typically offer. Giving us a French take on the much-fictionalised period that many of us know from Shakespeare's English history plays (Richard II to Henry VI), I was interested in the topic of fifteenth century France but this wasn't the best choice for me. Haasse, writing in the late 1940s takes what I guess was still a standard approach to history: top down, concerned with royalty and dynastic struggles.

That said, it's an inexplicable choice, as others have said before, to choose Charles d'Orleans as her main point of view character: the novel is book-ended around his life with his birth on the first page and his death on the last, but he's often a disengaged character who has little interest, as he says himself, in national politics other than what's forced upon him by his position as cousin to the king. He's an introverted man who suffers from depression later in life and, importantly, after his first experience of combat at Agincourt (I don't understand how the Duc d'Orleans has managed to reach adulthood without having the usual chivalric and war training but hey...), is captured and imprisoned for the next 25 years. Much of what is happening in France during that long period, including the tale of Jeanne D'Arc is therefore mainly in 'messenger speeches' as Charles receives occasional letters and hears rumours from his English captors.

It's a shame because I was engaged by the story of Charles' father, Louis, and the opening two long but dramatic chapters gave us characters and personalities to channel the history, in the domestic tensions between the two main branches of the Valois royal family. The depiction of Charles VI, the 'mad' king, is especially well done, generating huge compassion for this man.

But once Louis was killed and the baton was passed to Charles, I struggled to maintain this interest. The writing is tonally the same: whether we're learning about a brutal assassination, eavesdropping on political manoeuvering, or witnessing public rituals, everything is even, unexcited and earnest. I should add that there is no humour in this book, either from characters or the narrator. I've seen reviews which compare this to Wolf Hall but for me it couldn't be more different: Wolf Hall is filtered through the ironic, witty, caustic and singular viewpoint of Cromwell who can be irreverent and exasperated as well as coldly furious, whereas this book is detached emotionally, keeping a blandly objective view of what happens - certainly no irreverence here.

While I've seen reviews that acclaim the representation of a late medieval thought world (and I'm no expert here), I was jarred by ideas like 'the ability to re-animate the masses' which felt too modern to me, especially in a book where the aristocratic and royal characters show barely any regard for 'the masses' at all, as we'd expect in a society which is undergoing a transition from feudalism to a more centralised Ancien Régime with accumulated powers under the monarch. I also flinched every time 'the fall' was mentioned for 'autumn' completely ripping down any pretence of this being fifteenth century France!

The dryness of the tone and the almost documentary voice-over feel made me wonder why Haasse had chose to write this as fiction instead of narrative history - the dramatic opportunities of fiction aren't really taken beyond the opening chapters and the deeper analysis of history is missing, so the worst of both worlds. A good example is the case of Jeanne d'Arc: it's really hard to understand how this rural peasant girl can so easily be given permission by the king to lead the French army into battle with the English. Here we have the Bastard of Orleans ask the same question but no answer is given - and then we hear via the typical letter to Charles that she's been put on trial, accused of witchcraft, condemned and burned... in a single short paragraph!

I had high hopes for this book after the first couple of chapters but beyond that it turned into a slog for me. It's a shame as Haasse has clearly done a huge amount of research and marshals her material well in navigating such complicated events and a period of political and national transformation. But the early switch from a character-focused narrative to something more documentary detached me from the story, and the inexplicable focus on the uninvolved Charles sealed that.

[TBV (on hiatus) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful translation of a masterpiece of medieval historical fiction. It is a story about loyalty, love and loss. It is about France during the 116-year long Hundred Years' War with England, and in particular the life of Charles, Duke of Orléans. The book starts with the christening procession of baby Charles, but most of the first part of the book describes the terrible state that France was in at that time. The king, Charles VI was insane, the nobles were fighting amongst themselves, the populace was starving and succumbing to the plague and there was chaos at every level of society. Then of course there was also the on-going war with England with the huge defeat of the French at Agincourt.

The novel comes into its own as Charles becomes a man. He is a man of integrity and courage, a man who would rather sacrifice his own interests for the good of his country and his people. During the course of the tale (which I leave to you to read) he becomes a poet and a peacemaker, and creates a court of literary pursuits. At times it seems as though he is the only sane man in France.

Enter Jeanne d'Arc. If one is stupefied by this young girl being placed at the head of an army, bear in mind that France was in such a chaotic state that it had nothing to lose.

Various royal figures are depicted, including a very young Margaret of Anjou.

The novel is well researched and well written. It is full of beautiful descriptions, not only of court and the nobility, but of the poor and hungry with their anger and their occasional exuberant joy, as well as of nature, love and beauty.

It is definitely one of my best reads of 2014, and I even love the cover of the book. It was interesting to read about the Hundred Years' War from a French point of view. I think that the novel would translate well into film, and I wish that someone would write the story of Charles d'Orléans's wives.

[Orsolya · Rating 5 out of 5]

The drama of the Hundred Years War is not easily forgotten. Neither are the royal cast of characters from France’s mad King Charles VI, his wife and Queen Isabeau, his brother Louis, his nephew Charles d’ Orleans to England’s Richard II and Henry Bolingbroke. These are just the beginning of the characters Hella Haasse brings to life in her novel, “In a Dark Wood Wandering: A Novel of the Middle Ages”.

It has been oft-noted in other reviews that Haasse’s almost 100-age prologue deters many readers from continuing onwards with the novel. Indeed, the prologue can feel slightly slow and somewhat tedious as it more so supplies background information (and often in an, “As you know, Bob”-style) than following a novel-like narrative with anything actually ‘happening’. Yet, those readers who enjoy historical fiction novels heavier on the history than the fiction (which I personally do); will find no issues with this prologue as it is vibrant, bright, and alive.

Once past the prologue, Haasse’s novel jumps off the pages even more and the pace picks up noticeably. Haasse’s prose is brilliant combining a beautiful, classical language with a literary tongue. The text is historically accurate and the imagery envelops the reader sweeping him/her away. “In a Dark Wood Wandering” pulls the reader so strongly that one oftentimes is shocked to realize that it is the modern times and not the setting of the novel. It is simply incredible how detailed and glowing Haasse’s writing is; making the novel feel like a first-hand account.

Each character within “In a Dark Wood Wandering” is unique, thorough, and well-developed; jumping out at the reader with individualistic viewpoints that are strong and memorable. Thus, the plot is well-fleshed out and allows the reader to feel that something extraordinary will happen and so it is a ‘must’ to read on.

The historical accuracy of the novel is high with the liberties taken making sense and being seemingly real. Haasse can not be accused of writing fluff. In fact, “In a Dark Wood Wandering” is slightly heavy; not necessarily making it suitable for everyone. Haasse’s passion and research shines through which may overwhelm some readers.

A striking feature of the novel is its blatant psychological pull. Haasse is symbolic, metaphorical, and thrilling in her presentation of life’s forces and emotions which entertain the reader but are also easily relatable. Therefore, “In a Dark Wood Wondering” informs of historical events but truly breaks down their possible causes and effects on a human-conscious level.

“In a Dark Wood Wandering” is truly remarkable in that it has many mini-climaxes versus just one. These arouse all the senses and heighten emotion in every way: one can almost hear the voices, feel the physical pulls, taste the flavors, etc. It is like watching a film and is so moving that a break from reading is required to take it all in (the novel doesn’t feature any chapters and is instead broken into sections).

Complaints toward Haasse and “In a Dark Wood Wandering” only begin to occur around the last 150 or so pages. The novel makes a noticeable weaker turn during Charles d’ Orleans’s exile in England with a slower pace and a somewhat scattered story. This is revived with small bursts of energy such as full quotes from actual poetry written by Orleans and letters dictated to him; and also by the almost psychological explanation of the appearance in history of Joan of Arc. Sadly though, “In a Dark Wood Wandering” weakens again during the last quarter of the novel which is very dragged out and somewhat eventless more in the ‘talking’ versus ‘happening’ stream of things.

The conclusion of “In a Dark Wood Wandering” is anticlimactic and even “cheesy” in an overly-spiritual way. Luckily, this doesn’t hinder the novel and neither does it make it not “worth it”. The novel is strong enough that a poor ending doesn’t take it down a dark path (no pun intended).

Haasse doesn’t include an author’s note explaining any historical liberties or any resources used which isn’t surprising as older HF novels did not tend do so. Despite this, “In a Dark Wood Wandering” encourages further reading and exploration of the characters presented: especially of Charles d’ Orleans whose personality and life sticks with the reader and begs to be further journeyed on.

Even in lieu of minor flaws; “In a Dark Wood Wandering” is an exquisite work of HF with a lively plot, depth, historical merit, and beautiful prose. It is simply wonderful and a terrific read. Haasse’s novel is recommended for all readers interested in this historic time frame and especially those who prefer a strong focus on history versus fictional fluff.

[Christine Bonheure · Rating 5 out of 5]

De Bourgondiërs van Bart Van Loo en Het woud der verwachting van Hella S. Haase vullen elkaar perfect aan. Nu lees ik alles vanuit het standpunt van De hertog van Orléans, de aartsvijand van de hertog van Bourgondië. Had ik in het boek van Van Loo nog sympathie voor de Bourgondiërs, dan weet ik nu hoe verschrikkelijk oneerlijk en onbetrouwbaar zij zich hebben gedragen. De andere kant van de medaille dus. Magistraal en prachtig gedetailleerd verhaal. Het is alsof Haase in het hoofd van haar protagonisten zit en door hun ogen kijkt. Ze lijkt overal bij aanwezig en geeft verslag als tijdgenote. De ene keer zit je in volle thrillerspanning te lezen, de andere keer waan je je in een avonturenroman, dan weer bevind je je in het midden van een hoofse romance. Hella slaagt erin van de hertog van Orléans een man van vlees en bloed te maken. Topschrijfster.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Internationally, ‘Het woud der verwachting’ by Hella Haasse (‘In a dark wood wandering’) is her magnum opus. And rightfully so.
(It has taken me some time. That’s partly due to logistics and my laziness: I read mainly in public transportation, forensing. The dimensions and the weight of my edition made me read this novel only at home, with other priorities over here. As a side effect, in the mean time I have read a number of other books. Hence this one took me from April 17 to June 2 to finish.)
The novel is about Charles d’Orléans, literally from his first cry to his last sigh.
In between we see more rivalry than chivalry, politics on all levels in what is now called France as well as internationally in the hundred years of conflicts and war with England. On the level of family relations, and those to be, love is a thing that hardly counts when business interests (seeking power) are at stake – mostly. Charles has been painted in many colours and details. In fact, there is a vast number of characters that get a prominent position in the narration.
For me, Charles comes forward as a romantic soul in a medieval armour. By the way, Charles had his strives as a statesman, but he was a poet too.
Haasse has structured the novel clearly and gives room for extended elaboration on dialogue, thoughts, nature. My feeling is that the novel is very well balanced. Haasse has used beautiful and very careful language – as usual, I can say.
All together it is a wonderful and excellent achievement. JM

[Marc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read the Dutch original ("Het woud der Verwachting"). Impressive as a time document and documented in great detail, but sometimes Haasse is too exuberant in showing off her knowledge of the period (the late Middle Ages). Very biased pro Orleans, both Louis and Charles (while current historiography is very negative about these figures). Of course, Charles is presented as a dramatic character, but at some crucial moments the surprising twists in the behavior of the man are obscured. In my opinion, Haasse wanted to present Charles too much as a coherent person. (2.5 stars)

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

A real classic, a passionate, poetic and moving novel which captures the colur and feeling of 15th century France.
This compelling epic brings to life the Hundred Years War through the life of Duke Charles D'Orleans,son of the Louis of Orleans and the ambitious and alluring Valentine Visconti. Charles at a young age marries the young widow of English King Richard II, Isabelle of France. After Isabelle's death he marries the young girl that will become the love of his life Bonne of Armagnac.
After his father is murdered by the treacherous Duke of Burgundy, Charles is left to seek revenge. The assassination leads to a civil war in France, and the cool and calculating Henry V takes the opportunity to invade and occupy France.
We get to see the destruction waged on France by Henry., and the exile and imprisonment of Duke Charles. Later we read of the last decades of the Dukes life and his marriage to Marie of Cleves.
This novel brings the political intrigues of France at that time to life, but is also poetic and beautiful.
Charles' d'Orleans was a great poet of his time and some of his poetry is reproduced here.
The translation seems to lose none of the music of the language and still remains a must read for anyone who is interested in the Middle Ages or who simply loves good literature.
Highly recommended.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not much like the historical fiction being published these days, which tends to sensationalize as well as glamorize the lives of kings, queens, and courtiers. This reads more like history, which is how it should be. It is also a very fine work of literary imagination as well as careful historical research. Really quite beautiful. The story of the life of Charles d'Orleans, nephew to Charles VI of France, who was a dreamy reclusive boy until he was thrust into the middle of a blood feud after the savage murder of his father. Very moving, as is Hella Haasse's quiet, haunting prose.

[Ms.pegasus · Rating 3 out of 5]

The dilemma of any historical novel is the question: Is it history or literature? No doubt, in part due to Shakespeare, most English-speaking readers have a confident familiarity with the English monarchial succession: Richard II, Henry IV (Bolingbroke), Henry V (Prince Hal), and Henry VI. The narrative arc and heroic-tragic framework create a compelling literary treatment of the Hundred Years' War. Aside from Jeanne d'Arc, however, the dramatis personae on the continent remain obscure.

Haasse's historical stage is France rather than England. However, her narrative is disparate. Her central character is Charles, Duke of Orleans. He had an unusually long life that spanned nearly three quarters of a century. He endured — through four generations of Burgundian dukes, through the reigns of five English kings, and through the reigns of four French kings. At age 13 he wed his first cousin Isabelle, age 16, the widow of King Richard II of England and the daughter of King Charles VI (“the Mad”) of France. He fought at the Battle of Agincourt, but then remained an English prisoner for 25 years. He is a passive introspective character, a writer of poetry and reader of books. Much of his role is that of victim — of political setbacks, depleted treasury, collapsed alliances, and personal enmities.

Women dominate the first section of the book. The book opens with Valentine, Duchess of Orleans and mother of Charles, receiving the formal greetings of her brother-in-law the king after the christening of the newborn Charles. In those few opening chapters Haasse conveys an indelible picture of Charles “the Mad”, who throughout his long reign (1380 to 1422), suffered extended delusional attacks; his shrewd embittered wife Isabeau of Bavaria, and the king's paternal uncle Philippe, Duke of Burgundy, ambitious, cold and crafty. We watch Valentine's transformation from sensitive dutiful wife to a woman crushed by the unfulfilled desire for vengeance. One of the most intense scenes is the deathbed vows she extracts from her sons. As for Isabeau, Haasse describes her regarding her children: “It was the love of a chess player for the precious pieces on her board; in it there was no trace of tenderness, of concern with the thousand little joys and sorrows of a child's life....” (Location 1466) Of course, like every other parent, she will come to learn that unlike chess pieces, children cannot be controlled.

An intriguing woman also appears in the final section of the book. Isabelle of Portugal, the third wife of Philip III (“the Good”) of Burgundy appears and becomes a primary force in effecting Charles' release.

Charles d'Orléans is eclipsed in the next section of the book as well. The narrative up to the Battle of Agincourt focuses on the constantly shifting political landscape. As Americans, we possibly tend to look at civil war as a conflict between two well-defined forces. The French civil wars were ugly conflicts with multiple competing factions engaged in opportunistic alliances and betrayals. Out of necessity, Charles' chief ally is his father-in-law, Bernard d'Armagnac. Haasse depicts the coarseness of Armagnac in a passage that combines her own appraisal with that of one of her characters: “Around him hovered an acrid odor of hay, dogs and horses, of smoke and sweat. He reminded [Jean d'] Berry of a beast of prey: the blazing yellow eyes, the hairy wrists, and sharp eyeteeth could scarcely be termed human.” (Location 4585) The Houses of Burgundy, Armagnac, Brittany, Anjou, Bourbon and Berry; allies in Sicily, Milan, Genoa, Flanders, Hungary, and Bavaria; a succession of Dauphins; bands of Parisian tradesmen; and Queen Isabeau are busy cutting deals, even with the enemy England, to enhance independent self-interest. This political turmoil continues to unfold offstage like a Greek drama during the 25 years of Charles' imprisonment. Haasse employs ingenious and entertaining strategies for relating this to the reader. (As an Enlish pawn and captive, Charles is kept incommunicado).

Haasse maintains a delicate balance between what the reader knows and what her characters know. At times this strategy is unsuccessful. It is only after his capture and imprisonment that Charles has an epiphany. “Those in authority contested each other's crown and scepter; they were motivated only by greed. That wolves devoured the flock, that brigands plundered the pilgrims, that thieves and murderers did their work, that famine and pestilence destroyed the people with sharp scythes — these were no concern of princes and prelates. The more Boucicaut talked to him about the obligation of monarchs and nobles to protect the defenseless people, the more Charles thought he saw the reality depicted in glaring colors; an intense fear for the future of his country crept over him.” (Location 6443) This reality has been obvious to the reader from the outset.

The concluding passages of the book require some implicit knowledge on the part of the reader. The new King of France, Louis XI, Charles d'Orléans' grand nephew through his first wife, Isabelle, sneers: “What have you, with all your good will and so-called wisdom, understood of the evolution we have undergone — of the real significance of the struggle which has been going on since my great-grandfather's [Charles V] day — between the Crown and the powerful forces who want to smash it to pieces?...Henceforth there will be one King in France...and that King will rule from the Pyrenees to the farthest border of the lowlands.” (Location 10300) It is an astute assessment of history. Yet, the King's evaluation of Orléan's insignificance, a wasted life in his estimation, is unsound even by his own standards. The reader is expected to know that Louis XI's son Charles VIII would die at an early age without an heir, and Charles' son Louis of Orléans, would succeed him as King Louis XII of France. These events are an ironic confirmation of Charles d'Orléans' declaration that the pursuit of power is a wandering in the dark wood, a groping of the blind. His life has not been in vain. He has experienced love, has had children to cherish, has found expression through poetry and learned to find happiness in being connected to the natural world. In the end, there is a kind of poetic justice.

Returning to my original question, this novel is more history than literature. The life of Charles d'Orléans provides structure to the novel, but he is never a compelling central character. Not being a speaker of French, I found it hard to appreciate his poetry. His early separation from his second wife Bonne came across as maudlin. The political intrigues were too fascinating to be relegated to the background, but started to lose focus during the period of Charles' exile. Nevertheless, Haasse instills life into her characters and imposes clarity and color on what would otherwise be a long catechism of names, dates and events. She creates convincing dialogue that supports her views of these characters while conveying a sense of period authenticity. She is meticulous in her descriptions of protocol and court etiquette, beneath which a facial tic or double entendre can convey mischievous malice. Her references to religion, of sin and retribution, reflect a believable range of attitudes.

I read this book because after reading THE NAME OF THE ROSE (whose events occur in 1327). I was curious about the middle ages from the perspective of the continent. My curiosity has been increased after having read this book.

NOTES
The novel is prefaced with both a “Cast of Major Characters” and genealogies for the French Royal House of Valois (the line of Charles VI of France), the House of Orléans, the House of Berry and the House of Burgundy. Four of the major characters are named Charles, three are named Philippe, and three are named Jean. The families are so intermarried that the separate family trees are a necessity to avoid a spaghetti-like tangle. I found it useful to create my own multi-generational family trees: Burgundy, Orléans, Valois, the English succession, and Anjou.

Key Dates
Sept. 16, 1394 Avignon pope Clement VII dies
Nov. 24, 1394 Charles d'Orléans born
April 22, 1404 Philippe (the Bold), Duke of Burgundy dies
June 29, 1406 Charles d'Orléans and Isabelle of Valois wed
Nov. 23, 1407 Louis, Duke of Orléans murdered
Dec. 4, 1408 Valentine, Duchess of Orléans dies
Sept. 13, 1409 Isabelle Valois, first wife of Charles d'Orléans dies
March 20, 1413 Henry IV of England dies
Oct. 25, 1415 Battle of Agincourt
Sept. 10, 1419 Jean, Duke of Burgundy murdered
Aug. 31, 1422 Henry V of England dies
Oct. 21, 1422 Charles VI (“the Mad”) of France dies
May 23, 1423 Avignon Pope Benedict XIII dies
July 17, 1429 Charles VII crowned King of France
May 30, 1431 Jeanne d'Arc burned at the stake
July 2, 1440 Charles d'Orleans freed from captivity
July 22, 1461 Charles VII, King of France dies; Louis XI ascends French throne
Jan. 5, 1465 Charles d'Orleans dies
Aug. 30, 1483 Louis XI, King of France dies
April 7, 1498 Charles VIII, King of France dies; succeeded by Louis d'Orléans (Louis XII)

[Nicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly compelling. I expected this one to be very dry, especially because it's a book in translation -- and not a recent translation, at that. And it does have a dryness about it, admittedly, but it worked for me in this context. I think I learnt more about French history from this than I've learnt anywhere else (except maybe that book on Joan of Arc and Yolande of Aragon).

Unfortunately, I read this over quite a loooong period of time, because dissertations are distracting, so my memories of the beginning of it are hazy and I probably would need to read it again to really appreciate it. I won't have any qualms about doing that, though, when my to read list is a little less dramatic. I enjoyed the way Haasse brought to life these historical characters; motives and thoughts and all, they felt real.

[Tamara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deze roman heeft als ondertitel “Het leven van Charles van Orléans”, en de vlag dekt de lading. We volgen van dichtbij het huis van Orléans, een Franse koninklijke tak, tijdens de Middeleeuwen, en leren meer over het politieke en culturele leven in die tijd.

Hoewel dit een roman betreft, leest het boek als non-fictie doordat we heel veel info meekrijgen, reële data, feiten, citaten en allerhande, waardoor het zeer interessant is, maar niet steeds even vlot leest. Dit boek telt 592 pagina’s, en vraagt daardoor wel wat van de lezer, en volgens mij hadden minder pagina’s een beter boek gemaakt. Inhoudelijk zeker interessant, maar de stijl voelt vrij formeel aan.

Ik las dit boek naast “De Bourgondiërs” van Bart Van Loo, waarin deze tijdperiode en personages ook aan bod komen (maar waarin de focus ligt op de tak van Bourgogne), en ik moet zeggen dat “De Bourgondiërs” mijn voorkeur genoot, maar beide boeken vullen elkaar wel aan. Ik denk wel dat, indien ik “De Bourgondiërs” nog niet had gelezen, ik dit een beter boek had gevonden.

[GoldGato · Rating 5 out of 5]

Historical fiction is not easy to write, with the result being most books that fall into that genre are simply unbelievable. However, Hella Haasse hit the bullseye with this magnificent volume based on the life of Charles d'Orleans, who lived during the turbulent 15th century and the Hundred Years War between France and England.

The reader is pulled into the fabric of the Houses of Orleans, Valois, Burgundy, and Berry. Each character has a solid foundation so the reader buys into their motives, with the result that we are empathetic to the protagonist. And Charles needs our empathy...he had to deal with the madness of Charles VI, the ferociousness of Henry V of England, and the Burgundians, who turned Jeanne of Arc over to the English. History is explained and taught, with the result that I wanted to know even more about that tumultuous century that was basically the end of the medieval Gothic era, the "dark woods".

This book will always have a place in my collection.


Book Season = Summer (savor it and take your time reading it)

[Bettie]

Withdrawn from Kirklees Libraries Museums and Arts

Translated by Lewis C Kaplan. Revised and Edited by Anita Miller.

A map of England and France circa 1410
Cast of Major Characters - November 24, 1394
Family trees of the four houses
-Valois
-Orléans
-Burgundy
-Berry

The introduction is a story unto itself.

Prologue:
In the middle of the journey of our life,
I found myself in a dark wood,
For the straight way was lost. - Dante Alighieri

Opening: Valentine, Duchess of Orléans, lay in her green-curtained bed of state, listening to the bells of Saint-Pol. The church was not far from the royal palace - only a stone's throw away.

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite books and this is the third time I'm reading it in 10 years. (partly because I love it and partly because I have a poor memory.)

It's a nice long book with Dukes and Duchesses, Kings and Knights. And so well written I get lost in it. I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to disappear into a good read.

[Vasha7 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Writers have a natural reason to find the minds of other writers interesting—hence, the proportion of literary figures represented among the heroes of biographical novels is high compared to the general population. Hella S. Haasse, in this case, was attracted by Charles d’Orléans (1394 –1465), the author of celebrated poems. There was so much more to fill a 600-page novel than just the writer’s inner life, however; few poets have the fortune to be a royal prince of France, or the misfortune to live through a particularly troubled time in the history of the country.

This was a time when for a little while it seemed that France might cease to exist in its own right, with the king of England claiming its throne and the Duke of Burgundy, who controlled large parts of its territories, declaring independence from the crown. More importantly, France had been terribly impoverished by misrule and internal strife among the great feudal lords. But though it did not become apparent immediately, there was a fundamental shift of power taking place, with the feudal lords inevitably losing their importance in national affairs in favor of royal and economic power, just as their chivalric style of military operations was now obsolete. (Haasse has King Louis XI explain all this to Charles d’Orléans in a speech at the end of the book.)

During this pivotal century, Charles was a passive observer, both because he did not have the skill to intervene effectively, and because he spent 25 years a prisoner in England, having been captured at the battle of Agincourt. This allows Haasse to not focus too narrowly on the fortunes of the house of Orléans, important to Charles but ultimately barely relevant to France, and portray larger developments which the hero would have attracted attention away from if he’d been more dynamic.

The political aspect of the novel is interwoven with an introspective account of Charles’s mental and emotional life. These are not two independent matters, being as Charles’s ideas and poetry are profoundly affected by observing the troubles of his country, as well as by his own many sorrows and few joys. However, in the final conversation with King Louis which I already alluded to, when Charles attempts to sum up what he has learned about life, the two men cannot understand each other. Both points of view have nonetheless been carefully explored in the book; it is up to the readers to synthesize them, if they can.

Haasse writes in a plain, un-clichéed style that allows her ideas to come across clearly; she manages to impart the necessary masses of historical information to the readers in a relatively unobtrusive manner. Having a great length of time and many developments to cover, she necessarily writes rather briefly of numerous episodes that would be interesting in themselves, and characters come and go quickly; though distinctive enough, important personalities are portrayed in broad strokes only. One fault that I can find with her pacing is that she develops the beginning of the novel much more fully than the end, with a very long prologue and first chapter which are focused on Charles’s father; although much necessary information is imparted here, the initially slow, then accelerating pace unbalances the novel somewhat. On the whole, it is a thoughtful, informative, and involving work.

[Martje · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 / 5
Poehhh, het is me na 147 dagen zowaar gelukt om dit uit te krijgen. Op zich heeft Haasse niks verkeerd gedaan met dit boek, omdat het eigenlijk onmogelijk is om zo'n ingewikkelde geschiedenis gevuld met intriges, geredetwist, kuise juffers, struise prinsessen, korzelige hofmeesters en wrevelige koningen zowel begrijpelijk als boeiend te houden.
Op het gebied van begrijpelijkheid is Haasse wel geslaagd. Ondanks de ingewikkelde onderlinge relaties van de feodale heren (die om de 10 pagina's veranderden) bleef het gedurende het verloop van dit verhaal volkomen duidelijk wie tegen wie wrevel koesterde en wie voor welk belang placht te strijden.
Het vermaak en vertier van dit boek was echter ver te zoeken. Het begon er al mee dat de eerste 100 pagina's van dit boek de eerste week van het leven van Charles d'Orléans, het hoofdpersoon van het boek, beschreef. Nu is het over het algemeen zo dat een persoon in hun eerste levensweek niet bijster veel zal uitvoeren, en dit was dus ook het geval voor Charles. Waren die honderd pagina's dan volkomen nodig? Ik denk het niet.
Gedurende de rest van het boek bleef het extreem langdradig, met bijvoorbeeld een uitgebreide beschrijving van de wijze waarop elk persoon een kamer trachtte binnen te komen. Niet nodig. Toch is het denk ik zo dat als Haasse minder uitvoerig verslag het gedaan van alle gebeurtenissen op het hof, de motieven (voornamelijk meer macht, meer geld, meer wraak, of een combinatie van die drie) en acties van de verschillende monseigneurs volkomen onbegrijpelijk geworden waren.
Kortom, naar mening is het haast onmogelijk om een enerverende roman te schrijven over een complex geschiedenis zoals die van Charles d'Orléans, waarin het verhaal begrijpelijk blijft. Ze heeft haar best gedaan...
Wat mij het meest irriteerde aan dit boek was het verschrikkelijk ouderwetse taalgebruik, maar omdat dit boek in '49 geschreven is kan ze hier ook weinig aan doen. Het heeft mijn vocabulaire in ieder geval wel verreikt.
2.5 sterren voor de moeite.

[Belinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charles van Orléans. Hij is hertog, dichter, drievoudig echtgenoot, balling, politiek pion; maar bovenal een gevoelsmens, geperst in het keurslijf van zijn tijd, waarin riddertrouw en bloedwraak persoonlijke visie overschaduwen, verstandshuwelijken de eigen voorkeur tenietdoen. En man die warmbloedig was maar werd geleefd. Geleefd door alle om hem heen. Dit dikke boek verteld eigenlijk alles ook over de mensen om hem heen. Het was voor mij dan ook geen boek wat ik in een keer uitlas. Heb er bijna 3 maanden over gedaan. Maar toch weer een schitterend verhaal van Hella Haasse

[Heidi (MinxyD14) · Rating 5 out of 5]

So this is another epic tome of medieval historical fiction. I have tried to read it several times in the last few years with little success. However, after reading Agincourt, I am more interested in the subject matter and the stories surrounding the Dukes of Orleans. Specifically that of Charles and his long imprisonment in England following Agincourt.

The fact that it is a Dutch-to-English translation is remarkable. Kudos to Katherine Kellgren for her superb narration and for bringing this book to life. It is probably not for everyone, but I truly enjoyed the experience once I had a bit more context. It opened my eyes to a different perspective, and I look forward to reading more about Charles's descendants. Suggestions/book recommendations are welcome.

[Fran Diamond · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best historical fiction novels I've read, and that encompasses quite a few. Many historical fiction writers try to form-fit history into a romantic tale, when history tends to the comic, tragic or simply outrageous. Happy endings in the Middle Ages did not come to many families, be they Princes and Dukes, or lowly serfs. Hella Haasse does not force history into a narrative; instead her narrative flows through it, bringing the story along, as she teases out the powerful forces and personalities that shaped the time.

The novel is set during the Hundred Years War (toward the last third of it...) and told from the French side (House of Orleans and Valois) gives a different perspective than the more typical Anglo-Norman point of view. If you are looking for a "lords and ladies" romance novel, this is not it. I think you will close the book knowing more about the time period than reading 100 history books. There is no one character to embrace as a "hero" here, but much to empathize with nonetheless.

Haasse is the ultimate "show not tell" author - she does not drive you to conclusions but suggests powerfully the futility of power-seeking and war, even when the players who seek it seems to have no other option. Note that this novel was published in 1949, after she had lived through WW2 in the Netherlands.

[Bryn Hammond · Rating 2 out of 5]

Abandoned. Twice. I found an old bookmark in it at p.120; tried again for a group read and with more incentive got to p.248. But I'm fairly bored. The insane king of France I felt a strong pity for and I persisted for him. Otherwise I don't care about the people, while the plot only depresses me: it's about dukes' feuds, the elite houses of France in-fighting, and I can't care about the fight, either. Nobody's standing up for a cause I can sympathise with, it's just power-struggle, and that's rarely for me. The scenes are vivid - come across in a visual way, almost like a tapestry or a stained glass window, as you associate with the Middle Ages. I'd call that the strength of the book.

Two and a half. I want to give three, because I didn't dislike it, but that seems silly when I didn't finish.

[Anouk Mulder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boekenclubboek #2

Had helaas te hoge verwachtingen van dit boek en vond het bij vlagen echt heel saai. Jammer dat de vrouwen niet meer aandacht kregen en het had ook best wat juicier gemogen. Vond Charles zeker aan het einde echt alleen maar zwelgen in zelfmedelijden. Maar ja, hij is op dat punt ook wel dik, blind en lelijk dus wat moet je anders.

Wel de quiz gewonnen want ben blijkbaar goed in het onthouden van stambomen.

[Laughholly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started the book, started Goodreads, and then vanished from the face of the earth. I'm back now. It was a thick read, but I enjoyed most of it. What I liked best (and what I believe the book is best known for) is all the great historical details you get by reading about one man's life. This is the kind of history I like best -- what people wore, how they thought, what their lives were like. What was expected of this person in his relationship to his mother, or this person in relation to men she didn't know? What did these rooms smell like, and how many teeth was a guy likely to have left by the time he reached age 60? The author here manages to get you lots of information without becoming dry or bogging you down in endless description. The historical figure on whom the novel is based is fascinating in his own right, and I related to him; we have similar thoughtful temperaments and spend a lot of time wrestling with our flaws, and I was hugely encouraged both by his successes and the way his failures were rooted in honest motives.