Sylvia (novel)
Encyclopedia
Sylvia is a 2006 novel by Australia
n author, Bryce Courtenay
. It follows a teenage girl, Sylvia Honeyeater, during the Children's Crusade
. It explores themes of religion, womanhood, abuse and childhood.
. Born into a world of intolerance and strict dogma, Sylvia grows into womanhood alone. Her mother, who loved and nurtured her until her death when Sylvia was eight years old, died of pleurisy
. Her alcoholic and brutish father then sexually abused her and after each encounter, he would present her with a piece of honeycomb "to sweeten you for next time liebling". This is what earned her the name Sylvia Honeyeater. However, this name was usually was confused as a comment on her sweet voice.
After her father died, the eleven year old Sylvia makes her way to Cologne alone. Along the way she meets a ratcatcher and musician named Reinhardt. Once they reach Cologne, they are housed by a Jewish couple who help them establish themselves as a musical duo. In Cologne she is dubbed the "Petticoat Angel" because of the various miracles that seem to happen in her presence along with her angelic singing voice.
Meanwhile, a homeless boy named Nicholas that Sylvia has befriended starts preaching to children that God spoke to him and showed him of a children’s crusade to Jerusalem. This comes to a climax when a mass of peasant women walk naked, seemingly in a trance, to the church on the Sabbath day chanting “our children in Jerusalem”.
After being once again swept up into larger events, Sylvia joins and helps to organise the Children’s Crusade.
Jewish people are constantly referred to by Christian characters as “money-lenders” or “Christ-killers”. This, as the book shows, is not the case, as Bishops are always presented as greedy, weak, temperamental, and unintelligent; usually with an adviser who does most of the in-depth thinking for them. It is this temperament that shows the corruption in the church, with most motivation not being any one of the holy trinity or an eternal reward but a more earthly one.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n author, Bryce Courtenay
Bryce Courtenay
Arthur Bryce Courtenay AM is a South-African-born naturalized Australian novelist and one of Australia's most commercially successful authors.-Background and early years:...
. It follows a teenage girl, Sylvia Honeyeater, during the Children's Crusade
Children's Crusade
The Children's Crusade is the name given to a variety of fictional and factual events which happened in 1212 that combine some or all of these elements: visions by a French or German boy; an intention to peacefully convert Muslims in the Holy Land to Christianity; bands of children marching to...
. It explores themes of religion, womanhood, abuse and childhood.
Plot summary
Sylvia was born in around 1196 in provincial Germany, 16 years before the Children's CrusadeChildren's Crusade
The Children's Crusade is the name given to a variety of fictional and factual events which happened in 1212 that combine some or all of these elements: visions by a French or German boy; an intention to peacefully convert Muslims in the Holy Land to Christianity; bands of children marching to...
. Born into a world of intolerance and strict dogma, Sylvia grows into womanhood alone. Her mother, who loved and nurtured her until her death when Sylvia was eight years old, died of pleurisy
Pleurisy
Pleurisy is an inflammation of the pleura, the lining of the pleural cavity surrounding the lungs. Among other things, infections are the most common cause of pleurisy....
. Her alcoholic and brutish father then sexually abused her and after each encounter, he would present her with a piece of honeycomb "to sweeten you for next time liebling". This is what earned her the name Sylvia Honeyeater. However, this name was usually was confused as a comment on her sweet voice.
After her father died, the eleven year old Sylvia makes her way to Cologne alone. Along the way she meets a ratcatcher and musician named Reinhardt. Once they reach Cologne, they are housed by a Jewish couple who help them establish themselves as a musical duo. In Cologne she is dubbed the "Petticoat Angel" because of the various miracles that seem to happen in her presence along with her angelic singing voice.
Meanwhile, a homeless boy named Nicholas that Sylvia has befriended starts preaching to children that God spoke to him and showed him of a children’s crusade to Jerusalem. This comes to a climax when a mass of peasant women walk naked, seemingly in a trance, to the church on the Sabbath day chanting “our children in Jerusalem”.
After being once again swept up into larger events, Sylvia joins and helps to organise the Children’s Crusade.
Religion
The theme of Religion is thoroughly discussed in this novel. The conflicting characterization of Frau Anna and Frau Sarah is the first observation that should be noted. While Frau Anna, a Christian, is vengeful and selfish; thinking of people only of what benefit they are to her, the Jewish Frau Sarah is the complete opposite. Frau Sarah and her husband Master Israel clothe, feed and educate Sylvia without any apprehension about her religion. However, it is Frau Sarah who disguises herself when she goes out, not the selfish Frau Anna.Jewish people are constantly referred to by Christian characters as “money-lenders” or “Christ-killers”. This, as the book shows, is not the case, as Bishops are always presented as greedy, weak, temperamental, and unintelligent; usually with an adviser who does most of the in-depth thinking for them. It is this temperament that shows the corruption in the church, with most motivation not being any one of the holy trinity or an eternal reward but a more earthly one.