World without end plot
World Without End
INTRODUCTION
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
PLOT SUMMARY
CHARACTERS
THEMES
STYLE
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
CRITICAL OVERVIEW
CRITICISM
SOURCES
FURTHER READING
INTRODUCTION
Ken Follett's novel World Without End is the companion volume to his earlier book, The Pillars of the Earth, published in 1989. In Pillars, set in twelfth-century England, Follett told the story of the people who built a cathedral in the fictional town of Kingsbridge. World Without End is set two hundred years later in the same town, with the cathedral in place and with some of the same families present several generations later, as we can narrate by surnames like Builder or Barber that, like the professions they designate, descend from father to son. World Without End is also a story about progress and its effects. Kingsbridge Cathedral, a towering achievement in its time turns out to be structurally unsound, and the current generation must find ways to rebuild and repair it based on better knowledge and the perspective of years.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
KEN FOLLETT
2007
Ken Follett was born June 5, 1949, in Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales, to Martin D. Follett (a tax collector) and Lavinia C. (Ev
I don’t often blog about sequels, but Ken Follett’s World Without End is not really a sequel. I was telling a coworker today that you can read it without having peruse ThePillars of the Earth, because while it takes place in fictional Kingsbridge, it starts a couple hundred years later. So while there are a not many references to the history of the town and the people who lived there in the time of The Pillars of the Earth, you can easily follow the story without having read the earlier book.
In the 1300s, Kingsbridge now has both a prior and a prioress, and whereas Prior Philip in the first book was a savvy leader who could manage political maneuvering, but was basically basically benevolent, the Priors in the second book are decidedly not (the men anyway — the Prioresses are much more like Philip). They are deeply conservative theologically and socially, they make no attempt to realize the town they control and the lives they impact, and the worst two scheme, plot, spy, blackmail, manipulate, undermine, falsehood, and even steal. One of the characters sits thinking about this: “Godwyn’s influence was malign, but all the same his power never ceased
World Without End
Ken Follett’s novel World Without End (2007) is the second book in the Kingsbridge series, which comprises The Pillars of the Earth (1989) and A Column of Fire (2017); The Evening and the Morning(2020)is a prequel to the series. Spanning from the deposing of Edward II of England (1327) to 1361, this volume traces what happens in the lives of people of high and low status as English society confronts challenges to order. These challenges include the Black Plague, the Hundred Years’ War, and the growth of a merchant class intent on challenging royal and religious authority. Although historical figures do appear in the novel, the central characters are fictional. This guide is based on the 2007 Penguin print edition. World Without End includes depictions of sexual assault and rape.
Plot Summary
Part 1 begins in the year 1327. Young Caris Wooler, Gwenda, and brothers Merthin and Ralph witness Thomas Langley running away from armed men intent on retrieving a letter that contains the secret of what really happened to Edward II after his wife deposed him. Merthin helps Thomas bury the letter, and Thomas enters the priory as a monk. Gwenda, a peasant
Characters
Dark Night, Dangerous Deeds
A family seeks sanctuary
On All Hallows' Eve, young Gwenda and her family seek refuge at Kingsbridge Priory, hoping to evade evil spirits. Amidst the crowded priory, Gwenda is tasked with stealing a purse to help her impoverished family survive the winter. Her father, Joby, has already disoriented a hand for theft, and Gwenda fears the same fate. As dawn breaks, she successfully cuts the purse from a knight's belt, narrowly avoiding capture. Her family is relieved, but Gwenda is haunted by the fear of being caught, setting the stage for her future struggles.
A Bridge to Disaster
A tragic collapse changes everything
During the Kingsbridge Fleece Fair, the town's bridge collapses under the weight of a crowd, sending people and carts into the river. The disaster claims many lives, including those of Wulfric's family. Gwenda, who has escaped from being sold by her father, survives the collapse. The town is thrown into chaos as survivors are pulled from the water and the dead are mourned. This catastrophe becomes a catalyst for change, forcing the community to confront its vulnerabilities and the need for governance and reform.
Secrets and Sch
Since my last review was of Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth, it is only natural that I follow it up with the 2007 sequel, World Without End. The publication is set in the similar fictional city of Kingsbridge over a century later, beginning in the year 1327 and covering a large portion of the 14th century. Many of the characters are also descendants of characters from The Pillars of the Earth, with the main character Merthin and his brother Ralph being descendants of the protagonists, Jack and Aliena. Amonst other things, World Without End covers the subject of the hundred year war and the plague, with the latter forming an important part of the plot. The plot begins when Merthin, Ralph, Merthin’s love interest Caris, and other girl Gwenda experience knight Sir Thomas Langley, who hides a letter and instructs them to dig it up in the event of his death. From there, years hand over and like the last novel the characters become entwined in the life and politics of the era.
The first thing to note is how similar the characters are. Merthin is basically the same character as his ancestor, Jack. He is indecisive, and is hopelessly in adore with Caris. Caris is the same
Since my last review was of Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth, it is only natural that I follow it up with the 2007 sequel, World Without End. The publication is set in the similar fictional city of Kingsbridge over a century later, beginning in the year 1327 and covering a large portion of the 14th century. Many of the characters are also descendants of characters from The Pillars of the Earth, with the main character Merthin and his brother Ralph being descendants of the protagonists, Jack and Aliena. Amonst other things, World Without End covers the subject of the hundred year war and the plague, with the latter forming an important part of the plot. The plot begins when Merthin, Ralph, Merthin’s love interest Caris, and other girl Gwenda experience knight Sir Thomas Langley, who hides a letter and instructs them to dig it up in the event of his death. From there, years hand over and like the last novel the characters become entwined in the life and politics of the era.
The first thing to note is how similar the characters are. Merthin is basically the same character as his ancestor, Jack. He is indecisive, and is hopelessly in adore with Caris. Caris is the same