The Book of the Duchess

The Book of the Duchess, also known as The Deth of Blaunche is the earliest of Chaucer's major poems, preceded only by his short poem, "An ABC," and possibly by his translation of The Romaunt of the Rose. Most sources put the date of composition after 12 September 1368 (when Blanche of Lancaster died) and 1372, with many recent studies privileging a date as early as the end of 1368.

Overwhelming (if disputed) evidence suggests that Chaucer wrote the poem to commemorate the death of Blanche of Lancaster, wife of John of Gaunt. The evidence includes handwritten notes from Elizabethan antiquary John Stowe indicating that the poem was written at John of Gaunt's request. There are repeated instances of the word “White,” which is almost certainly a play on “Blanche.” In addition, at the end of the poem there are references to a 'long castel', suggesting the house of Lancaster (line 1318) and a 'ryche hil' as John of Gaunt was earl of Richmond (mond=hill) (line 1319) and the narrator swears by St John, which is John of Gaunt's saints name.

Duchess (disambiguation)

Duchess is a rank of nobility, the female equivalent of Duke.

Duchess may also refer to:

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The Duchess (horse)

The Duchess (1813–1836) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare best known for winning the classic St Leger Stakes in 1816. In a racing career which lasted from March 1815 until October 1819 she competed in thirty-three races and won nineteen times. She was still unnamed when winning three races as a two-year-old in 1815, when she was one of the leading juveniles in the north of England. In the following year she was named Duchess of Leven, which was shortened to The Duchess when she was sold to Sir Bellingham Graham. She won seven of her nine races as a three-year-old, including the Gold Cup at Pontefract and the St Leger at Doncaster. The Duchess remained in training for a further three seasons, winning five times in 1817, twice in 1818 and twice in 1819, beating many leading horses of the time including Blacklock, Doctor Syntax, Rhoda and Filho da Puta. After her retirement from racing, The Duchess had some success as a broodmare.

Background

The Duchess was a bay mare bred by Mr Ellerker and was the fifth of eight foals produced by Ellerker's mare Miss Nancy (1803–1817). The Duchess was the only classic winner sired by Cardinal York, a son of Sir Peter Teazle. Cardinal York was based at Mr T Kirby's stable at York, where he was standing at a fee of seven guineas in 1816.

The Duchess (film)

The Duchess is a 2008 British drama film directed by Saul Dibb. It is based on Amanda Foreman's biography of the 18th-century English aristocrat Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire. It was released in September 2008 in the UK.

Plot

Set in the late 18th century, the story follows the life of Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire. Well known for her beauty and fashion sense, she is also remembered for her extravagance and gambling habits. Despite the blatant infidelities of her husband, the cold and much older William Cavendish, the 5th Duke of Devonshire, Georgiana thrives, becoming a fashion icon, a doting mother, a shrewd political operator, and darling of the common people. In befriending Lady Bess Foster, Georgiana is crushed when Bess and The Duke begin an affair. Despite Georgiana's anger, the Duke wants Bess to remain living with them. Bess later explains to Georgiana that the reason she began the affair with the Duke was so that she could get her children back. The Duke wants a male heir, which the Duchess has not yet provided. The idea is that Bess can, since she already has three sons, of whom the Duke is very fond, treating them as if they were his own.

The Book

The Book can refer to:

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The Book (album)

The Book is album by Czech black metal group Root.

Track listing

Personnel

References

External links

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (fictional)

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a fictional electronic guide book in the multimedia scifi/comedy series of the same name by Douglas Adams. The Guide serves as "the standard repository for all knowledge and wisdom" for many members of the series' galaxy-spanning civilization. Entries from the guidebook are used as comic narration to bridge events and provide background information in every version of the story. The guide is published by "Megadodo Publications", a publishing company on Ursa Minor Beta.

In the original radio scripts, the Guide's voice was called the "Narrator" and in the 2004–2005 series, "The Voice." For all of the radio series and the 1981 TV series, the role was credited as "The Book", though this was changed to "Narrator/The Guide" for the 2005 movie.

In the first two phases of the radio series, the LP album adaptations of the first radio series and in the television series, the Guide was voiced by British actor Peter Jones. During the 2004–2005 radio series, The Guide was voiced by William Franklyn. In the film version, it was voiced by Stephen Fry.