The “Cadfael Chronicles,” twenty historical mysteries sent
during the English Civil War of the 1100s, by Ellis Peters (various publishers
and editions available). They were written between 1977 and 1994, in the
following order:
A Morbid Taste for Bones
One Corpse Too Many
Monk's Hood
St. Peter's Fair
The Leper of Saint Giles
The Virgin in the Ice
The Sanctuary Sparrow
The Devil's Novice
Dead Man's Ransom
One Corpse Too Many
Monk's Hood
St. Peter's Fair
The Leper of Saint Giles
The Virgin in the Ice
The Sanctuary Sparrow
The Devil's Novice
Dead Man's Ransom
The Pilgrim of Hate
An Excellent Mystery
The Raven in the Foregate
The Rose Rent
The Hermit of Eyton Forest
The Confession of Brother Haluin
The Heretic's Apprentice
An Excellent Mystery
The Raven in the Foregate
The Rose Rent
The Hermit of Eyton Forest
The Confession of Brother Haluin
The Heretic's Apprentice
Dialogue between Wilda Morris and Thomas Kessler
WM: I read all twenty of the
Brother Cadfael mysteries by Ellis Peters (a pseudonym of British author, Edith
Pargeter). Did you also read all of them? If so, what did you
especially like about them?
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TK: It was quite a while ago, but I believe I read all that were available at the time. I enjoyed them very much for several reasons—I enjoy mystery novels, I enjoy novels set in the Middle Ages, and I enjoy novels that serve to open a window into life in monasteries. I also appreciated Cadfael's perspective on life and events.
WM: The series was recommended to me during the month we spent
on the border between Wales and England. The main setting is the Benedictine Monastery
of St. Peter and St. Paul at Shrewsbury. I found one of the books in a store
and bought it. I think it was The Hermit of Eyton Forest. It was a
mistake not to begin with A Morbid Taste
for Bones, the first book in the series. If you don’t start with the first
book, you know something that gives away too much in an earlier volume. Thirteen
of the books were made into television shows (with Derek Jacobi playing Brother
Cadfael). I never understood why our public television station played the third
episode first. One of the suspicious characters in the second novel becomes a
regular, much-respected character in the later books. If you already know he is
a “good guy,” he won’t look like a villain in One Corpse Too Many. That reduces the suspense. I highly recommend
starting with the first volume of the series and working your way through in
order! Do you have a favorite?
TK: I don't remember
enough details to specify a favorite in terms of the story, but the one that I
am reminded about most often is Monk's Hood because it involved a poisoning using a toxic plant called Monkshood -
which has a beautiful hood-shaped purple bloom. After reading the book I
planted some Monkshood in our yard (just to look at - not to use as poison), and
think of the novel every time I see the plant.
WK: Maybe you could give me a cutting of Monkshood for my
garden! Your mention of that reminds me that Cadfael was an expert in herbs and
other plants. As a monk, Cadfael was in charge of the monastery herb garden,
which was grown primarily for medicinal purposes. Cadfael was called on when a
monk was ill, as well as when a body was found in the area around Shrewsbury. Cadfael
had been a soldier in the Crusades and had brought back herbs that were new to
English gardens.
TK: I’d be glad to
provide you a cutting! It spreads slowly
without being invasive and seems to be quite hardy and I’ve begun to plant
cuttings in various places in our yard.
Two interesting features of the books for me was that Cadfael was an
herbalist and that being a monk was a “second career” after having led a more worldly
life, including service in the Crusades.
That juxtaposition of two radically different life-styles and worldviews
is what I was referring to when I said I appreciated his perspective on life
and events.
WM: At one point, after the fourth or fifth of the series, I
thought the books were getting a bit redundant. I put the series aside for a
couple of months, and then went back to it. After that, I never found them
redundant or boring. Now I wonder if it was after that that some of the plots drew
on Cadfael’s life as a Crusader (and his time as a sailor), before he settled
down and became a monk. This back-story gave the author interesting material on
which to draw.
TK: Interesting. This
conversation is making me want to go back and read the Cadfael series
again. I think that I’d appreciate and
enjoy them even more than I did the first time. Do you have copies of most of
the books? It just occurred to me that while I spend a fair amount of time in
used bookstores and at used book sales, I seldom see Cadfael novels. I can only
remember running across one in the past several years. Have you had the same
experience?
WM: I have seen some of these books at The Frugal Muse in
Darien, Illinois, where I sometimes buy used books. To change the subject a bit, it seems to me
that these books could be used as a resource on which to base a series of
discussions of theological issues. Off hand, I can think of several: the use
of relics; a Christian view of sexuality; whether it is ever appropriate to
lie, etc. What do you think of this idea? Are there other issues you would
add to the list?
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TK: I think using the Cadfael novels as the basis of theological discussions is a great idea—and perhaps a way to engage some folks who might not think they'd enjoy such discussions. I'd have to re-read some of the novels to comment much more, but certainly issues of faith and authority - as well as historical discussions of 12th Century England.
WM: Yes, I should have thought of religious authority as a
discussion topic; Cadfael had some interesting conflicts with other members
of the monastery community, especially Prior Robert and the prior’s clerk!
TK: The issue of
religious authority is quite interesting.
Cadfael’s position as herbalist is certainly not a “power position”
within the monastery or Catholic hierarchy.
But to my mind his wide previous experience before joining the order
provided him more authority in terms of understanding of human nature and
society. I always enjoyed seeing how
he managed to maneuver in the hierarchical system.
WM: Another interesting topic for discussion would be the
relationship between the secular world and the sacred, a theme which occurs
regularly in this series. Grace, ethics, and the role of prayer are other
potential discussion topics which could be based on reading one or more of
the Cadfael series.
I learned some things about the history of Great Britain
while reading these books. The fact that the stories take place in historical
sequence is helpful from that perspective. I don’t recall ever having heard
of the struggle between Matilda (also called Maud) and Stephen for the throne
of England until I read these books. Did you find the books an enjoyable way
of picking up a little historical knowledge?
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TK: They were very enjoyable! If you liked the Cadfael novels you might also enjoy books by Sharon Kay Penman. She has at least three mysteries out (example: The Queen's Man) - and if you enjoy "bigger" reads, her novel When Christ and His Saint's Slept is a much longer read about Matilda/Maud's struggle with her cousin Stephen for the throne. For some reason I find this particular period of English history fascinating—although I certainly wouldn't have wanted to live in England at that time. Another novel set in that same period that I enjoyed very much is The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. That period of English history provides the grist for discussion on many, many topics and aspects of “the human condition”—much as the U.S. Civil War does.
WM: I really enjoyed The
Pillars of the Earth also. You aren’t the first person to recommend Sharon
Penman’s books to me. I guess it is time for me to start reading them. And one
of these days, I’m going to reread all twenty of the Cadfael novels. Edith Pargeter
died in 1995, so there will not be any more books in the series.
