A - Z Challenge: C is for Courtesan and also for Cornwell, Bernard

is for

COURTESAN

        PART 1:

        WHAT IS IT?

Once upon a time courtesan was merely a term for a woman who attends the court of a king or person of similar power. Before the Renaissance they were used to pass along information untrusted to servants to visiting dignitaries.

During the Renaissance the term courtesan referred to the rulers mistress and/or a well educated and independent woman of free morals. Eventually becoming the name of trained singers and dancers.. [1] before coming to be the common euphemism for a very upper class prostitute.

        WHERE DO YOU GET IT?

At court, both royal and urban. Wherever there are secrets whispered between the sheets and scheme walks hand in hand with plot.

They forever walk a knifes edge, never knowing if today will be the day that their usefulness and beauty will not be enough to keep the right people from remembering exactly what it is that she knows and opening talks with the wrong people.exactly when they will outlive their beauty or usefulness to be cast aside in favor of another.

        USING IT IN REAL LIFE:

The courtesan label brings up visions of high class and elegant women who are able to handle any situation that develops.  Whether it be entertaining one particular patron or a group of visiting businessmen.  I can highly recommend the book Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden [2] for a behind the scenes peek into this life.  

        USING IT IN WRITING:

• Thanks to the mercurial nature of politics any courtesan is going to be a survivor and adept at thinking on her feet. She will have no hesitation is throwing people to the wolves in order to save her own skin. Life is hard enough and look out for number one is her credo.
• It could be that the person in power has a new favorite and has thrown the once powerful courtesan out into the cold. This leaves her free to plot revenge on those who scorned her [3]
• It might be that the courtesan is planning to leave the court having found true love.
• Maybe the lovers attempt to legitimize the relationship is making waves with others who were prepared to tolerate her but now that she is making serious inroads into their society and/or lives it is time to do something.

        MIGHT ONE CONQUER THE WORLD WITH IT?

        PART II:

C
is also for


Cornwell, Bernard

The Sharpe novels are yet another long series with 20 books in the entire collection.  But thankfully it's another series where you can just pick up any book and be assured of a good read without needing to know about the backstory of any of the characters.

A good many of them have been made into TV movies with Sean Bean as Richard Sharpe.

The series is set during the Napoleonic Wars but the setting moves about depending on the location of historical battles.  

It starts off in India with Richard framed by Sargent Obidiah Hakeswill [4], a sadistic bastard who torments everyone and anyone that he can as long as he knows he can get away with it.  

Through a series of circumstances which I will not relate here for fear of spoiling the excellent narrative Richard saves the life of General Wellington at the battle of Assaye and is given a battlefield promotion which is the first step on his career as an officer. [5]

Arthur Wellesley: I'm much obliged to you. You've done me a damn good turn. Now I'm going to do you a damn bad one. I'm giving you a field commission, Sharpe. As of now you're a lieutenant in the 95th!

The books rely heavily on the "fish out of water" plot since many times the old blood noble officers, who have bought and paid for their commissions, look down on Richard with nothing but contempt for any who attempt to rise from the ranks.  But it is Sharpe who, with his crack unit of rifles and Patrick Harper, an unwilling Sargent [6], saves the day and claws his way still further up the ranks.

[after an altercation between Sharpe and Lieutenants Gibbons and Berry:]

Gibbons: Major Hogan! I have been struck, by a common soldier! I believe the penalty for striking an officer is death.

Hogan: Death is certainly the penalty for striking that officer, sir. That was Sharpe of the 95th.

Gibbons: What, the ragamuffin that jumped from the ranks? By God, sir, I'll teach him to touch a gentleman. I'll call him out, sir. I'll see him at dawn.

Berry: I'll second you, old boy.

Hogan: A duel? Oh, give me your hand, sir. You've a brave fellow, Gibbons. Sharpe's a killer. Killed three French cavalrymen and saved Wellesley's life. Three seconds, slash, cut, thrust. And that's while he was still a Sergeant. Shall we say six o'clock tomorrow morning in the field behind the camp? Or shall we say it was damned dark, and you made a damn bad mistake?

[A long pause]

Gibbons: Silly mistake. Say no more about it, eh?

Hogan: Good thinking, Gibbons. Sharpe would've shot out your left eye at a minute past six, and you would've spent all day tomorrow looking up at nothing with the other.

I would recommend this book to pretty much everyone.  For those who like historical novels, love stories, war stories.  You name it, Sharpe goes from mission to mission and meets many historical figures from the King of England right up to Napoleon himself [7].

The entire series is extremely well researched and Bernard Cornwell always writes an afterword in the books explaining what really happened back in the day and pointing out any characters who were based on actual people of the time.

        NOTES:

1. and we all know how those kinds of people carry on.
2. but as this is the C posting I won't be reviewing the book today.
3. This may be well deserved or merely vindictive.
4. Trust me you'll love to hate this one.
5. I've condensed the first three books into this paragraph.
6. Unwilling at first but he grows into it and is Sharpes closest friend and ally throughout the series.
7. Who is in exile on the isle of Elba at the time.

The Comfortable Confidential Cow,
who sate in her Red Morocco Arm Chair and
toasted her own Bread at the parlour Fire.