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Loading... William Tellby Margaret Early
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William Tell confronts the evil Austrian governor Gessler and, after shooting an apple from his son's head with a bow and arrow, frees Switzerland from Austria's power. No library descriptions found.
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Google Books — Loading... GenresNo genres Melvil Decimal System (DDC)398.2Social sciences Customs, Etiquette, Folklore Folklore Folk literatureLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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A symbol of resistance against tyrannical rule, William (Wilhelm) Tell is a legendary figure often associated with the Rütlischwur (the Rütli Oath), an incident said to have occurred in 1307 AD, in which representatives of the three Swiss cantons of Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden met and swore an oath of mutual protection and rebellion against outside rule. Although uncorroborated in contemporaneous sources (the first written record dates from 1470), this is widely held to be the foundation of the Old Swiss Confederacy, the forerunner of the modern nation of Switzerland. This incident (which is also included in Friedrich Schiller's classic 1804 play, Wilhelm Tell) is incorporated into Early's narrative, which is quite dense for a picture-book, but which makes for an engaging read all the same. The book is divided between pages of text, on the left-hand side of each two-page spread, and full-page illustrations, done in a medieval style, on the right-hand side. Both the textual and illustrative panels are enclosed in gorgeous decorative borders. Although I am no expert in William Tell studies, this seems to be a fairly faithful retelling of the legend, one which is well-written and paired with lovely tapestry-like illustrations. It is (as mentioned) a bit text-heavy for a picture-book, so I'd recommend it to young readers six (or perhaps five) and up, particularly those who are interested in history, or who enjoy legends of rebels and heroes. For my part, I am very curious to see other tellings of this legend, in order to compare them. ( )