The Shining Company

by Rosemary Sutcliff

Overview

Life is secure and peaceful for young Prosper, second son of Gerontius, until the day Prince Gorthyn arrives with his hunting party. Prosper's unusual daring in the hunt catches the prince's attention, and he promises to make Prosper his shield-bearer when he comes of age. Two years later, three hundred princes are summoned to the king's fortress at Dyn Eidin, where they will prepare to fight the Saxon forces which are gaining strength in the east. Prosper, with Conn, his bondservant, leaves his father's lands to join Gorthyn in the rigorous training for battle. With the coming of spring, word reaches the Three Hundred Companions that the Saxon leader has taken yet another kingdom. They set out at once for the Saxon stronghold of Catraeth, where Prosper must face the greatest challenges of his life.
Adventure and heroism against impossible odds create a moving, robust tale set in Britain in the eighth century and based on actual events.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780374466169
Publisher:	Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication date:	09/01/1992
Series:	Sunburst Book
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	533,330
Product dimensions:	5.15(w) x 7.65(h) x 0.85(d)
Lexile:	1240L (what's this?)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Rosemary Sutcliff (1920-1992) wrote dozens of books for young readers, including her award-winning Roman Britain trilogy, The Eagle of the Ninth, The Silver Branch, and The Lantern Bearers, which won the Carnegie Medal. The Eagle of the Ninth is now a major motion picture, The Eagle, directed by Kevin MacDonald and starring Channing Tatum. Born in Surrey, Sutcliff spent her childhood in Malta and on various other naval bases where her father was stationed. At a young age, she contracted Still's Disease, which confined her to a wheelchair for most of her life. Shortly before her death, she was named Commander of the British Empire (CBE) one of Britain's most prestigious honors. She died in West Sussex, England, in 1992.

Reading Group Guide

Discussion Questions for
The Shining Company
Discuss the relationship between Prosper and his father. Explain what Prosper means when he says, "I have said that my father had little love for me, and that is true, but it is true also that I always had justice from him." [p. 42]
For his twelfth birthday, Prosper's father gives him a body servant. Explain the role of a body servant in Prosper's culture. What is Prosper's attitude toward the servant? How does his attitude indicate that he is not quite ready to deal with a servant?
Prosper learns that Prince Gorthyn plans to hunt the white hart. Discuss what happens on the hunt. How does Prosper change as a result of the hunt? What is the purpose of the "song"
written after a hunt? Explain what Prosper means when he says, "Gwyn will just have to change the end of the song." [p. 59]
What is the role of a shieldbearer? Compare and contrast how the training for shieldbearer is similar to the training for manhood in
Prosper's culture. Discuss how the shieldbearer training leads to cavalry training.
At the end of the training the men begin "to knit together into something whole and complete." [p. 98] What is the difference between being "whole" and being "complete"?
Locate and discuss scenes in the novel where the men appear to be both.
Explain Ceredig Fosterling's words, "To be a bard is a greater thing than to be a warrior."
[p. 224]
Discuss the circumstances that cause Prosper and Conn to part ways. How does Conn come back into Prosper's life? What is the greatest gift that Prosper gives to Conn at the end of the novel?
Cynan tells King Mynyddog that he has three reasons for wanting to leave Dyn Eidin.
Discuss each of his reasons. Why is his third reason the one that really sends him away?
What are Prosper's reasons for joining Cynan?
The Shining Company deals with the themes of man vs. man, man vs. self, and man vs.
nature. Discuss how Sutcliff develops each of these themes. Which is the most central theme

of the novel?

Editorial Reviews

This novel of early Britain draws you into a desolate landscape that quivers with flame and shadow; an age-old war story of glory...A story dark and fierce and shining.” —Starred boxed review, Booklist

From the Publisher

Britain in 600 A.D. forms a vibrant backdrop for this gripping action-adventure tale concerning the son of a feudal chieftain. Ages 12-up. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Gr 7 UpThe uniting of the disparate kingdoms in early Britain in a attempt to ward off the threat of Saxon invasion forms the core of this sweeping historical adventure. Heroism, camaraderie, and sacrifice all come shining through in a stirring tale of glory and treachery, told in demanding yet hypnotic prose. (July 1990)

School Library Journal

Prosper, the son of a Welsh chieftain, is delighted to be chosen to join the war band of King Mynyddog the Golden as a shieldbearer to Prince Gorthyn, one of the 300 warriors sent to crush the Saxon invaders in 600A.D. Sutcliff's story, narrated by Prosper, is based on THE GODODDIN, a poem written by the bard Aneirin to elegize the fallen warriors. Johanna Ward's narration is clear and precise, although the use of a female narrator for the shieldbearer makes Prosper sound very effeminate. The story will appeal to readers of historical fiction or fantasy, as the rich language and strong Welsh dialect give the story a mythic air. B.F. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine

FEB/MAR 02 - AudioFile