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Atwood, Margaret Eleanor

(Encyclopedia) Atwood, Margaret Eleanor, 1939–, Canadian novelist and poet. Atwood is a skilled and powerful storyteller whose novels, set mainly in the near future, sometimes make use of such…

Gamelyn, The Tale of

(Encyclopedia) Gamelyn, The Tale ofGamelyn, The Tale ofgămˈəlĭn [key], a romance in verse, written c.1350, containing about 900 lines. It tells of the tribulations of a young man abused by his older…

Pinter, Harold

(Encyclopedia) Pinter, Harold, 1930–2008, English dramatist. Born in Hackney in London's East End, the son of an English tailor of Eastern European Jewish ancestry, he studied at London's Royal…

Robert the Devil

(Encyclopedia) Robert the Devil, hero of a medieval legend. He was sold to the devil by his mother before his birth but upon discovering the fact did penance and was able to purify himself of his…

tall tale

(Encyclopedia) tall tale, extravagantly and humorously exaggerated story of the backwoods exploits of an American frontiersman. Originating in the 1820s, the genre remained popular well into the 20th…

Sara

(Encyclopedia) Sara or Sarah, in the Bible, wife of Abraham and mother of Isaac. With Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah, she was one of the four Hebrew matriarchs. Her name was originally Sarai [Heb.,=…

Griselda

(Encyclopedia) GriseldaGriseldagrĭzĕlˈdə [key], long-suffering heroine of medieval story, whose husband subjects her to numerous trials in order to test her devotion. The story originated in a…

Brewer's: Tale

(1 syl.). A tally; a reckoning. In Exod. v. we have tale of bricks. A measure by number, not by weight. An old wife's tale. Any maryellous legendary story. To tell tales out of school. To…

Brewer's: Tales

(2 syl.). Persons in the court from whom the sheriff or his clerk makes selections to supply the place of jurors who have been empanelled, but are not in attendance. It is the first word…

Winter's Tale

Winter's Tale Leontes, King of Sicily, and his queen, the beautiful and virtuous Hermione, once lived in the greatest harmony together. So happy was Leontes in the love of this excellent…