Kate Mosse Anchors in Allemonde Her La Fille de Mélisande Short Story

Summary: Kate Mosse anchors in Allemonde her La Fille de Mélisande short story, as Pelléas et Mélisande sequel to the Debussy opera and the Maeterlinck play.

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Perhaps Maurice Maeterlinck (Aug. 29, 1862-May 6, 1949) abstracted in his own artistry what he accepted as Allemonde (Latin Alemannī, from German allaz, “all, whole”; mann-, “men, people”?; from German allaz, "all"; French monde, "world"?) kingdom in his play, Pelléas et Mélisande; illustration in Maurice Maeterlinck, Old fashioned flowers, and other out-of-door studies (1905), Plate 1: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Kate Mosse anchors in Allemonde, for the Jeanette Winterson-edited Midsummer Nights collection, her La Fille de Mélisande short story, as Pelléas et Mélisande sequel to the Debussy opera and the Maeterlinck play.

The British author bases in Allemonde (from German allaz, “all, whole”; mann-, “men, people” via Latin Alemannī) her 7-page short story for the 2009-released Midsummer Nights. The Allemonde kingdom constitutes only one of two specific place names in La Fille de Mélisande (from French la, “the”; fille, “daughter”; de, “of”; Mélisande, “Millicent”). That royal dwelling domiciled, with five denizens, Queen Geneviève (from German kunga, “clan, family, lineage”; wiba, “wife, woman”?; from Gaulish genos, “family, kin” via medieval Genovefa?).

Prince Golaud (from Old Testament Gilead, “heap of witnesses [mountainous area east of River Jordan]” via French Galaad, Galahad) establishes himself there as elder royal son.

Miette (from French miette, “crumb”) fits in as only child of Golaud and Mélisande (from Frenchified Millicent Anglicized from German amalas, “brave”; swinba, “strong” via Amalaswinba).

The royal grounds perhaps still guard the girlhood nanny who gave little Miette, orphaned maternally the very day of her birth, some glimpses of child-bride Mélisande. They perhaps, perhaps not house Yniold (from German irmin, “great, whole”; hilt, “battle” via irminhild via Italian and Spanish imeldo), from Golaud’s Mélisande marriage and widowerhood. King Arkel (from Old Norse arn, “eagle”; ketill, “cauldron”), whose royal investiture impels the aforementioned quartet, is identifiable only to those Debussy opera- and Maeterlinck play-informed.

The short story La Fille de Mélisande by Kate Mosse, as sequel to the Pelléas et Mélisande opera and play, joins seven characters during 18-plus years.

Perhaps Maurice Maeterlinck (Aug. 29, 1862-May 6, 1949) acclaimed in his artwork how Allemonde (Latin Alemannī, from German allaz, “all, whole”; mann-, “men, people”?; from German allaz, "all"; French monde, "world"?) kingdom biogeographically accompanied his play, Pelléas et Mélisande; illustration in Maurice Maeterlinck, Old fashioned flowers, and other out-of-door studies (1905), Plate 2: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

No one knows what Queen Geneviève or Miette’s nanny or Yniold keepsaked or keepsakes, what Yniold’s mother and what Mélisande keepsaked of their respective extra-Allemonde homelands.

Her nurse lets Miette learn here and there little lessons linking the latter’s late mother “to the west, to the setting sun and the shore” (Mosse:250). That unmonikered nurse makes no mention of anything more meaningful than Mélisande moving “between the ocean and the forest” (Mosse:249), between her west and Golaud’s east. No place names, apart Allemonde kingdom, number among such architectural niches as chain, metal and wood gates; grassy walls; gray chapels and tombstones; and mossy headstones.

La Fille de Mélisande by Kate Mosse offers no place names, other than Allemonde kingdom, among such topography as park alleyways, tracks-crossed woods and twilight-blackened forests.

Miette’s nurse, Princess Mélisande, Queen Geneviève and Yniold’s mother peregrinated the castle corridors and the park confines without royal architecture and topography preserving native place names.

Allemonde royal grounds quarter as built-environment place name La Fontaine des Aveugles (from French la, “the”; fontaine, “fountain”; des, from de les, “of the”; aveugles, “blind”). That fountain type also retains the reference Abreuvoir (from Latin bibere, “to drink” via French abreuver, “to drink, give water to, shower in, water”) des Aveugles. It serves as a cold-water drinking fountain for those sentients whom Allemonde kingdom shelters in its Castle and perhaps also as animal life on its grounds.

Kate Mosse terminates in Allemonde kingdom, with La Fille de Mélisande, short-story sequel to tales the Achille-Claude Debussy opera and the Maurice Maeterlinck play told there.

Perhaps his own artwork achieved how Maurice Maeterlinck (Aug. 29, 1862-May 6, 1949) acknowledged Allemonde (Latin Alemannī, from German allaz, “all, whole”; mann-, “men, people”?; from German allaz, "all"; French monde, "world"?) kingdom in his play, Pelléas et Mélisande; illustration in Maurice Maeterlinck, Old fashioned flowers, and other out-of-door studies (1905), Plate 4: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Perhaps Maurice Maeterlinck (Aug. 29, 1862-May 6, 1949) abstracted in his own artistry what he accepted as Allemonde (Latin Alemannī, from German allaz, “all, whole”; mann-, “men, people”?; from German allaz, "all"; French monde, "world"?) kingdom in his play, Pelléas et Mélisande; illustration in Maurice Maeterlinck, Old fashioned flowers, and other out-of-door studies (1905), Plate 1: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Old_fashioned_flowers,_and_other_out-of-door_studies_(Plate_1)_(8198956795).jpg; Biodiversity Heritage Library (BioDivLibrary), Public Domain, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/biodivlibrary/8198956795
; Not in copyright, via Biodiversity Heritage Library @ https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/17271224

Perhaps Maurice Maeterlinck (Aug. 29, 1862-May 6, 1949) acclaimed in his artwork how Allemonde (Latin Alemannī, from German allaz, “all, whole”; mann-, “men, people”?; from German allaz, "all"; French monde, "world"?) kingdom biogeographically accompanied his play, Pelléas et Mélisande; illustration in Maurice Maeterlinck, Old fashioned flowers, and other out-of-door studies (1905), Plate 2: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Old_fashioned_flowers,_and_other_out-of-door_studies_(Plate_2)_(8198957547).jpg; Biodiversity Heritage Library (BioDivLibrary), Public Domain, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/biodivlibrary/8198957547; Not in copyright, via Biodiversity Heritage Library @ https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/17271223

Perhaps his own artwork achieved how Maurice Maeterlinck (Aug. 29, 1862-May 6, 1949) acknowledged Allemonde (Latin Alemannī, from German allaz, “all, whole”; mann-, “men, people”?; from German allaz, "all"; French monde, "world"?) kingdom in his play, Pelléas et Mélisande; illustration in Maurice Maeterlinck, Old fashioned flowers, and other out-of-door studies (1905), Plate 4: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Old_fashioned_flowers,_and_other_out-of-door_studies_(Plate_4)_(8198958775).jpg; Biodiversity Heritage Library (BioDivLibrary), Not in copyright, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/biodivlibrary/8198958775; Not in copyright, via Biodiversity Heritage Library @ https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/17271248

For further information:

Marriner, Derdriu. 13 October 2023. "La Fille de Mélisande by Kate Mosse Adds a Pelléas et Mélisande Sequel." Earth and Space News. Friday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2023/10/la-fille-de-melisande-by-kate-mosse.html

Mosse, Kate. 1 January 2009. "La Fille de Mélisande." Pages 247-254. In: Jeanette Winterson (Ed.). Midsummer Nights. London UK: Quercus Publishing.

Shakespeare, William. The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet. The Project Gutenberg eBook of Romeo and Juliet. Release date Nov. 1, 1998 [eBook #1513]. Most recently updated June 27, 2023.
Available @ https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/1513/pg1513-images.html

Sotheby’s International Realty. “Historic elegance at the Palais Maeterlinck on Cap de Nice.” Côte d'Azur > Sotheby’s > Luxury real estate.
Available @ https://www.cotedazur-sothebysrealty.com/en/luxury-real-estate/details/941/historic-elegance-palais-maeterlinck-cap-de-nice/