From: Marlene Gawron <mgawron>
Date: Tue, 16 Jan 2001 10:24:34 -0500

Anyone interested in severed hand books should read the daddy of them all
 Otto of the Silver Hand by Howard Pyle. In a feud between two robber barons in Germany in the Dark Ages, Otto, the young son of one of the barons is taken prisoner by the enemy. The captor severs Otto's right hand in retaliation for the killing of the head of the captor's family by Otto's father and to prevent Otto from ever doing the same.

The dastardly deed is done in the castle dungeon but is not described. The reader does not necessarily know what has happened, except that as the Baron and his attendant leave the cell, the Baron orders that the "leech" be sent to the cell. Otto is sick and feverish and near death when he is rescued by his father's man. It is not until 30 pages later when Otto is with his father that we discover what has been done and share the horror with his father.

The narrator of the story uses descriptive words for the castle and the time period that may not be familiar to the reader. There is no explanation. The reader can usually understand the meaning from the context or the illustration; or can try to learn more about the times; or can just go on with the story.
Received on Tue 16 Jan 2001 09:24:34 AM CST