Historical fiction book · Curated
Morality Play
Barry Unsworth · historical fiction
In a late-fourteenth-century winter, Nicholas Barber, a priest who has fled Lincoln, joins a troupe of players on the road and comes to a village where a boy named Thomas Wells has been killed and a young woman is to hang for it. Barry Unsworth's 1995 novel is medieval mystery historical fiction of the play they then stage—the play of Thomas Wells—and of the facts that will not fit the story the village has already settled.
Why read it: A widely searched medieval mystery—the Unsworth title readers look up by name (Booker shortlist), and a players' counterpart to The Name of the Rose already on the shelf (not Sacred Hunger).
About this historical novel
Morality Play by Barry Unsworth is historical fiction set around late 14th century in the Medieval period with key settings including Lincoln, northern England, England. In a late-fourteenth-century winter, Nicholas Barber, a priest who has fled Lincoln, joins a troupe of players on the road and comes to a village where a boy named Thomas Wells has been killed and a young woman is to hang for it. Barry Unsworth's 1995 novel is medieval mystery historical fiction of the play they then stage—the play of Thomas Wells—and of the facts that will not fit the story the village has already settled.
On HisFic we tag it under 3. Historical mystery & crime and 1. Literary historical fiction so you can pair it with similar story types. Recurring themes include a traveling troupe, the murder of Thomas Wells, a morality play, justice, and plague. A widely searched medieval mystery—the Unsworth title readers look up by name (Booker shortlist), and a players' counterpart to The Name of the Rose already on the shelf (not Sacred Hunger).
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Plot summary
In a late-fourteenth-century winter, Nicholas Barber, a priest who has fled Lincoln, joins a troupe of players on the road and comes to a village where a boy named Thomas Wells has been killed and a young woman is to hang for it. Barry Unsworth's 1995 novel is medieval mystery historical fiction of the play they then stage—the play of Thomas Wells—and of the facts that will not fit the story the village has already settled. A widely searched medieval mystery—the Unsworth title readers look up by name (Booker shortlist), and a players' counterpart to The Name of the Rose already on the shelf (not Sacred Hunger).
Subgenres
Eras
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Regions & places
Britain & Ireland
Lincoln · northern England · England
Themes
- a traveling troupe
- the murder of Thomas Wells
- a morality play
- justice
- plague
Tags
mystery · award-winner