Pavane (novel) the site of a semaphore station, and the castle at Corfe is a key presence in the book. Over all, the long arm of the Popes reached out to punish and reward; the Church Militant remained supreme. But by the middle of the twentieth century widespread mutterings were making themselves heard. Rebellion was once more in the air . . . The title alludes to the stately and melancholy dance, the pavane, the book being divided thematically into measures and a coda. After a brief Prologue explaining the back-story, the stories are: "Pavane" soon found an important place in the
Polonaise (clothing) by means of interior or exterior loops, buttons or tassels to form swags of material. This style ... was known as "à la polonaise"." This style was characterized by ankle length petticoats that revealed high-heeled walking shoes. Due to this it served as a practical garment for walking because the skirts did not drag along the ground. Since the beginning of the 18th century, middle-class women had adopted various impromptu ways of kilting their overskirts up out of the muck of the streets. The "polonaise" was a fashionable variant of this style. The name "Polonaise" (or "polonese") derives "obviously from