The Door in the Wall reflects Angeli's fascination with language. This fascination is particularly evident in her attention to the ways in which her characters speak. It would not have been appropriate for Angeli to write her dialogue in Middle English, the form of English spoken during the fourteenth century, but she employs a few simple devices to impart a slightly archaic flavor to the dialogue. In the speech of Brother Luke, for example, the "thee" and "thou" forms of the second person pronoun suggest his religious occupation: "Fie on thee for an impertinent lad," he scolds at one point. Characters of high social status speak with a fitting formality: 'Robin, son of Sir John de Bureford,' the King said solemnly, 'it hath been told to us what service you have done for the lord of this castle and me ....' "

Angeli's interest in language...