The vast majority were men—rural peasants from Guangdong Province, situated on the southeast coast of China, near Hong Kong.
—
Jane Hu,
The New Yorker,
23 Jan. 2025
The peewee population interacted with each other in various settings and included bocce bowlers, bare-bottomed peasants, baguette bakers, blind men, the mustachioed mayor, female fishmongers, dunce hat-wearing schoolboys, snail saleswomen, and gobs more characters.
Not only does the peon and con man Tom end up refashioning himself as the rich and carefree Dickie, but Highsmith’s novel itself was a retelling of Henry James’s The Ambassadors.
—
Hillary Kelly,
The Atlantic,
19 Apr. 2024
Not afraid but brave, not weak but empowered, not peons but partners.
The fledglings were savored by the nobility and the clergy, who, according to Fritz’s research, passed decrees to keep commoners from killing them, to preserve them for themselves.
—
Nick Paumgarten,
The New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2025
Despite being a commoner, Harald broke his father’s rule and began dating Sonja, but Olav ordered Harald to cut off contact with her once he was made aware of their relationship.
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