Durham Police say the major A-road will be inaccessible to high-sided vehicles at 7pm and all other vehicles at 9pm between Bowes and Brough tonight (Saturday, April 4) due to the storm.

The Met Office has warned of “disruptive and potentially damaging winds” that could reach 60mph from 7pm on Saturday evening to 3am in the early hours of Sunday.

The amber weather warning covering the North East. (Image: MET OFFICE)

An amber weather warning is also in place and extends across the region as the storm is set to hit the North East from 6pm.

A police spokesperson said: “The A66 Trans-Pennine between Bowes and Brough will be closed both ways from 9pm this evening (April 4) owing to Storm Dave – this is due to the high wind gusts – it will likely close to high sided vehicles sooner due to the same.

“It is worth checking ahead of any scheduled journeys as Storm Dave is likely to cause transport related issues over the next couple of days.”

Initially, the region was placed under a yellow alert but the Met Office now says flying debris could cause a danger to life, power cuts may occur and buildings may be damaged.

Motorists have been advised to drive slower in the blustery conditions, people have been urged to stay indoors and those living along the coast are warned to stay away from large waves.

Met Office deputy chief forecaster, Tom Crabtree, added: “Storm Dave will form and rapidly deepen on Saturday as it approaches the UK from the west.

“By Saturday afternoon winds will strengthen significantly, with gusts of 60-70mph expected at times across parts of Scotland with the potential for gusts of 80-90mph in exposed coastal locations in Scotland.

“Gusts of 50-60mph are likely more widely in northern Britain.

“As well as strong winds, Storm Dave will also bring heavy snowfall over the hills in northern Scotland where up to 10-20cm of snow could accumulate.

“Along with the strong winds this will lead to blizzard conditions.

“Elsewhere there will be heavy spells of rain as the system moves through eastwards across the UK.”

Celtic are five points behind both Rangers and Hearts

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John Hartson has taken aim at the Celtic squad for their inconsistent performances, claiming they only raise their game when it suits them.

The former Parkhead striker believes experienced winger James Forrest deserves a place in the starting eleven as the title race intensifies.

Following a disappointing 2-0 loss at Dundee United prior to the international break, Martin O’Neill’s men now trail both Rangers and Hearts by five points.

Hartson – who netted 109 times in 201 appearances for the Hoops between 2001 and 2006 – has slammed the present squad for being ‘beat up’ during matches, reports the Daily Record.

On the Let Me be Frank Podcast with former Celtic forward Frank McAvennie, when questioned about what alterations he’d implement, Hartson responded: “I would be playing James Forrest. I know he’s f****** 57 years of age. I would play him.

“He’s the only one, for me, who is direct and looks to take players on. Tounekti does it on the other side. Tounekti has shown signs that he can produce things.

“But like I said. You have to do it, week in and week out, especially with the resurgence of Hearts. It’s a difficult place to go, at the best of times. It can be hostile there. Derek McInnes is doing a great job.”

“I thought Hearts would fall away. Halfway through the season, I thought Celtic would do what they normally do. They would come on strong. Momentum, and everything else.”

“But you can’t be willy nilly. You can’t just turn it on when you want to turn it on. Larsson did it week in, week out. Year in and year out, and so did all the other players.”

“We lost the odd game. Of course, we lost the odd game. Good teams lose football matches. It happens. But you can’t be at Celtic and play in second gear. You have to be at it every single week.”

“The man who is in charge now, Martin O’Neill, made sure that was the case. You have to play every single week.”

“I just look at the players, and they just trudge off, and they have been beat up. They don’t compete. They pull out of headers. Pull out of tackles. That’s not Celtic players you have seen in the past.”

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One firm, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), produces more than 90% of the world’s most advanced semiconductor chips. These chips are essential for smartphones, artificial intelligence, high-performance computing and cutting-edge military systems.

Taiwan’s dominance of advanced chips acts as a chokepoint for the global economy. Days or weeks without their manufacturing would affect the supply and price of numerous products around the world. This is comparable to how the current disruption to shipping in the Persian Gulf due to the Iran war is affecting oil-dependent markets globally.

Taiwanese semiconductor manufacturing supremacy has transformed the island nation into what I have described in my research as a “niche superpower”. It wields outsized global influence by commanding a strategically indispensable industry.

Taiwan did not stumble into this position. In the 1970s, Taiwanese technocrats recognised that the nation could not immediately compete at the world’s electronics frontier. One of them was Kwoh-Ting Li, then minister of economic affairs, who is often referred to as the “father of Taiwan’s economic miracle”.

At that time, Taiwan lacked the financial capital and technological skills to compete with industry leaders such as Japan and the US. So rather than trying to dominate the entire semiconductor industry from design through to production, Taiwanese policymakers focused on building capabilities in precision manufacturing. This is the most operationally demanding part of the semiconductor value chain.

Established in 1973 by the Taiwanese government, the Industrial Technology Research Institute carefully acquired semiconductor process technology through licensing agreements with the now defunct US firm Radio Corporation of America (RCA). It then trained a generation of Taiwanese engineers.

The pivotal moment came in 1987, when Morris Chang established TSMC. Chang, a US-trained engineer who had spent decades at American semiconductor multinational Texas Instruments, devised what is now known as the “pure-play foundry” model.

Rather than designing and manufacturing its own branded chips, this meant that TSMC would manufacture chips for other firms. This strategic choice was transformative because it reassured American and European semiconductor companies that TSMC would not compete with them. It allowed major tech firms such as Qualcomm and later Nvidia to outsource chip production to Taiwan without fear of intellectual property leakage or strategic rivalry.

The Taiwanese semiconductor industry grew within the Hsinchu Science Park, a major industrial cluster south of the Taiwanese capital of Taipei. By the early 1990s, Hsinchu Park hosted more than 140 chip manufacturing firms and employed around 30,000 workers. The strength of the cluster attracted legions of Taiwanese engineers back from the US, helping Taiwan become the global leader in the production of advanced semiconductors.

The ‘silicon shield’

Taiwan’s semiconductor dominance has played an overt role in protecting the island from its existential threat – a Chinese invasion. This phenomenon was explicitly named in 2021 in an article published in Foreign Affairs magazine, where the former Taiwanese president, Tsai Ing-wen, argued that Taiwan’s semiconductor industry acts as a “silicon shield”.

The dependence of the global economy on Taiwanese-made advanced chips, she argued, means the disruption caused by a Chinese invasion would trigger catastrophic global economic consequences. Taiwan’s allies would thus be compelled to come to its defence.

In recent years, Taiwan’s silicon shield has come under threat. Following the start of US export restrictions on advanced chipmaking equipment to China in 2020, Beijing has accelerated its efforts to build indigenous capacity in chip manufacturing. It has significantly increased investment in its semiconductor industry.

Semiconductors were the underperformer in the Made in China 2025 strategy, through which Chinese leadership aimed to transform their nation into a high-tech manufacturing superpower. China fell short of its goals for the localisation of semiconductor production and global market share, missing targets by the 2025 deadline.

However, Chinese chip manufacturers like HiSilicon and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation have been gaining momentum. A proposal by 13 Chinese chip industry executives in March outlined aims to increase self-sufficiency to 80% by 2030. China’s semiconductor self-sufficiency is currently around 33%.

At the same time, Washington is pushing to bring semiconductor manufacturing back onshore. Biden-era initiatives such as the Chips and Science Act offered incentives for TSMC’s sprawling manufacturing facility in Arizona, which opened in 2022 as part of US efforts to boost domestic chip production.

These incentives for TSMC included up to US$6.6 billion (£5 billion) in direct investment and significant tax credits. TSMC committed an initial US$65 billion to the plan, with the Trump administration announcing in March 2025 that the company would boost its US investment by a further US$100 billion.

Elon Musk also recently announced plans for advanced chip facilities in Texas for his two companies, Tesla and SpaceX. In light of Musk’s concerns that companies like TSMC are not producing the volume of chips his companies need, the so-called “Terafab” venture aims to consolidate every stage of the semiconductor production process under one roof and is expected to cost in the range of US$25 billion. Other companies investing in chip fabrication in the US include Micron, Texas Instruments and Intel.

Despite US and Chinese efforts, replicating Taiwan’s manufacturing ecosystem is difficult. It requires not only capital and equipment, but also knowledge that has been accumulated over decades as well as dense supplier networks and an unparalleled engineering workforce.

TSMC has struggled to hire talent in Arizona, and has resorted to flying thousands of workers in from Taiwan in a bid to improve the skills of locals. And while TSMC is now producing semiconductors at the cutting edge of 2-nanometre scale, the Chinese self-sufficiency goals aim to have “entirely domestically produced equipment” for the less sophisticated 7-nanometre and 14-nanometre generations of chips.

The difference between 2nm and 7nm chips is significant – a 45% increase in performance while using 75% less power. The narrower chips are used for advanced processes such as cutting-edge AI, while the wider ones are used in a broader range of electronics, like smartphones, desktop processors and automobiles.

Taiwan’s semiconductor story is ultimately one of strategic foresight. By choosing manufacturing over design, embedding itself within US-led technological networks and cultivating world-class process expertise, Taiwan transformed structural vulnerability into structural power.

Through its semiconductor dominance, Taiwan stands out as the quintessential niche superpower. But history shows that superpower status, including in niches, is never permanent. The technological frontier moves, rivals learn and allies hedge.

For Taiwan, remaining indispensable to the global economy will require not only staying ahead technologically. It will also require carefully orchestrating the political, financial and human capital foundations that made its silicon shield possible in the first place.

Southampton, meanwhile, are on a run of 14 games unbeaten in all competitions and overcame Premier League opposition in Fulham in the last round thanks to an injury time penalty. The winners of this tie will progress to the FA Cup semi-finals, learning their opponents when the draw takes place tomorrow. Follow the game LIVE below with our dedicated match blog, featuring expert insight and analysis from Matt Verri!

The Department for Transport revealed that all speed cameras were to be painted yellow by October 2016.

This should make most of them easier to see, but what about speed cameras on the other side of the road? Well, you might be surprised to know the answer.

Can you get caught speeding on the other side of the road?

In a way, yes.

Many motorists believe that if a speed camera is located on the other side of the road, they can’t get caught speeding. However, this is not strictly true.

Fixed speed cameras can’t usually catch motorists on the other side of the road, but mobile police vans or manually operated speed guns most certainly can.

Mobile vans can be parked anywhere, so it’s best to always stick to the limit.

Since the first speed camera was installed in the UK in 1991, drivers have been trying to trick the system and avoid being caught. 

You should always drive safely and stay within the speed limit. This protects you and your passengers as well as all other road users and pedestrians.

It can also cost you penalty points and a speeding fine; if you are a repeat offender, you can lose your driving license altogether.

What happens if I am caught speeding?

It all comes down to the circumstances within which you were caught speeding, and how much you were more than the limit.

The minimum penalty for being caught speeding on the UK’s roads is a £100 fine.

In some circumstances, police can offer the option of attending a speed awareness course – an alternative to a fine and penalty points.

Have you ever been caught speeding? Let us know in the comments

Every mission to deep space is fraught with danger. A hardware failure during launch, an equipment malfunction far from Earth, or a small space rock hitting the vehicle are all scenarios astronauts will train for.

As humans set off on the Artemis II mission, visiting the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years, one persistent threat they face is from solar radiation.

Intense bursts of radiation from the Sun, known as solar particle events, can endanger the lives of space travellers, particularly those venturing beyond low Earth orbit (LEO). During these events, high speed, charged particles stream out from the Sun and into space.

Exposure to these particles could lead to radiation sickness or, in the worst cases, prove fatal. On space stations and other crewed vehicles travelling in LEO, astronauts are afforded a high degree of protection by the magnetic bubble surrounding Earth (the magnetosphere).

But in interplanetary space, where Artemis II is headed, humans are much more exposed to outpourings of solar radiation.

The Sun’s magnetic activity fluctuates on a cycle lasting roughly 11 years. During this cycle, sunspots (areas of reduced temperature caused by intense magnetic fields) can cause eruptions known as flares, as well as solar particle events. These rise and fall in frequency with the solar cycle.

The current solar cycle reached its maximum, when the Sun is generally at its most active, in 2024 and is now in a slowly declining phase leading to the minimum, when the Sun is quietest. The current cycle should reach the minimum in 2031.

Not all solar cycles are the same and the current one has been rather undistinguished in terms of activity, as was the previous cycle that reached maximum in 2014. Recently, however, the Sun woke from its slumber.

On November 11 2025, a large solar particle event increased ground level radiation by about 145% for two hours, as measured by the University of Surrey’s neutron monitor at the Met Office station at Lerwick, Shetland.

This was also detected by University of Surrey SAIRA (Smart Atmospheric Ionising Radiation) monitors installed on two transatlantic flights and on rapid response meteorological balloon flights at Lerwick, Cambourne and near Utrecht in the Netherlands.

Work is in hand to unscramble this complex event to determine the radiation increases worldwide using the University of Surrey computer model MAIRE (Model for Atmospheric Ionising Radiation Effects). This calculates radiation levels at aviation altitudes for normal atmospheric conditions, as well as for enhanced radiation events caused by increased solar activity.

Three immediate research papers are in production to describe the radiation monitors and their calibration, to summarise the flight data and to compare the data with available models.

A close call

The solar particle event on November 11 2025 serves to tell us that, whatever the probabilities might be, the Sun can always take us by surprise.

To underline the importance of such events for deep space missions, let’s rewind the clock to 1972. At the time, the Sun was in a similar declining phase in its 11-year cycle as we are today. Then, between August 2 and August 11 1972, the Sun unleashed one of the largest solar particle events of the space age.

This gigantic release of charged particles from the Sun occurred in between the Apollo 16 (April 1972) and Apollo 17 (December 1972) missions to the Moon.

This event was much bigger than the one in November 2025 – by a factor of 40. If it had taken place while astronauts were in space, the radiation dose could have caused severe illness or even death.

The Apollo crews had a lucky escape. But the solar particle event made an impact on Earth. The ensuing geomagnetic storm is thought to have caused 4,000 US-laid mines to spontaneously detonate in Hanoi harbour during the Vietnam war, causing confusion and alarm on both sides.

There are ways to prepare for similar events in future. The most dangerous aspect of this radiation is its high energy component, which can penetrate shielding on spacecraft. The Surrey Space Centre Space Environment & Protection team are currently working on a detector, called the High Energy Proton instrument, that definitively measures this high energy component of solar particle radiation.

It does this through the light flashes emitted when the particles transit a transparent medium at velocities exceeding the speed of light. Astronauts often report seeing such flashes of light, even with their eyes closed, that can be caused by solar particles or high-energy cosmic rays passing through the retina or optic nerve.

À lire aussi :
Why has it taken so long to return to the Moon?

Advance warning

The University of Surrey radiation detectors could now fly on a lunar orbiting mission towards the end of the decade. On this mission, they will characterise the danger to lunar bases as well as to the Earth. Nasa is planning to spend US$20 billion (£15 billion) on a base at the south pole of the Moon. A separate outpost is planned by China and Russia.

Radiation warning systems can give astronauts the time they need to retreat to storm shelters within a base or spacecraft where increased and specially designed shielding is used.

If astronauts travelling in Orion – the spacecraft used on Artemis II – receive advance word of a solar storm, they are instructed to get into storage lockers in the floor of the spacecraft. This places the crew next to Orion’s heat shield, making this area one of the most protected parts of the vehicle.

Warning systems can also help on Earth. During periods of high solar radiation, controllers could instruct aircraft to fly at lower altitudes and latitudes – and in extreme cases remain grounded.

Computing revolution

One big difference between the Apollo and Artemis missions is in the rapid development of microelectronics since the 1960s and 70s. This has led to trillion-fold increases in computer memory density and thousand-fold improvements in speed.

The Apollo computers were pioneering, but struggled to cope with the workload as Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin descended to the lunar surface during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969. However, there is a downside to this as the technology packed into modern spacecraft is vulnerable to radiation.

À lire aussi :
Heat shield safety concerns raise stakes for Nasa’s Artemis II Moon mission

The charge depositions from individual particles often exceed the amount required to change the state of the computer memory bits. In some cases it could destroy the device. It is now arguable whether the greater hazard from solar particle events is to astronaut health or to the flight electronics aboard spacecraft.

In 1972, the Apollo astronauts were very lucky. In this new age of exploration, when so many nations have designs on travel to deep space, we can’t afford to leave astronaut safety to the whims of fortune.

The ITV series returned to Blackpool for more auditions

Britain’s Got Talent viewers weren’t impressed with the variety of acts in the most recent round of auditions on the hit ITV show.

With a £250,000 prize and a spot at the Royal Variety show at stake, contestants have been battling it out to claim their place in the coveted final through a very competitive set of auditions.

Last year, magician Harry Moulding won through the public vote and gave a showstopping routine at last year’s Royal Variety performance.

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On Saturday (April 4) night, the judges returned to Blackpool for another round of auditions. The night kicked off in a promising way as an acrobatic group impressed with four yes’ straight away.

It was then time for The Maverick Magicians, made up of three friends who were hoping to win over the audience and the panel, in the hopes of securing their slot in the live shows.

As they approached the panel, judge KSI was asked to write a word down that no one would know or be able to Google about him. He then scrunched up the piece of paper before Simon Cowell was led on an impromptu shopping trip to buy a watermelon.

Having purchased his goods, Simon returned to the studio and hiding inside the chosen watermelon, the name which KSI had secretly written down appeared inside the fruit.

The audience and judges were in shock over the trick, with Ant and Dec also unsure how they managed to pull it off. KSI said: “I’m literally lose for words. It was incredible!”

Although they received 100% yes votes from the panel, some viewers at home admitted that they were feeling quite “bored” of magician acts on the hit ITV series.

On X (formerly known as Twitter), @ryansoapking25 wrote: “Maverick Magicians: How many of these run of the mill magicans are we going to get? I’m bored at this point. Another staged magic act!”

@alltvukshows added: “here is far to much magicians but no one will beat that young boy”. However, some viewers added how much they enjoyed the act, as @agshizzle penned: “Got to love magic acts”.

Originally from New Zealand, three-year-old Islay was crowned the winner of the annual Easter corgi derby.

The promise of hot dogs at the finish line was enough to spur on a Pembroke Welsh corgi to victory in the annual Easter corgi derby at a Scottish racecourse. Three-year-old Islay, which was born in New Zealand, romped to victory in the race at Musselburgh Racecourse.

Owner Carolyne Ricardo, a vet at the University of Glasgow, said: “It’s a bit of surprise because we only found out two weeks ago she had been accepted for the race but I am delighted.” Ms Ricardo, originally from New York, added: “She likes a nap and is a slow starter in the morning but if she comes across a squirrel it’s a goner.”

Dogs from across the world competed in the race including Sadie, which travelled with her owner from Newquay, Cornwall, and Naomi, which lives in Glasgow with her owners, but was born in China. The annual race is in its fifth year and was created in honour of Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee in 2022.

Musselburgh Racecourse head of marketing and business development, Aisling Johnston, said: “Our Virgin Bet Scottish sprint cup race day is a fixture featuring lots of high quality horse racing with more than £300,000 on offer – but it’s no exaggeration to say our little, four-legged friends do their best to steal the show.”

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The dancers, joined by the Stacksteads Band, set off from the Old Travellers Rest in Britannia just after 9am before following their seven‑mile route through Bacup and Stacksteads to finish at the Glen Service Station in Waterfoot.

This year, the team dedicated their efforts to raising funds for ANDYSMANCLUB, a men’s mental health charity that offers free peer‑to‑peer support groups across the UK.

A message on the group’s website said: “We’re incredibly proud to support ANDYSMANCLUB this year. The message that it’s okay for men to talk about their mental health is such an important one, and we’re glad to play our part by helping raise awareness.”

Video by Phil Taylor shows the dancers performing at a man’s window in Stacksteads

Despite the drizzle, locals and visitors lined the streets to cheer as the dancers made their way through town to the sound of drums and clogs.

Among the onlookers were Anne and Graham Ireland, both from Bacup, who have watched the event for decades.

Anne said: “We come to it every year, we live in Bacup. We enjoy coming to it. My dad was in it for 26 years.

The dancers in Irwell Terrace, Bacup (Image: NQ)

“It’s silly, the controversy. They’ve done it for 150 years and it’s only recently there’s been any controversy. It’s a good event that brings the community out.”

The Coconutters’ website describes the event as “a magical day filled with pride, cheer and laughter” that draws supporters from across the region to celebrate a piece of Lancashire history dating back to the 19th century, when Cornish tin miners are thought to have brought the dance to Rossendale.

Another spectator, Tom Carver, said: “You can’t help but get swept up in it – the music, the energy, the sense of tradition. Whatever people think about it, there’s no denying it’s part of Bacup’s identity.”

The troupe’s trademark blackened faces have, however, drawn criticism in recent years, with some saying the look is racially insensitive.

The dancers made several stops along the 7-mile route (Image: NQ)

The Britannia men maintain that the colouring stems from their 19th‑century mining roots, when soot was used to disguise the dancers’ faces, and that it now forms part of the costume representing “Moorish pirates.”

The group left the country’s main Morris organisation in 2020 after it urged dance teams to drop full-face black makeup.

The dancers says the focus of the day remains on charity, community, and keeping one of Lancashire’s enduring traditions alive for another generation.

Literature expresses complex and nuanced ideas – the powerful feelings that define us as human beings and the detailed observations that illuminate all aspects of our lives. It does so with words put together with consummate skill.

So, surely silence is a nothingness, an affront to the communication of both rational argument and strong emotion – literature’s opposite, even its anathema?

Well, no. In my new book Silence: A Literary History, I’ve set out to show that, over 1,200 years, English literature has spoken to us – and spoken to us eloquently – through silences as well as through words. Without silences, both formal and thematic, we wouldn’t have the exquisite hush of medieval lullabies, the suspenseful secrets of the realist novel, or the jagged fragmentation of modernist poetry.

We would lose implicitness, a good deal of ambiguity, much precision, a powerful mode of protest and a variety of moods. Iago would explain exactly why he wanted to destroy Othello in Shakespeare’s play. The dog would bark in the night time in The Hound of the Baskervilles, by Arthur Conan Doyle. And D.H. Lawrence’s sex scenes would come with a running commentary.

The start of silence

If silence has a starting point in English literary history, it’s a man at sea. The 9th-century poem The Wanderer, composed in the Old English language of the Anglo-Saxons, communicates the sheer strangeness of silence via an alien grey seascape in which the protagonist is utterly alone.

This silence is composed not of complete noiselessness – the hail beats on the waves and a seabird occasionally mews – but of an intense and total absence of human voices.

The poem conveys the difficulty of this silence – its wretched, aching loneliness and its perpetual reminder of lost happiness. But it also portrays silence as a duty, the mark of a seasoned warrior forged by Graeco-Roman stoicism, the Germanic hero ethos and Christian asceticism.

And it confronts readers, here at the very beginnings of English literature, with a silent inner voice: the necessary basis of an interior life.

Scroll on 1,200 years. En route, we will take in the tongue-tied silences of Renaissance love poetry, the green silences of 18th-century pastoral scenes and the dumbfounded wonder of the romantic sublime.

We will pause, awestruck, at Tennyson’s great epic of speechless grief, In Memoriam. We will relish the social silences of the Victorian novel, from the hilariously awkward to the emotionally profound.

The fascism-bordering silences of Modernism will make us shiver, before we ponder 20th-century experiments with visual, acoustic and dramatic silences. And we will arrive at the genre-defying, multimedia poetry collection that is Jay Bernard’s Surge (2019).

Voices that we cannot hear

In 2016, Bernard took up a residency at the George Padmore Institute in London, an archive dedicated to radical Black history in Britain. The New Cross fire, which in 1981 had killed 13 young Black people, was playing on their mind. And then on June 14 2017, as Bernard puts it: “Grenfell happened”.

Bernard was sickened by the similarities: “The lack of closure, the lack of responsibility and the lack of accountability” at the centre of both conflagrations.

Surge’s response takes its title from a remark by the Black activist Darcus Howe, one of the organisers of the Black People’s Day of Action in 1981: “When you surge and you don’t deal with the question, barbarism expresses itself.”

Speaking over the barbarism, Surge registers a gamut of other silences as it winds between the New Cross and Grenfell fires, and historic and ongoing injustices to Black people.

There is the “muffling” of the New Cross fire by the police, and the details that were literally “tippex’d out” of the file. The silence of the media cannot dispel the weighty silences of the ghostly dead. Then there are the silences that surround transness: hiddenness, rejection and defiance of conventional categories.

With this last issue, we can scroll back up the centuries again. The 13th-century romance Silence, written in Old French by a Cornishman, Heldris de Cornualle, relates the legend of a girl-child being brought up as a boy called Silence because women are forbidden to inherit their parents’ estates. This causes a furious argument between the characters of Nature and Nurture, which anticipates our own age’s differences over transness by eight centuries.

“They have insulted me,” complains Nature, “by acting as if the work of Nurture / were superior to mine!”

But Reason, on behalf of Nurture, urges Silence to resist Nature’s blandishments, or “you will never train for knighthood afterwards. / You will lose your horse and chariot.”

Nature is the winner in the story, but the poem is able to accommodate Silence as both male and female – effortlessly embracing apparent contradictions in such lines as “he was a girl”.

I believe noticing silences in literature makes us better readers. We come to recognise that some things are better left unsaid – indeed, that some things can’t be said. As a result, our antennae become attuned to literature’s stock-in-trade: the indirect and the inexplicit.

Importantly, we become aware of who hasn’t spoken. All this means we gain a better understanding of what communication is, and how we interact with other people. As our reading acquires a new, slower tempo and a new rhythm, our interpretations change.

What can silences speak to us about? Some of the profoundest aspects of our existence: our understanding of what makes a self; our sense of sacredness; our most powerful and intimate feelings; our place in the natural world; our capacity for wonder. All we have to do is notice.

The excerpt from Silence: A Thirteenth-Century French Romance was translated by Sarah Roche-Mahdi. This article features references to books that have been included for editorial reasons, and may contain links to bookshop.org. If you click on one of the links and go on to buy something from bookshop.org The Conversation UK may earn a commission.