Book Description
1890. Translations by A.W. Evans, Lafcadio Hearn, and Mrs. Wilfrid Jackson. Anatole France is the pen name of Jacques Anatole Francois Thibault, French novelist, poet, critic and winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1921. This volume contains three of his novels: Penguin Island, The Crime of Sylvestre Bonnard and The Revolt of the Angels. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.
Book Description
This is the first edition of Typee to place its most riveting features—the highly charged and complicated accounts of sexuality, tattooing, cannibalism, and taboo—in a broad historical context. Twelve rich selections from the writings of Melville's predecessors and contemporaries, along with eight illustrations, will help readers develop a fuller sense of where Melville's treatment of these topics is unconventional and why it matters. The volume also includes a complete list of the excisions and revisions insisted on by Melville's American publisher, further proof of how much his text was pushing the boundaries of acceptable literature of the day. Typee offers an alternative for instructors wishing to teach briefer Melville fiction.
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At one time the most popular of Melville's works, Typee was known as a travelogue that idealized and romanticized a mysterious South Sea island for readers in the ruthless, industrial, "civilized" world of the nineteenth century. But Melville's story of Tommo, the Yankee sailor who enters the flawed Pacific paradise of Nuku Hiva, is also a fast-moving adventure tale, an autobiographical account of the author's own Polynesian stay, an examination of the nature of good and evil, and a frank exploration of sensuality and exotic ritual. This edition of Typee, which reproduces the definitive text and the complete, never-before-published manuscript reading text, includes invaluable explanatory commentary by John Bryant.
Customer Reviews:
"Too Romantic to Be True" .......2007-08-18
Melville's famed magnus opus, "Moby Dick" should not be tackled without this adequate introduction to his work and dazzling literary adroitness. Do not have any apprehensions animated by a seemingly simplistic or bromide plot, for once a reader foreign to Melville's work grasps the exquisite prose and sincere romanticism ingrained in all of his novels, you're soon to become a captive of it's pages bound by an aroused imagination. Soon to learn the fame and notoriety surrounding Herman Melville is certainly not without reason and like many noble literary giants that have gone before us, his masterpieces withstand the test of time deservingly of the title, "Classic."
The quixotic idea of emerging as a castaway on a dissolute tropical island hidden from the world, deep in paradise with only the company of an exotic but mysterious native people should not deter you from believing "Typee" is of any similarity to other inferior postdating stories of the like. Melville combines a brilliantly adventurous travelogue accompanied by earnest philosophical reflections balancing it all out with anthropological observations of the Island's primitive peoples, as well as recollections of his own home. This famed novel was an ebullient endeavor during it's day which hints the emprise of such modern films as "Castaway" while engrossing the empathy of multiculturalism found in "Dances With Wolves." It is feasibly the first accurate portrait painted of South Pacific life through the eyes of a Westerner, influencing many travelogues to follow focusing on the region in the same fashion of Stevenson and Becke.
Numerous editions have been published since the original. The Penguin Classics Edition provides an introduction by author John Bryant who puts the story into context and Melville's conclusion of the supporting character's fate, written two years prior to the first edition in "Sequel: The Story of Toby."
When first published in 1846, "Typee" was an immediate hit. Readers of the era in the US and even in Europe already knew to expect stupendous things from the then obscure author. This is exemplified by the book's quantum leap to stardom. The original draft was submitted to be published in New York but was rejected supposedly because it was "too fantastic" to be true. The apparent fact that after more than a century and a half of being published readers still have an appetite for Melville's original work, must persuade even the most discriminating of literary tastes of the caliber of his writing. Do not be deceived by the age of "Typee." You needn't be a diehard classical literature enthusiast nor scholar to appreciate this very readable, gracefully written novel. Which is contrary to the sometimes unfathomable rhetoric of the bygone antebellum era. It remains still just as amusing and captivating to readers today.
"Typee" was the first of a trilogy of autobiographical novels set in the South Pacific dealing with Polynesian life. Readers of the author's lifetime couldn't get enough of his masterpieces still acclaimed today. Although not quite as well known as "Moby Dick" is to modern day readers, "Typee" is no less gripping or eloquent.
Eden Gone Bad.......2007-05-04
(This review is based on the Library of America edition)
Melville's first book - and you can call it a novel, because it is - is quite an impressive work. I have to admit that during my reading of it, I didn't know how much was non-fiction and how much was fiction. In the case of a non-fiction book, I would have been rather astonished by Melville's work. But the fact is that this isn't a non-fiction book, and that as a reader you should think more of a literary work. But do not be sad!
For what Melville does remains awesome. The book begins like a novel; the narrator seeks to escape his whaler and remain some time on one of the Marquesan Islands. After numerous adventures, he's eventually caught by the Typees, and from that point on, the book becomes close to an anthropological study of the exotic habits of the tribe. Melville is very insightful and witty, and more often than not, funny. His prose is rich and wonderful. A pure pleasure to read.
"Typee" is a peek at some kind of long lost Eden, where no one has to work for a living - fruits can be plucked any time - and where there seems to be no evil. The Typees all have perfect beautiful skin, due to countless bathings during the day, and they're seldom seen to either cause or receive any harm. However, things aren't so dream-like, and the narrator is constantly haunted by the ghost of cannibalism, especially as he has no clear idea of why his captors detain him and yet treat him kindly.
The author manages to produce some very interesting comparisons between the exotic "savages" and the Western Man, and this reminds me of many a sociologic book. Society, culture, humanity, all of these - and more - are considered from a very unique perspective in "Typee". Life among the cannibals, in an Eden of sorts, that is, in short, what the novel is about. Excellent read from a master of literature.
No Metaphysics, Just a Review.......2007-01-28
Realizing that at least some people might want to know if the book is a good read or not, I'll write a review that hopefully wont read like the opener to a thesis on early american literature: Here goes...
I liked it! I thought this Mellville guy writes and interesting and egageing story. Perhaps he does go into details that the story doesn't need, but even his tangents on trees and fruits, etc. are well written.
Worth the money, worth the time, and worth the attention. Plus, there is the added benefit of acting like a literature snob on a review.:)
Its a book, people. Relax, and enjoy.
Typee.......2006-09-12
Typee was a difficult book to read but worth the effort. There isn't much plot beyond "Tommo's" rehabilitation at the hands of the Typee and his fears that they might be cannibals. Is he being nursed back to health or fattened for a future supper? As with Moby Dick, the bulk of the text is in the form of essay and commentary. There are lengthy discussions on the language, the architecture, the music (or lack thereof), taboos and tatoos, and diet of the Typee. These extra chapters though don't have the humor that is present in Moby Dick. They are still an interesting observation on one subset of Polynesian culture.
Symbolism and Imagery........2006-01-17
All things considered, Typee is an excellent book considering it was Melville's first. The themes hidden inside a simple voyage onto the Nukuheva island are utterly breath-taking. Although Meliville states that "He has stated such matters just as they occurred, and leaves every one to form his own opinion concerning them,"(xx), we all know that the truth was stretched out such as the fact that, in reality, he was only on the Islands for four weeks, not four months. But his imagery, symbolism, and entire demise of the meaning of "civilization," is what makes this novel, a remarkable one.
The magnificent scenery and what it stands for is the readers first see as Melville's first main themes in Typee. Melville's imagery is what catches the attention of his readers. They delve deep within the picture he displays with the words he selects. The entire island that is described constantly through the story gives a sort of reference to the garden of Eden, but of course has a hidden meaning. Some critics interpret the reference to the garden of Eden as a symbol for innocence. But when Tommo first hears of the dreaded Typees, he only believes in their cannibalism. After living with them for four months, he always has that first reaction of the Typees in the back of his mind. Other critics would argue that the injured leg that Tommo is mysteriously diagnosed of only comes and goes according to his true feeling of the Typees at that moment. The Garden of Eden is known for it's beauty, it's tranquility, and it's innocence. All these things are attributes of the island but yet they also show that there cannot be innoncence without violence. The Typees are figured out in the end and the sayings are true but not how the rumors are spread. Tommo figures out that the "savages" are more civilized than the white men are back at home. Those French that landed to come take over are not helping the savages; they are destroying their villages and culture, like "savages." Ever since the beginning, Tommo notices that the savages are probably the truly more humane of the two. "'Yet, after all,' I quoth to myself, 'insensible as he is to a thousand wants, and removed from harassing cares, may not the savage be the happier man of the two?'" (29) This quote demonstrates two things. The undoubtable influence Shakespeare had on Melville and the remarkable foreshadowing that was to display the complete way of life, even of those most "savage," the Typees.
Another main part of Typee is the theme of forbidden romance. Tommo falls in love with the beautiful Fayaway and in the end, he could not even console her as she sobbed while he escaped in a row boat home. Melville proves in his writing that even though Tommo was entirely happy at times, there was always a moment of doubt. Here he demonstrates that even though this is "paradise" or "utopia," man will always miss his own culture no matter how violent they can be. Even though Tommo degraded the white man at every sign of native compassion to each other, he still wanted to go back. Don't forget that he was a prisoner in this peaceful place, and he escapes the island through the one thing that he feared, violence. Was it that he had learned the way of the Typees or had it always been there?
Average customer rating:
- This is how a pirate story should be. Sorry, Johnny Depp.
- Pieces of eight, pieces of eight!
- Free SF Reader
- Pirates, Parrots and Buried Treasure!
- Lives up to its reputation as a classic
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Treasure Island (Penguin Classics)
Robert Louis Stevenson , and
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ASIN: 0140437681 |
Amazon.com
Climb aboard for the swashbuckling adventure of a lifetime. Treasure Islandhas enthralled (and caused slight seasickness) for decades. The names Long John Silver and Jim Hawkins are destined to remain pieces of folklore for as long as children want to read Robert Louis Stevenson's most famous book. With it's dastardly plot and motley crew of rogues and villains, it seems unlikely that children will ever say no to this timeless classic. --Naomi Gesinger
Book Description
Discover the classics! Beautifully designed and carefully abridged, Troll Illustrated Classics are the perfect introductions to the world's best-loved literature.
Customer Reviews:
This is how a pirate story should be. Sorry, Johnny Depp........2007-10-06
I'm not a young boy, and yet I love this book that has been traditinally associted with kids every since it was written. In fact, it is one of my favorite books, and why not? Here is a book that first and foremost recognizes that a pirate adventure should be, well, an adventure, and makes sure to put the fun, danger, and excitement in the front with all the silly, pop-corn vibe action any kid could ask for.
It begins in England in seaside inn, told by the voice of hero Jim Hawkins. His parents own the inn, and one of the strangest guests is a man named Billy Bones, a guy who practically has split-personality in is treatment of young Jim. It turns out that the man is wanted for possessing a map to a legendary treasure. When pirates attack in an awesome pirate attack (how else can I describe it?) Jim finds himself aboard a ship on an adventure to find the treasure.
What follows is a classic, pulse-racing adventure of good and evil, pirates and good guys, and island fun, complete with all the necessary twists and turns and danger and betrayal.
It's not all fluff--Stevenson adds some surprisingly deep human emotions that actually serve to make the adventure that much more powerful. But never fear, it does not turn into a soap opera no matter how many subsequent movies want it to.
As I said before, it's an adventure story of piracy on the high seas, and that's what makes it so great.
Pieces of eight, pieces of eight!.......2007-09-04
Treasure Island is the first greatest pirate story of all times. The young and brave Jim Harkins, the scary but honorable Long John Silver, the smart and solid Doctor Livesey. Frankly I could go on and on listing interesting characters, major or otherwise, but let me just say that, having never before read the novel, I totally enjoyed it. It has everything, from a blind beggar to a treasure map to drunken pirates, a parrot, and lots of plotting. Who is with the good guys? Who is with the bad guys? Who is out for themselves? Read and see.
Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03
A tale of pirates, peglegs, parrots, purloining and perfidery and old Blind Pew.
A lost treasure map is wanted by many, who are willing to kill to get it. These men are pirates, and a young lad, Jack Hawkins, and the odd other innocent get caught up in the struggle.
A source of much classic pirate caricature and pretty enjoyable.
Pirates, Parrots and Buried Treasure!.......2007-08-17
By Laura B.
Treasure Island is an amazing story of adventure on the high seas, a tale of betrayal and friendship; an exciting saga of pirates on a search for buried treasure, this is a story that any age group will love. I have only seen Treasure Island movies in the past, and on reading the book I found the story different from what I've known. I am going to tell you a little about the book, I don't want to spoil the story so I won't tell you the entire thing.
The story first tells of how young Jim Hawkins got Captain Flint's Treasure map from Captain Billy Bones. Jim found the map in Billy Bones' sea chest when Jim and his mother were looking through the chest for the money that Bones owed them. Because you see Bones had died during his attempt to escape the evil pirates who were after him. So Jim and his mother had to hurriedly look for the money, and while his mother was trying to count out the right amount of money Jim took Captain Flint's map.
After the pirates attacked the "Admiral Benbow" that was the name of the inn that the Hawkins family owned, Jim goes and gets help from Dr.Livesey and Squire Trelawney and together they board a ship called the Hispaniola and set a course for Treasure Island.
On board Jim becomes friends with the ship's cook Long John Silver (who owns a parrot named Cap'n Flint after the infamous pirate captain), but little does Jim know that Silver is actually a pirate and an ex-member of Captain Flint's crew. Jim soon learns of a sinister plot being made by Silver to steal the treasure that might endanger him and his friends.
I won't say anymore. If you're the type that enjoys stories of pirates, treasure, and a parrot that says "pieces of eight, pieces of eight" you'll have to read the book. You can also read other Robert Louis Stevenson books like Kidnapped which I haven't read but it's supposed to be good, but the book you'll enjoy most is Treasure Island.
Lives up to its reputation as a classic.......2007-05-10
I read to my 11 and 9 year old daughters, a chapter a night and this one was perfect. It's not only a great story line, but allows children to identify with the main character. The graphic scenes describing various altercations between the crew and owners is relevant and realistic.
Customer Reviews:
Must read for all Viking descendants and people interested in Orkney Islands........2007-06-08
What an amazing compilation of stories. The Vikings really were horrible, just like Hagar. Written about 1100, 900 years ago, these stories tell the horrible truth about Vikings and what they did to get by, as collected by an unknown author from that time. Life was primitive, just like this book.
I highly recomment this book.
Research.......2006-08-28
This is a marvelous book. I bought it to find out more about the people involved there during Viking times. I found all I wanted to know about that, plus I found a very interesting and entertaining read. The information contained in this saga is priceless.
A different look at UK history.......2004-11-21
This saga cover eight or ten generations of Norse rulers of the islands north of Scotland, from the 900s up to about 1200AD. Despite its subtitle, it's not a history in the sense that modern reader might expect. Instead, it's more a series of vignettes or anecdotes, strung together in more-or-less chronological order.
Like other sagas, this was put in current form and written down by an Icelander. Until then, the stories had been part of the oral tradition. Small surprise, then, that events of minor interest were dropped and other events dressed up after the fact - despite the book's historical value, it can't always be taken at face value.
This is quite unlike Icelandic sagas in many ways. First, is that Norse paganism was largely supplanted by Christianity. Bishops appeared in positions of power, and pilgrimages to Rome were part of the tale. St. Magnus gets more attention than just about any of the other Earls, even the later ones whose stories had less time to fade.
The difference that struck me most was that, compared to the Icelanders, this was a very violent crowd. They lacked the realtive peace of Icelanders' democratic rule of law and system of courts. Instead, more depended on the authority of kings or of the best-armed thug in the region, not always a clear distinction. Many of the characters, Svein Asleifarson in particular, seemed to rely on twice-annual plundering as their major source of income. Those trips get generally minor attention, as if the vikings were shearing sheep or harvesting grain, instead of reaping plundered loot and human life. I know that peaceful times don't make history, so the stories that are kept always present a skewed view. Still, this sounds like a very different culture.
There's no real plot or character development, and names come and go at a dizzying rate. The translator has provided a glossary of personal names at the end, and that helps keep track of all the players. Still, it's a somewhat dry book by the usual standards of recreational readers.
Anyone interested in medieval Europe, Scotland or Norse culture in particular, will find a lot to like here. It's not the most exciting of the sagas, but gives a remarkable look at a powerful influence on English history.
//wiredweird
Orkneyinga Saga reviewed.......2004-06-17
I am a fan of all things to do with Orkney and Shetland. The viking history fascinates me. The complex Norwegian/Scottish history of Orkney is extremely interesting. I would recommend this book to people interested in Vikings, western European history and on the distinct culture of Orkney,U.K.
Orkneyinga Saga.......2004-02-15
The general concensus by many people is that the Vikings became instant pussies when they finally converted to Christianity. Well think again. This is an almost all post pagan epic and they are as bloodthirsty in this one as they are in any. Lots of inter family killings for the right to have domain over the Orkney Isles, lots of raiding, lots political skullduggery, everything you know and love about these Viking sagas.
Amazon.com
Nothing much happens on the Aran Islands--at least, not much went on there in the late 19th century, when John Synge sailed out to these mist-shrouded, salt-sprayed, and wave-battered chunks of rocks south of Ireland. Therein lies the charm of the setting and of this lovely book, which captures the saltiness of both the marine air and the time-lost characters, who deeply believe in the magical "wee people." In cottages where nets and fishing tackle hang from beams, the women (who always wear red dresses and petticoats, as do some of the boys) sit at their spinning wheels or sew cow-skin sandals, while the fishermen spin yarns about fairies, sunken vessels, and bags of gold gained from adulterous wives. The big happening of the year is when roofs are rethatched--an event that blossoms into a festival with twisted rope stretching from kitchen table through lane to nearby field. Synge seems an ambassador from a different world: addressed as "noble person," he brings tokens of modernity--be they clocks or simple magic tricks that beguile the locals. First published in 1907, this re-released travelogue gives a poignant peek into another time and begs a visit to the Aran Islands to see how, or if, they have changed. --Melissa Rossi
Book Description
A few of the younger men looked doubtful, but the older people, who have watched the rye turning into oats, seemed to accept the magic frankly, and did not show any surprise that 'a duine uasal' (a noble person) should be able to do like the witches.
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A few of the younger men looked doubtful, but the older people, who have watched the rye turning into oats, seemed to accept the magic frankly, and did not show any surprise that 'a duine uasal' (a noble person) should be able to do like the witches.
Customer Reviews:
Another world.......2007-01-31
Not only does this book describe a time long past but Synge has a deeper sense of the psychology of the inhabitants of the Aran Islands and how it differs with that of "civilized" people of the time. Anyone who is interested in this topic and enjoys this book would do well to read Twenty Years A-Growing by Maurice O'Sullivan, which is a personal account by Mr. O'Sullivan of his life on Ireland's Great Blasket Island and is a wonderful, lyrical read that shows alot of humor as well as love for the natural world around him.
Stories in another tongue.......2006-02-11
This book describes the adventures of J. M. Synge on the Aran Islands around the turn of the Twentieth Century. William Butler Yeats suggested that Synge visit the island in order to learn Irish and become acquainted with traditional Irish culture as it had been preserved on the islands. Synge followed his suggestion, and made four lengthy trips to the islands. In this book, he recounts his experiences on the islands, together with some of the stories and poems that were recited to him there.
The book is a unique collection of travelogue, journal, and research notebook. Synge describes his relationships with individuals on the islands, as well as some of the common traits and customs observable there. He tells us about harrowing sea passages that he took from island to island in small rowed boats, and records a number of folk-tales that were shared with him by island residents. Synge was to draw on all of this material in his later writing career, making the book quite interesting for those who enjoy his plays. The book also provides informative details of what daily life was like in this remote region at the time.
Lively Reading.......2004-07-06
The search for authentic experiences is regarded as an important theme in postmodernism. John Millington Synge's book demonstrates that this quest for authenticity has been an important part of cultural inquiry for a long time. This wonderful book was written almost one hundred years ago, but it reads like a contemporary ethnographic inquiry. He provides vivid descriptions of daily life and wonderful presentations of the folklore of the Aran Islands. The book is primarily descriptive, but there are interesting textures and conclusions throughout Synge's writing. I would recommend reading this book and then watching Flaherty's film "Man of Aran." Follow up that visual feast with Stoney's "The Making of the Myth." To complete your excursion, top things off with a reading of Synge's "Playboy of the Western World" and "Riders to the Sea," two fine plays that he set on the Aran Islands. The stories, descriptions, and textures within Synge's book will become very clear when you're finished.
An Insight Into The Irish Soul.......2003-03-15
"The Aran Islands" is a delightful rendition of the experiences of J. M. Synge during his visits to the Aran Islands just over a century ago. Synge's journey had been encouraged by William Butler Yeats. "Go to the Aran Islands. Live there as one of the people themselves; express a life that has never found expression." Here Synge gained an insight into the Irish character which would enrich his later works.
The Aran Islands are a chain of islands off the coasts of Connemara and Clare. Isolated by the sea, the Arans, like the Galapagos in the natural world, preserve the language and customs of traditional Ireland.
The book is a narrative of what Synge saw and the stories he heard during his stays in the Arans, told by a master storyteller in the finest Irish tradition. The language is delightful, the stories are entertaining and the insight into the Irish soul is profound. A must read for any lover of the Irish.
I was named after the island.......2003-02-09
My dad was born there in the 1950's and i was named after it. not a bad place, not much to do but nice to visit. the book is informal but informative.
Customer Reviews:
The relative importance of East Asia.......2006-05-20
For many years, Dr. McEvedy has been producing succinct analyses of mankind's achievements, combining wit and devastating attacks on the post-modern academic establishment.
But for some time, he left himself open to one major criticism: why deal with the Middle East, Europe, the Americas and even Africa, while relegating East Asia by implication to a historical backwater? In this book, he has convincingly rebutted his critcs.
Naturally, there will be partisans who find McEvedy's Euro-centric view of the world distasteful. To quote from an earlier work, "Asia is [rightly} considered only as a stage on which the European struts... this... needs no justification".
But here he has shown he is no mindless neo-con or jingo: he is simply not prepared to whitewash inconvenient facts, such as the smug and self-defeating attitude of the Ming and Ching rulers of China, or the fact that Japan only acquired real historical significance with the Meiji Restoration.
This is a book which will withstand the tests of time. It is brightened by the author's usual lively wit and extraordinary gift for relating maps to prose.
Rounding Out History.......2005-09-14
I am very interested in history and particulary fond of historical atlases. I own several by Colin McEvedy: The Atlases of Ancient History to Recent History, the Historical Atlas of Africa and that of North America. I particularly enjoy his witty incisive view of history. This particular atlas fills in my knowledge gap about the Pacific area. It was particulary fascinating to view the maps and read the history of this area, to find out how the "other half" of the world has been doing.
Good but not the best in the series........2005-06-21
Following from the excellent, entertaining and informative series of Penguin maps on Europe (Ancient, Middle ages, Modern, Recent Histories) this book attempts to show 10000 years of history in the Pacific in 100 pages using the same geographical map (of the entire Pacific rim), showing the rise and fall of cultures, civilisations and other relevant events in the history of the region.
Unfortunately, in this case it does not work so well with reading of the book a little disjointed and less absorbing that others in the series. There are two reasons why I think this is so :
1) The time frame is just too large - too much happens in 10,000 years to be described in enough detail in a book like this, and we end up with lots of details for some events (e.g. America vs. Japan in WWII, European exploration of Pacific 16th->18th centuries) and not so much on others (e.g. mass migration of Chinese to SE Asia in 19th century).
2) The geographical area covered (all the pacific rim) is just too big and in some parts just too plain empty. Further, some of the most interesting events are just outside this map and so are just shown on the periphery or get missed out, e.g. the rise and fall of various Chinese dynasties and the Russian conquest on Siberia all appear on the very periphery of the maps but the Galapagos and Easter islands are all that really exist in the SE Pacific and don't really have a lot of history but still are shown on every page.
Maybe these are just limitations of the rules of these books (i.e. to use the same map) but maybe a map of Asian history would be a good complement to it.
Despite this though, it still is a good read. Mr Mcevendy has a clever ability to describe a whole era of history in a single paragraph. And finally, as with his other books, within the text there is often some very funny lines which will keep readers amused, e.g. on the extinction of native species with the arrival of man "... the moa's problem was having had to too easy over the subsequent 150 million years : no enemies, no sense of danger, no moa".
Keep an eye out for bias and inaccuracies.......2004-03-21
The four parts of this book's contents gives a good indication of what you will find: Part 1, Setting the Scene [31 of the 120 pages to cover the period from 28 Million Years Ago until AD 1513]; Part 2. The Ocean Defined [by the Spaniards, English, Dutch, etc., of course]; Part 3. From Cook to Perry [need I say more]; and, finally, Modern Times [pp. 79-112, including much detail about WWII].
On the Meiji Restoration of 1868, the author states: ". . .as is often the case in Japan, things were not as they seemed. For instance, the idea that power was being restored to the emperor was simply humbug; the monarchy remained, as it always had been, purely ceremonial. For another, the new government was searching for a consenses and soon found it; top priority,it announced, would go to strengthening the armed forces. In a society that took great pride in its warrior caste, this was not a policy anyone could oppose. . ." And so on.
If the reader is content to understand the history of Japan simply as a series of Mifune films, topped off by "The Last Samurai", this may be the book for you. Otherwise, you will recall that the monarchy was very much in control of the government at least from the days of Prince Shotoku (d. 622) until the Gempei War (1180-85). . . He/she will also recall that the samurai class lost its political and social position from the very beginning of the Meiji Restoration. Was this a "society that took great pride in its warrior caste," or was it a society that was "opened" in 1853 with Commodore Perry's guns trained on the capital, a society quite aware of how Europe (including England) and America were on a rampage to colonize the entire world, that it might bestow upon it the blessings of democracy and Christianity? What would you do if you were a Japanese in 1868?
On the issue of inaccuracy, let me cite at least one, including one of the author's remarks that some might mistakenly consider amusing: "The Japanese script, on the other hand, though it looks similar to Chinese, was, from the start, an instrument for writing Japanese. There are several variants, which were combined with Chinese characters to produce the wildly complicated, often ambiguous hotch-potch that has proved so perfect a match for the Japanese psyche." (p. 23)
Where does one begin to address such a confused -- and bigoted -- statement? The earliest extant document in Japanese, the Kojiki (ca. 712), for the most part used Chinese characters for their PHONETIC value to convey Japanese sounds. The Nihon shoki (720), on the other hand, was written by Japanese IN CHINESE. Eventually, the Japanese developed two parallel syllabaries (kana) -- hiragana and katakana -- to complement the use of Chinese used SEMANTICALLY, for their meaning. . . The chart on p. 23 is also misleading. The Korean column contains standard Chinese characters but should probably display the Hankul script developed by the Koreans; and the "Japanese" column is, at best, some example of specialized writing style that to most Japanese today would be simply unreadable. Ask one.
For a good book on the issues, see Peter T. Daniels and William Bright, "The World's Writing Systems," New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996. 922 pages.
A scolarly and readable overview.......1998-11-17
Mcevedy's achievement is to take a broad sweep of history spanning several millenia and present it in a form which is clear, scholarly and readily comprehensible to the layman. His prose style is entertaining and the text is amply complemented by the adjoining maps. It is possible to follow the historical narrative and place it in a geographical context which would normally elude the lay reader. I found this to be an excellent and most entertaining book, as good as if not better than his previous work.
Book Description
Penguin Island in all its peculiar glory: this is the tale of the enchanted island island where the nearsighted Abbot Mael baptised penguins in error. These penguins ? posessed of Divine Grace by dint of baptism ? are remarkably like and unlike men; they rule the fictional land of Penguinia.
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Satire in which penguins become human via evolution.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent if you enjoy satire.......2007-08-22
This book is almost one hundred years old and it is still very relevant as a source of universal unchanging truths.
I am reading it as an E-book in the original French. France has a lovely style in his native language which is at the same time poetic, erudite and easy to read. Reading classic satire makes you realize how we are fundamentally the same and will probably never change. I was struck by a section punctuating the conclusion of the Pyrot ( Dreyfuss ) affair in which he comments that it was back to business as usual:
"The government remained under the control of the major financial institutions, the army dedicated exclusively to the defense of capital, the navy served only as a source of orders for the steel industry and the rich refused to pay their fair share of taxes. The poor, as before, paid for them."
Sound like any place you know?
If satire is your thing this is good stuff. It helps to be familiar with French pomposity and European history.
Outrageous satire.......2005-06-22
A pious monk discovers a previously unknown island. He is half deaf and more than half blind with age. Even so, he can see that the diminutive people here are gentle, serious, and not yet Christian. He performs a mass baptism, not realizing that he has created Christian penguins.
So begins France's straight-faced satire of the church, the state, and anything else he can think of. First, the innocents must clothe their nakedness. This creates modesty for them, but also creates immodesty, lust-inducing arts of skirt and bodice, and avarice for finer clothes and baubles. Next, they develop property law, proven by disputes over farmland. They create a noble class, when one demonstrates his nobility by killing another penguin and taking his land. They create a royalty, by means of fraud and extortion. They even create their first saint, the miraculous virgin Ste. Orberosia. She seemed best known for her miraculous virginity, which she proclaimed until her dying day (and we don't argue with saints). In fact, she was able to proclaim her virginity even after dozens or hundreds of encounters that would have destroyed it in less holy a woman - miraculous indeed. Perhaps the penguins weren't born subject to Original Sin, but they're mighty quick with the imitation.
The History of Penguinia moves forward, through ages of avarice, adultery, elaboarate scams, false accusations, and all the usual goings-on of the political world. The events are painfully funny, right down to the cynical, cyclical view of modern times, locked into an historical rhythm. The views are painful only because they're so very true.
I imagine they would have been even more true for me if I knew more about the political current events of France and Europe circa 1900, when this book was being written. I also suspect some wordplay in characters' names that would have been amusing if I knew French. It is a measure of Anatole France's genuius that now, nearly a hundred years later, it's still true enough for a modern reader, and one unfamiliar with the book's original milieu. I imagine this book will reward the prepared reader even more richly.
This is satire at its finest - funny, but with an edge, and funny because it's so very true.
//wiredweird
An exceedingly unusual but very entertaining novel.......2003-12-12
This novel simply isn't like anything else ever written.
A monk visiting an island populated by nothing but penguins accidentally baptizes them, and the saints in heaven debate what is to be done, since baptism can only be done to those with souls. The conclusion is to make the penguins human! The remainder of the book is a history of Penguin Island, which is a clever parody of European history. It may not be everyone's piece of pie, but I defy anyone to say that they have seen its like before.
the humans are penguins!.......2000-04-25
those blasted penguins were baptised and changed into penguins! this satire depicts the history of France! enjoy! :)
Should have been a Monty Python movie!!!.......1998-09-14
Anatole France spares no one in this satire about the the birth life and death of the Penguin empire. Starting from the baptism of the Penguins by St. Mael (and the associated debates in Heaven about the devine status of penguins) through the founding and subsequent fall of the empire, this story pokes fun at the Church, military, courts and every political movement known to man. The trial of poor Pyrot had me in stitches. If you like satire, READ THIS BOOK.
Book Description
This winning combination of vivid photographs and informative, inspiring text is the companion volume to the extraordinary surprise hit film deemed “Irresistible” by Entertainment Weekly. Timed perfectly for the holidays and the November release of the DVD!
Read the incredible, endearing story of the Emporer penguins’ yearly Antarctic odyssey and the long months of endurance, self-sacrifice and love as they raise a new generation of chicks.
Customer Reviews:
Everyone has a purpose...........2007-08-17
A feel good movie that leaves you feeling that everyone has a purpose no matter how insignificant people around them think they are.
A Beautiful Collector's book.......2006-10-15
This is more of a collector's book than an informative book--what's in the movie is exactly in this book. However, there's an interesting section about making the film--the penguins were very curious about the camera! This has a beautiful cover and beautiful pictures. If you loved this film as much as I do, get it! The only problem is, some of the panoramic shots are grainy, and you have to hold the book out to see a smooth picture. I knocked a star of for that.
Penguins march from the pages in full color.......2006-04-13
Luc Jacquet's MARCH OF THE PENGUINS (0792261828, $30.00) was a surprise movie hit, attracting many audiences who didn't particularly care about penguins or nature films. Narration written by Jordan Roberts accompanies vivid color photos by Jerome Maison in a movie companion book filled with full-page vivid color. Both are top picks for general-interest libraries.
Amazing.......2006-02-17
This book brings the movie, and indeed the penguins, to life. It is a pleasure to read and to get lost in the beauty of Anarctica and the amazing feats of the penguins. I highly recommend it!
If you want to completely relive the movie..........2006-01-04
If you already saw the movie, loved it with every fiber of your being, and you want to relive it over and over again, then by all means get the book--it has absolutely stunning photography and those too-cute-for-words penguins.
I love penguins and love seeing great photography, but since I already saw the movie (a documentary), as well as watching the (somewhat inane) extras on the DVD, I don't really feel the need for the book. It is basically a picture book of the movie, with much of Morgan Freeman's narration as the text. There is no additional penguin information, just what you saw in the movie.
So your options are: If you thought the movie was good but you probably wouldn't watch it again, then you may want to find a different penguin book. If you liked the movie and want a nice coffee table book, then you will probably like this book. If you could not get enough of the movie, then this book is for you.
Book Description
The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket is Poe's only novel and his "greatest work" (Jorge Luis Borges).
Reading a newspaper account in 1836 of a shipwreck and subsequent rescue of two men on board, Edgar Allan Poe found the germ of the story he would develop into The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket--his classic gothic sea novel. Published in 1838, this rousing sea adventure follows a New England boy, Pym, who stows away on a whaling ship with its captain's son, Augustus. The two boys, who find themselves repeatedly on the brink of discovery or death, witness many hair-raising events, including mutiny, savagery, cannibalism, and frantic pursuits. It was Poe's unique genius, however, that he imbued the deliberately popular tale with such allegorical richness that discerning readers have been intrigued ever since and his literary successors have employed his motifs. With its rich use of biblical imagery and psychological insights, Poe's masterpiece has resonated throughout subsequent literary history, influencing major works by Melville, Verne, James, Nabokov, and others.
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A strong hand held him on the cabin floor, with a tight grasp upon his throat--still he was able to see what was going on around him. His father was tied hand and foot, and lying along the steps of the companion-way with his head down, and a deep wound in the forehead, from which the blood was flowing in a continued stream. He spoke not a word, and was apparently dying. Over him stood the first mate, eying him with an expression of fiendish derision, and deliberately searching his pockets, from which he presently drew forth a large wallet and a chronometer.
Customer Reviews:
Adventure, horror, and fantasy as only Poe could conjure them .......2007-01-14
Suspense and horror pervade Poe's full-length story of entombment, mutiny, shipwreck, cannibalism, and more--a veritable catalog of all the human fears and foibles that Poe depicts in his more widely read tales of mystery and imagination.
The novel opens with a prefatory episode, in which Pym describes a truly harrowing night at sea when he and his best friend Augustus, after having far too much to drink, went sailing during a storm. Instead of curing Pym of his wanderlust, the experience and Augustus's anecdotes about sea life fill his head with abnormally romantic visions of "shipwreck and famine; of captivity among barbarian hordes; of a lifetime dragged out in sorrow and tears, upon some grey and desolate rock, in an ocean unapproachable and unknown." It's an accurate summary of what ensues, and although it may sound a lot like Defoe, Poe livens things up with his own special brand of horror.
After this preview, the rest of the novel feels like two main stories patched together around a central character. In the first adventure, Pym stows away on the ship owned by Augustus's father and emerges to discover that there has been a mutiny. The second half imagines a sort of "lost horizon" in the midst of Antarctica; instead of ice, there are temperate islands populated by devilishly affectionate natives.
It's rip-roaring fun, and it slows down only in between, when Pym travels through the Galapagos Islands on the way to the South Pole. These chapters, paraphrased and plagiarized rather shamelessly from contemporary travel accounts, abound in longitudinal measurements (a map will come in handy) and summaries of previous real-life explorations of the South Seas. The interlude as a whole is remarkably similar to Poe's unfinished (and languid) novel, "The Journal of Julius Rodman," published two years later, which also purports to be an account of unexplored territory--in this case, the Rocky Mountains. The fact that Poe had never been to either location doesn't help his fiction.
But don't let these skimmable chapters put you off. Readers who enjoy such classics as "Robinson Crusoe" or "Treasure Island" will find "Arthur Gordon Pym" a thrilling contribution to the adventure genre. It is also one of his more accessible works for young readers, often resembling a yarn of the high seas, without the ponderous metaphysics that bog down some of Poe's shorter pieces of fiction. And fans of science fiction, fantasy, and horror will be interested in the novel's obvious influence on later writers such as Jules Verne (who even wrote a largely forgotten sequel, "The Sphinx of the Ice Fields") and, of course, H. P. Lovecraft (most notably his story "At the Mountains of Madness").
An odd literary adventure.......2006-11-19
Poe only wrote one novel, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket. The novel is a series of amazing adventures that happen to the young Pym. Pym hides in a casket-like box in a ship, along with a rotten ham and several bottles of liquor and a cask of wine. While trapped under the deck, Pym finds that his dog has also joined him in his misadventure. The book takes you through Pym's experiences of being trapped under deck without food or water. He also experiences a mutiny where a faction of the crew take over the ship and kill many of the other crew members before putting the captain and a few honest sailors into a small boat with now paddles or compass. Pym, his friend the Captain's son, and a super strong sailor who participated in the mutiny stick together for survival sake, especially around the African blood thirsty cook who beheads other sailors. The sailor who mentors Pym is half black and half white, which Poe calls a 'hybrid'. They undergo a range of adventures with a death ship full of corpses, and storms so violent that the ship is reduced to ruins. They are reduced to cannibalism and draw straws to determine who will be dinner. They find and eat a dead polar bear. They pass many icebergs until the water becomes warm and tropical as they get near Antarctica. They find a tropical island full of black men who become very treacherous to our heroes. They escape the island and get caught in a giant whirlpool that is going into the center of the earth, where they see a gigantic white glowing figure. Then Poe pulls a fast one on us and tells us that the final 3 chapters of Pym's narrative have been lost and unfortunately young Pym has recently died.
What do we make of this crazy tale? This novel influenced Borges, Melville, and Jules Verne. Yet it is an odd novel, with an abrupt and truncated ending. In some ways it is a series of short stories strung together, each short story meant to give impressions of horror and adventure. Yet, I could not get over a distinct impression that Poe had written himself into a corner with no escape (after all what can possibly come after going into the center of the earth on a whirlpool at the south pole and seeing God or a giant angel?) and thus he wraps up the story in a very untidy manner.
At times, Poe's descriptions of horror are extremely beautiful and masterly. The ghost ship description is especially well done. At other times he develops a careful plot of intrigue and betrayal. The sections about the tribe of black men is very well constructed. At other times he is very abrupt and shocking, such as the immediate stabbing death of the poor man who was sacrificed so that the others could eat him and survive.
This brings up the topic as to whether a good novel must tie up all lose ends for the reader in a tidy plot resolution package? If this is what you seek in a novel, Arthur Gordon Pym is not the book for you. However if you are willing to go on an awkward journey with a skilled but uneven writer,then you will enjoy this unique novel.
The white Odyssey!.......2006-05-09
Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket is one of the most relevant and significant novels of Poe. His passionate literary style, told in first person, tells us about the hidden incursion of Arthur in a boat that will make a tour through the east coasts of South America.
The prodigious imagination and febrile mood, make of it an issue of invaluable and beating actuality.
The white color will impregnate the work as another invisible actor. And its final is still one of the most sublime and admired ever written.
"[I feared] that the public would regard what I put forth as merely an impudent and ingenious fiction.".......2006-05-06
Claiming that this is the true narrative of a sea voyage by Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket, Edgar Allen Poe records the strange, unbelievable events aboard the ship Grampus in 1827 and on a voyage of discovery to the Antarctic six months later. Published in 1838, Poe's fictionalized narrative, supposedly penned by Pym, a young man from Nantucket, describes Pym's experiences beginning in July, 1827. Stowed away in the hold of the ship and aided by his friend Augustus Barnard, whose father is captain of the Grampus, Pym endures more than a week alone and in almost total darkness before he discovers that a mutiny has occurred onboard.
Macabre details of ghastly deaths and unrelieved bloodlust, the massacre of the crew, and the casting adrift of the captain presage even more gory events. A countermutiny, equally bloody, leaves only four men alive on the Grampus. A gale, a gruesome death ship which passes them, circling sharks, and additional deaths leave only two men alive when the brig capsizes.
The second half of the account details the trip of discovery taken by Pym and the other survivor, along with an English crew from a passing ship, south to the "Antarctic Sea," a voyage in which they go "more than eight degrees farther south than any previous navigators." On this journey they encounter a monstrous "Arctic bear," more than 15 feet long, a cat-like animal with red teeth and claws, warm water with Galapagos tortoises, a series of islands inhabited by canoe-paddling natives, the Aurora Borealis, hot and milky water, white ashy showers, and a huge human figure in white, not the sights reported by later Antarctic explorers.
Poe's only novel, in the romantic tradition of sea adventures, presages the publication of Melville's Typee, which is a true story. In this case, Poe plays with the reader's sense of reality, claiming that his fictional narrative is true and that the fictional Pym had "refused" to publish it because he thought no one would believe his tale. Ironies abound, matched only by the romantic embellishments and imaginative "discoveries" in Antarctica that make this fast-paced narrative as full of tense drama as any soap opera. The abrupt "conclusion" remains ironically inconclusive. Breathless excitement and near death experiences, combined with mystical visions and inexplicable events, make this exciting narrative fun to read. Mary Whipple
The Adventure of Pym.......2005-11-07
This was a fascinating, and often horrifying adventure on the high seas. This is Poe's only full length novel and it is truly terrific. It's got darkness like only Poe can deliver, yet it is also very reminiscent of true narratives that relate the tales of violence and cannibalism in extreme circumstances.
This novel has been accused in the past of not being realistic but I've got two things to say to that:
1. It's fiction, and therefore has license to be fantastical in order to excite the reader
2. This account was inspired by a real newspaper article Poe read and is truly reflective in many ways of narrative exploration history.
The book is 200 pages and a fast and fun read. It's a classic you can sink your teeth into!
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