ASTERIX THE GAUL
Per Rose's suggestion, I read Asterix the Gaul. I can see why Rose liked it, although I can't say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was very surprised when it arrived via interlibrary loan to find that it's basically a comic book! (I can't wait to hear Rose's comments.)I opened it up at the library counter and stared at Jonathan. "ROSE recommended this?!?! This isn't what I was expecting!"
I have very little to say about it except for that it reads like a pun and if you know anything about Roman history you will probably get a huge kick out of it. I know very little about Roman history so my guess is that I haven't appreciated it for what it is. I'll let Rose write more about this one. Actually -- I'm entirely under the assumption that I am not appreciating this book as I ought. So Rose, please comment and fill us all in on why you like it and what is particularly enjoyable to you about it.
I CAN say that I few parts had me laughing outloud. For a quick, easy read (30 minutse tops?) that will most definitely produce a snicker or two -- read it. It will not hurt you.
posted by Carrie @ 1:32 PM
5 comments
5 Comments:
I read Asterix the Gaul standing at the "comics" section which happens to be located in between two rather uncomfortable, eye averting places; the "graphic novel" section and the "adult comics" section in Barnes and Noble. It was a new read and it was rather funny. I din't buy it though. I don't think it suited any of my personal tastes.
I remember reading that (and the others in the series) when I was a kid:) I'll have to look it up again...
I was forced into the very exclusive "Young Adult" secion of my modern Metro DC area local library. Sad, sad place. :) I confess I found browsing the other comics and "graphic novels" more interesting than Asterix the Gaul; but I have no intention of repeating the event.
I snickered, I giggled. I did not laugh. For there being so many it seemed like the plots would quickly get redundant (as it was predictable enough to begin with), but I had no desire to read more and find out.
I highly recommend it for middle school kids who are studying ancient history and/or Latin. The random Latin quotes were what cracked me up the most.
Enjoyable; but not repeatable.
Now, Carrie, aren’t you glad you had a quick and easy read on an otherwise grueling month? =)
It’s funny to hear of the different reactions that the Asterix books provoke. I grew up reading them, so naturally I’m used to the idea of their being comic books. Perhaps to appreciate Asterix as an adult, you have to 1) have a thorough knowledge of Latin, history, and literature; or 2) have read them as a kid. I remember reading and loving the Asterix books from long ago, when most of the literary references sailed right over my head. Now I know a bit more about the world, and I still feel as if I'm just scratching the surface of the wit and cleverness.
Asterix was originally written in French, and is still wildly popular in Europe today, much to the quizzical puzzlement of most Americans and Brits. It’s amazing to me how well so many puns and clever names translate. The Asterix books were recently reprinted by Orion books (printed for the first time in America), at which time I read the following review on Amazon:
In 'Asterix the Legionary' the pirates' ship is sunk by Asterix and Obelix (again). The image of the pirates on a raft in mid ocean is derived from a 19th Century French Romantic painting, now in the Louvre, 'The Raft of the Medusa' by Géricault. In the French version the pirate captain says to the reader 'Je suis médusé' ('I'm stunned'). In English this is rendered equally cleverly as 'We've been framed, by Jericho.'
Wow! I felt smarter just reading that! Some of the puns are silly, but many of them make plays on semi-obscure events, quotes, or bits of trivia that make you feel terribly clever if you do recognise the reference. (‘We’re gonna hang the washing on the Armorican line…’ ‘Water, water, everywhere, except where we want it.’) What makes it so much more interesting is that, aside from the comic buffoonery of the characters, the books are based on actual historical fact and involve events, places, customs, and historical figures that did exist. (Thompson and Thomson from Tintin even make a cameo appearance in one.)
Elr, regarding your query as to the predictability of the plots, there are a few elements that surface in every book (the Gauls thumping the Romans, Obelix wanting a swig of magic potion, the Bard getting gagged so he can’t sing at the banquet) but each story has a distinct and original plot. (That is, up through Asterix in Belgium, when one of the co-authors died and the other tried to carry on, much to the deterioration of the plots.)
It could be that Asterix is one of those things you either get or you don’t. Or, it could be the sort that grows on you. My husband had never heard about Asterix before we met, and thought I was crazy when I lent him six of my Asterix books to read, along with a hearty dose of high praise for the literary feast he was about to delight in. However, the happy conclusion is that I have now successfully converted him to fan-dom. =)
Ah! Thank you, Rose, for your comments. I was waiting for them. ;)
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