Penguin Island

France, Anatole, 1844-1924Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.3

Word count: 470K words
Chapters: 47

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Penguin Island by Anatole FranceAuthor: France, Anatole, 1844-1924,Language: English, Class: PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Release Date: Feb 26, 2006

Editor's review

This satirical novel by Anatole France sets its stage on the fictional Penguin Island, using a mischievous touch to reenact the long course of human civilization: from origin myths, religion and war to political systems, colonial expansion and social customs. Through the absurd premise of penguins accidentally baptized and turned into humans, the book unfolds a cold-eyed mockery of historical narrative and the progress of civilization, its satire aimed at clerical authority, nationalism and the so-called "civilizing mission." France's prose is elegant and composed, yet his irony is a needle wrapped in silk; allusions and innuendo are dense, making the book both entertaining and demanding of some patience. It suits readers interested in French literature, historical allegory or reflective essays, and is often regarded as a representative work for understanding France's skepticism and humanistic concern. Since the chapters are relatively independent, readers may pick them by theme rather than insisting on reading straight through.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy satirical literature and historical allegory
Readers interested in modern French thought and critiques of civilization
Students and researchers who need to understand France's style

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer linear narratives with a single protagonist
Light readers with little patience for historical allusions and references

Reading tips

Begin with the opening section on the penguins' origins to grasp the book's satirical framework.
Jump between chapters by theme; when you encounter an allusion, read it against French history.
Pause after each volume to review the targets of satire before continuing, to avoid information overload.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is Penguin Island a real place?

No. Penguin Island is a fictional stage created by Anatole France, using penguin society to allude to human history and civilization; it is an allegorical setting, not geography or historical record.

Is this book difficult to read?

Somewhat. The book is dense with allusions to French history, religion and politics, and without background knowledge readers may miss the satirical points; but read as an absurd fable of civilization, it can still be enjoyable.

Is it suitable as an introduction to Anatole France?

It can serve as one choice for getting to know his satirical style, but note that the book is loosely structured and densely allusive; to first experience his narrative charm, one might start with a more concentrated work.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

France, Anatole, 1844-1924 Author

Anatole France (France, Anatole, 1844-1924) was a French writer whose real name was Anatole François Thibault. Because the available material is limited, the details of his life cannot be set out here, but it is clear that he produced a large body of work, of which 57 titles are held in this collection. His representative works include Penguin Island, Les Dieux ont soif (The Gods Are Athirst), The Revolt of the Angels, Vie de Jeanne d'Arc (The Life of Joan of Arc), and La rôtisserie de la Reine Pédauque (At the Sign of the Reine Pédauque), spanning novels, historical biography, and satirical fable. France's prose is elegant and unhurried, and he often examines society and history with urbane irony and a skeptical spirit, weaving philosophical reflection into his narratives. He had a lasting influence on French literature and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1921.