Penguin Island (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: Jacques-Anatole-Françoi Thibault
- First Published: 1908
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Satire
- Time of Work: Ancient times to the present
- Setting: Mythical Alca
- Genres: Long fiction, Satire, Fantasy
- Subjects: Culture, History, Islands, Birds, Monasteries, monks, or monasticism, Dragons, Chastity, Baptism, North Pole
- Locales: Alca (mythic)
Characters Discussed
Maël (mah-EHL), a Breton missionary monk who, in ancient times, preached to a group of penguins living on an island at the North Pole. The penguins were baptized and turned into men, and the island was towed to a point off the Breton coast. Thus began a society that is the author’s satire of French history.
Kraken (krah-KAH[N]), a clever penguin who lives by his wits and turns to his advantage the ignorance and superstitions of the peasant penguins. By constructing an imitation dragon and “killing” it at an appropriate time, he wins the...
[The entire page is 787 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
See Also
