The Pan trilogy (french: Trilogie de Pan) consists of three novels by the French writer

Jean Giono Jean Giono (30 March 1895 – 8 October 1970) was a French writer who wrote works of fiction mostly set in the Provence region of France. First period Jean Giono was born to a family of modest means, his father a cobbler of Piedmontese descent a ...

, published in 1929–1930. The stand-alone stories are set in

Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bor ...

and revolve the struggles of the peasant population. Two of the novels were made into films in the 1930s by

Marcel Pagnol Marcel Paul Pagnol (; 28 February 1895 – 18 April 1974) was a French novelist, playwright, and filmmaker. Regarded as an auteur, in 1946, he became the first filmmaker elected to the Académie française. Although his work is less fashionable ...

Background

The god Pan first occurred in

's works in the 1924 poetry collection ''Accompagné de la flûte''. He is then mentioned in Giono's private correspondence, appears in his first written novel ''Naissance de l'Odyssée'', and was the subject of an unpublished magazine article in the 1920s. Further, Giono referred to

Walt Whitman Walter Whitman (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among t ...

, an author he admired, as the "American Pan". Giono wrote the Pan trilogy while working as a bank clerk in his native

Manosque Manosque (; Provençal Occitan: ''Manòsca'' in classical norm or ''Manosco'' in Mistralian norm) is the largest town and commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. However, it is not the ''préfecture'' (capital) ...

, northern

. The stories were inspired by the author's reading of ancient Greek and Roman literature.

Stories

The Pan trilogy consists of the three novels ''

Colline ''Colline'' is a 1929 novel by the French writer Jean Giono. It has also been published as ''Hill of Destiny''. It tells the story of a small hamlet in Provence where the superstitious residents struggle against nature, as their settlement is stru ...

'' (1929), ''

Lovers Are Never Losers ''Lovers Are Never Losers'' () is a 1929 novel by the French writer Jean Giono. It tells a love story set in rural France in the early 20th century. It is the standalone second entry in Giono's Pan trilogy; it was preceded by ''Colline'' and follow ...

'' (1929; ) and ''

Second Harvest Second Harvest is Canada's largest food rescue charitable organization. Second Harvest works with thousands of food businesses from across the supply chain to reduce the amount of edible food going to waste. This model helps redirect surplus fo ...

'' (1930; ). The novels contain stand-alone stories about villagers from Provence. They portray the peasant population in the face of natural calamities and the struggle for the renewal of life. They attribute creative power to the natural elements and present images of a return to humanity's mythical origin. The stories associate the landscape and population of the region with

classical mythology Classical mythology, Greco-Roman mythology, or Greek and Roman mythology is both the body of and the study of myths from the ancient Greeks and ancient Romans as they are used or transformed by cultural reception. Along with philosophy and polit ...

, subtly evoking the gods Pan,

Ceres Ceres most commonly refers to: * Ceres (dwarf planet), the largest asteroid * Ceres (mythology), the Roman goddess of agriculture Ceres may also refer to: Places Brazil * Ceres, Goiás, Brazil * Ceres Microregion, in north-central Goiás ...

and

Dionysus In ancient Greek religion and myth, Dionysus (; grc, Διόνυσος ) is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, festivity, and theatre. The Romans ...

Legacy

Giono designated the three novels as a trilogy in his 1931 text ''Présentation de Pan'', in which he outlines his thinking and aesthetic vision. The following year he included an accompanying short story, "Prelude to Pan", in his collection ''

The Solitude of Compassion ''The Solitude of Compassion'' () is a 1932 short story collection by the French writer Jean Giono. The stories focus on rural life in Provence. The book was published in English in 2002, translated by Edward Ford. Stories # The Solitude of Compa ...

''. ''Lovers Are Never Losers'' and ''Second Harvest'' were adapted for cinema in the 1930s as ''

Angèle Angèle is a given name. Notable people with the name include: *Angèle (singer) (born Angèle Van Laeken, 1995), Belgian singer * Angèle Dola Akofa Aguigah (born 1955), Togolese archaeologist * Angèle Arsenault (1943–2014), Canadian-Acadi ...

'' and ''

Harvest Harvesting is the process of gathering a ripe crop from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper. On smaller farms with minimal mechanization, harvesting is the most labor-i ...

''. Both films were directed by

and feature the actors

Orane Demazis Orane Demazis (4 September 1894 – 25 December 1991) was a French actress. Biography Born Henriette Marie Louise Burgart in Oran, French Algeria, in a family of Alsatian origin, Demazis entered the Paris Conservatoire National Supérieur d'A ...

and

Fernandel Fernand Joseph Désiré Contandin (8 May 1903 – 26 February 1971), better known as Fernandel, was a French actor and singer. Born near Marseille, France, to Désirée Bedouin and Denis Contandin, originating in Perosa Argentina, an Occitan to ...

Background

Stories

Legacy

See also

References

Notes

Sources

Further reading