Asterix and the Great Divide
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Asterix and the Great Divide'' (, "The Great
Ditch A ditch is a small to moderate divot created to channel water. A ditch can be used for drainage, to drain water from low-lying areas, alongside roadways or fields, or to channel water from a more distant source for plant irrigation. Ditches ar ...
") is the twenty-fifth volume of the
Asterix ''Asterix'' or ''The Adventures of Asterix'' (french: Astérix or , "Asterix the Gaul") is a ''bande dessinée'' comic book series about a village of indomitable Gaulish warriors who adventure around the world and fight the Roman Republic, wi ...
comic book series a medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia can indicate ...
. First published in French in 1980, it was translated into English in 1981. It is the first Asterix adventure to be written by illustrator
Albert Uderzo Alberto Aleandro Uderzo (; ; 25 April 1927 – 24 March 2020), better known as Albert Uderzo, was a French comic book artist and scriptwriter. He is best known as the co-creator and illustrator of the ''Astérix'' series in collaboration with Re ...
, following the death of Asterix co-creator and writer
René Goscinny René Goscinny (, ; 14 August 1926 – 5 November 1977) was a French comic editor and writer, who created the ''Astérix'' comic book series with illustrator Albert Uderzo. Raised largely in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he attended French schoo ...
in 1977.


Plot summary

A village in Gaul is politically and physically divided by a deep ditch because of a leadership dispute between rival chiefs Cleverdix and Majestix. Efforts to overcome their differences, first through dialogue and then through battle, only widen the rift. Majestix's fishy advisor Codfix, suggests intervention by the local Roman garrison will enable Majestix to become the sole chief, in return for which, Codfix wants to marry his daughter, Melodrama. Majestix agrees to the plan, unaware that Codfix intends to overthrow him. Melodrama reveals the plan to her lover, Histrionix, who is Cleverdix's son. He is sent to the village of Vitalstatistix, who assigns Asterix and Obelix, accompanied by Getafix, to prevent Roman intervention. Codfix promises the local Roman
centurion A centurion (; la, centurio , . la, centuriones, label=none; grc-gre, κεντυρίων, kentyríōn, or ) was a position in the Roman army during classical antiquity, nominally the commander of a century (), a military unit of around 80 ...
he can take Cleverdix's followers as slaves for the legionaries, but Majestix refuses to allow his opponents to be enslaved. Enraged, the centurion imprisons Majestix and his followers. Asterix, Obelix and Getafix infiltrate the Romans' camp with the intention of releasing the prisoners. At the camp entrance, Getafix inadvertently leaves behind a flask of elixir, which restores a subject to full health while erasing his
memory Memory is the faculty of the mind by which data or information is encoded, stored, and retrieved when needed. It is the retention of information over time for the purpose of influencing future action. If past events could not be remembered, ...
of the injury necessitating it. Codfix secretly observes a demonstration of the elixir and then takes the flask. Inside the camp, Getafix makes his usual magic potion in the guise of soup. When the suspicious centurion orders them to test it for
poison Poison is a chemical substance that has a detrimental effect to life. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figuratively, with a broa ...
, they give it to the prisoners, enabling them to defeat the Romans. Back at the village, Getafix makes more potion, and places it at a house spanning the ditch, with Asterix on watch. Codfix uses Getafix's elixir to cure the Romans and exploits their
amnesia Amnesia is a deficit in memory caused by brain damage or disease,Gazzaniga, M., Ivry, R., & Mangun, G. (2009) Cognitive Neuroscience: The biology of the mind. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. but it can also be caused temporarily by the use ...
to claim the Gauls attacked the Romans unprovoked. That night, he returns to his village and seizes the potion, which (after having drunk it himself) he conveys to the Romans. At the next day's battle, the mixture of the two potions causes the Romans to inflate like balloons and then shrink to minuscule size. Terrified by this transformation, they promise to leave the local Gauls in peace. Meanwhile, Codfix has kidnapped Melodrama for a
ransom Ransom is the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release, or the sum of money involved in such a practice. When ransom means "payment", the word comes via Old French ''rançon'' from Latin ''red ...
of 100 pounds of
gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
. Histrionix goes after him, accompanied by Asterix and Obelix. Codfix, escaping via river with Melodrama, is captured by the series' recurrent pirates and offers them a share of the ransom. They are then attacked by the Gauls. Having consumed some magic potion, Histrionix duels Codfix, rendering the Pirates' ship once again a sunken wreck. Histrionix takes the upper hand and strikes Codfix for a literal mile into the Roman camp. At the village, the chieftains agree to a
single combat Single combat is a duel between two single warriors which takes place in the context of a battle between two armies. Instances of single combat are known from Classical Antiquity and the Middle Ages. The champions were often combatants who repres ...
fight but it eventually ends in a draw, whereupon Asterix, as
referee A referee is an official, in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The official tasked with this job may be known by a variety of other titl ...
, declares Histrionix chief instead. The villagers then divert the nearby
river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...
, filling the ditch, while Codfix is shown as the Romans' sole drudge. Histrionix and Melodrama are married, and Asterix, Obelix and Getafix return home.


Commentary

*Uderzo intended the Great Divide as a metaphor and condemnation of the
Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall (german: Berliner Mauer, ) was a guarded concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and East Germany (GDR). Construction of the Berlin Wall was commenced by the government ...
, which once separated Socialist
East Berlin East Berlin was the ''de facto'' capital city of East Germany from 1949 to 1990. Formally, it was the Allied occupation zones in Germany, Soviet sector of Berlin, established in 1945. The American, British, and French sectors were known as ...
from Democratic
West Berlin West Berlin (german: Berlin (West) or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin during the years of the Cold War. Although West Berlin was de jure not part of West Germany, lacked any sovereignty, and was under mi ...


The wall was torn down nine years after this album was published. *This marks the first occasion where the Pirates' ship is predictably rendered to shivers by Gauls other than Asterix and Obelix. *Histrionix and Melodrama are both drawn more naturalistic than the usual Asterix drawing style, recalling Panacea and her husband Tragicomix, first seen in ''
Asterix the Legionary ''Asterix the Legionary'' is the tenth Asterix book in the Asterix comic book series by Rene Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. It was first published as a serial in ''Pilote'' magazine, issues 368–389, in 1966. Synopsis Asterix and Obelix are sett ...
''. Their subplot is taken from ''
Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...
''; the English translation makes more explicit references to the play by partly re-enacting the iconic balcony scene. *While working, Fulliautomatix is seen in the company of an apron-clad youth. From resemblance, this may be his young son, last seen as a tot in ''
Asterix in Corsica ''Asterix in Corsica'' is the twentieth volume of the Asterix comic book series, by René Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo ( artwork). It was originally serialized in Pilote issues 687–708 in 1973. It is the best-selling title in the histor ...
'' grown to teen size. *An
audiobook An audiobook (or a talking book) is a recording of a book or other work being read out loud. A reading of the complete text is described as "unabridged", while readings of shorter versions are abridgements. Spoken audio has been available in sc ...
of ''Asterix and the Great Divide'' adapted by
Anthea Bell Anthea Bell (10 May 1936 – 18 October 2018) was an English translator of literary works, including children's literature, from French, German and Danish. These include '' The Castle'' by Franz Kafka, ''Austerlitz'' by W. G. Sebald, the '' In ...
and
Derek Hockridge Derek Hockridge (1934 – 8 August 2013) was a British translator, teacher, lecturer, and occasional actor, who was perhaps best known for his translations of the ''Asterix'' comic book series. Born in Wales and brought up in Birmingham, he comp ...
and narrated by
Willie Rushton William George Rushton (18 August 1937 – 11 December 1996) was an English cartoonist, satirist, comedian, actor and performer who co-founded the satirical magazine ''Private Eye''. Early life Rushton was born 18 August 1937 in 3 Wilbraham Plac ...
was released on
Hodder and Stoughton Hodder & Stoughton is a British publishing house, now an imprint of Hachette. History Early history The firm has its origins in the 1840s, with Matthew Hodder's employment, aged 14, with Messrs Jackson and Walford, the official publisher ...
's ''Hodder Children's Audio'' in 1987. *This was the first volume of the series that was designed and written by
Albert Uderzo Alberto Aleandro Uderzo (; ; 25 April 1927 – 24 March 2020), better known as Albert Uderzo, was a French comic book artist and scriptwriter. He is best known as the co-creator and illustrator of the ''Astérix'' series in collaboration with Re ...
alone, after the death of his long-time collaborator
René Goscinny René Goscinny (, ; 14 August 1926 – 5 November 1977) was a French comic editor and writer, who created the ''Astérix'' comic book series with illustrator Albert Uderzo. Raised largely in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he attended French schoo ...
, and published by his own company, "Editions Albert René". Both stylistically and in story it departs from the previous volumes; consequently, it was hailed by some who thought the series had become stale, but reviled by others who thought it untrue to the spirit of the series. The following volumes followed a more balanced line between the style of the earlier volumes and that of ''Asterix and the Great Divide''. *Codfix is often stated to smell of fish, and is even called a "shoal of fish" by Histrionix. His pale, deformed face and
scale mail Scale armour (or scale mail) is an early form of armour consisting of many individual small armour scales (plates) of various shapes attached to each other and to a backing of cloth or leather in overlapping rows.Louis XIII of France Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown ...
and
Cardinal Richelieu Armand Jean du Plessis, Duke of Richelieu (; 9 September 1585 – 4 December 1642), known as Cardinal Richelieu, was a French clergyman and statesman. He was also known as ''l'Éminence rouge'', or "the Red Eminence", a term derived from the ...
;
King Théoden King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
and
Gríma Wormtongue Gríma, called (the) Wormtongue, is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's ''The Lord of the Rings''. He serves as the secondary antagonist of ''The Two Towers'' and a minor antagonist in ''The Return of the King'', and his role is expand ...
; or Goscinny's
Caliph A caliphate or khilāfah ( ar, خِلَافَة, ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; ar, خَلِيفَة , ), a person considered a political-religious successor to th ...
Haroun El Poussah Haroun El Poussah (also called Haroun El Plassid in English or Harun El Pullah in Finnish) is the caliph in the ''Iznogoud'' comics series, created by René Goscinny and Jean Tabary. Character Haroun El Poussah is a middle-aged, corpulent man wh ...
and
Grand Vizier Grand vizier ( fa, وزيرِ اعظم, vazîr-i aʾzam; ota, صدر اعظم, sadr-ı aʾzam; tr, sadrazam) was the title of the effective head of government of many sovereign states in the Islamic world. The office of Grand Vizier was first ...
Iznogoud ''Iznogoud'' (pronounced "he's/is no good" with a French (language), French Accent (dialect), accent) is a French comics series featuring an eponymous character, created by the comic book creator, comics writer René Goscinny and comics artist Je ...
; or the later Asterix characters, Rajah Watzit and Vizier Hoodunnit. * *This volume marks the first of only two occasions (the other being in ''
Asterix and the Missing Scroll ''Asterix and the Missing Scroll'' (, "Caesar's Papyrus") is the 36th book in the Asterix comics series, and the second written by Jean-Yves Ferri and illustrated by Didier Conrad. A central theme is censorship and the battle over information. The ...
'') that Getafix is seen consuming his magic potion. In ''
Asterix and Obelix All at Sea ''Asterix and Obelix All at Sea'' (, "Obelix's galley hip) is the thirtieth volume of the Asterix comic book series, by Albert Uderzo. The album was dedicated to Uderzo's grandchild, as well as to the American actor Kirk Douglas. Plot summary A ...
'' it's mentioned he partook some out of sight; but here he is shown in the act. *The English name of the chief of the right-side part of the divided village, Majestix, is what Vitalstatistix is named in Norwegian, German, Greek, Estonian, and Swedish. *In the English translation, Getafix laments - "Change and decay in all around I see" is taken from
Henry Francis Lyte Henry Francis Lyte (1 June 1793 – 20 November 1847) was an Anglican divine, hymnodist, and poet. Biography Youth and education Henry Francis Lyte was the second son of Thomas and Anna Maria (née Oliver) Lyte, whose family came originally fr ...
's hymn,
Abide with Me "Abide with Me" is a Christian hymn by Scottish Anglican cleric Henry Francis Lyte. A prayer for God to stay with the speaker throughout life and in death, it was written by Lyte in 1847 as he was dying from tuberculosis. It is most often sung ...
.


In other languages

Apart from common translations, the volume was also translated into Viennese dialect (by
Willi Resetarits Wilhelm Resetarits (21 December 1948 – 24 April 2022),Swissgerman as '"Dr gross Grabe"' and into the
Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...
Savo dialect The Savonian dialects (also called Savo Finnish)( fi, Savolaismurteet) are forms of the Finnish language spoken in Savonia and other parts of Eastern Finland. Finnish dialects are grouped broadly into Eastern and Western varieties; Savonian diale ...
as ''"Luaksolaesten lempi"'' ("Love among the valley people"). *Catalan: ''La gran rasa'' *Croatian: ''Razdvojeno selo'' (Separated village) *Czech: ''Asterix a Velký příkop'' *Dutch: ''De broedertwist'' *Finnish: ''Syvä kuilu'' *West Frisian: ''De Grutte Kleau'' *German: ''Der große Graben'' ("The Great Trench") **Neuhessisch: ("Here and There") **Schwäbisch (Swabian): ''Dr große Graba'' **Schweizerdeutsch (Swissgerman): ''Dr gross Grabe'' **Wienerisch (Viennese): ''Da grosse Grobn'' *Greek: ''Η μεγάλη τάφρος'' *Hebrew: ''הכפר החצוי'' *Indonesian: "Asterix dan Desa Belah Tengah" *Italian: ''Asterix e il grande fossato'' *Latin: ''Fossa alta'' *Mirandese: ''L Galaton'' *Norwegian: ''Borgerkrigen'' (''The civil war'') *Portuguese: ''O grande Fosso'' *Polish: ''Wielki rów'' *Spanish: ''Asterix y la Gran Zanja'' *Serbian: ''Podeljeno selo'' (''The Divided Village'') *Swedish: ''Det stora bygrälet'' *Turkish: ''Büyük Hendek''


Reception

On
Goodreads Goodreads is an American social cataloging website and a subsidiary of Amazon that allows individuals to search its database of books, annotations, quotes, and reviews. Users can sign up and register books to generate library catalogs and read ...
, it has a score of 3.95 out of 5.


References


External links


Official English Website
{{Asterix, Great Divide, Asterix and the, type=book Great Divide, Asterix and the Works based on Romeo and Juliet 1980 graphic novels Comics by Albert Uderzo Comics based on works by William Shakespeare