i did think it was interesting that Giono was so careful to make the place very specific - the whole thing was otherwise such a fable, but I liked this detail, rather than making the story everyman / everywhere-ish

 gleaming | Jan 7 2008, 21:06 pm

it sort of lifts it out of being preachy or self-righteous

 gleaming | Jan 7 2008, 21:08 pm

If I hadn't already known otherwise - I could easily have been fooled into thinking that Elzeard was real - and this was because of the detail of the location. I liked it for that - although it is a bit disappointing that it's fictional

 burntsugar | Jan 7 2008, 21:09 pm

I dunno: I wouldn't have found it any more 'authentic' if it HAD been real

 gleaming | Jan 7 2008, 21:11 pm

Do you think Elzeard could really be real though? He is so thorough and persistent even when he has failures (the maples). And he is so solitary. It's hard to know whether he's happy or not

 burntsugar | Jan 7 2008, 21:12 pm

It is hard to imagine that anyone really thought it was real. I mean, where did they think he got all those acorns from?! It was a nice fable, but I never really considered it as anything but that. Am I too cynical?

 Humz | Jan 7 2008, 21:14 pm

he does appear as stoical - happiness isn't projected for me...it's more that he's honest, decent, persistent: like happiness would be frivolous

 gleaming | Jan 7 2008, 21:15 pm

I never even thought about the acorns until now!

 gleaming | Jan 7 2008, 21:16 pm

I knew I am too realistic... To plant thousands of acorns a day there would have had to have been a very local garden centre or a hell of a lot of squirrells.

 Humz | Jan 7 2008, 21:17 pm

Wyevale are getting everywhere

 gleaming | Jan 7 2008, 21:18 pm