|
Freddy the Pig is the central figure in a series of 26 children's books written between 1927 and 1958 by American author Walter R. Brooks, and illustrated by Kurt Wiese. Consisting of 25 novels and one poetry collection, they focus on the adventures of a group of animals living on a farm in rural upstate New York. Freddy is introduced as "the smallest and cleverest" of the pigs on the Bean farm. One of the ensemble to begin with, he becomes the central character shortly into the series. Freddy's interests drive the books as he becomes a detective, politician, newspaper editor, magician, pilot, and other vocations or avocations. A recurring villain is the slimy but dignified Simon, who leads a gang of criminal rats. Human characters include Mr. and Mrs. Bean, who own the farm, the population of local Centerboro, and human villains. Much of the humor in the books derives from the self-referential way in which the author acknowledges the unreality of talking animals, unlike other children's works in which they are accepted as normal. As the series progresses, the Bean Farm animals attain national fame for their ability to talk and read, and the humans they encounter are taken aback at first (though only momentarily) to find themselves conversing with animals. Although the animals and humans do not age, the stories reflect the social conditions at the time of writing, for example, the books published during World War II have scrap drives and victory gardens. ==History== Brooks created his animals for ''To and Again'', published in 1927 by Alfred A. Knopf; fitting other titles in the series, it was re-issued in 1949 as both ''Freddy Goes to Florida'' and ''Freddy's First Adventure'' in 1949.)〔 It took some time before their personalities — and their ability to talk to humans when they chose, beginning with the fourth volume in 1936〔 — were fully developed. In the remainder of the series, the animals of the Bean Farm lead a highly developed life, variously operating a bank, a newspaper, the First Animal Republic, and Freddy's detective business, which follows the principles of Sherlock Holmes as Freddy knows them from his reading. Despite their popularity in the 1940s and 1950s, the books went out of print in the 1960s, although children's libraries continued to have them. In the past decade they have been republished by The Overlook Press, in response to plaintive requests from Freddy fans who treasure their combination of ingenious plots, well-drawn characters, literary allusions, and wholesome (but not cloying) moral lessons. The audio and film rights to the series have been sold.〔http://overlookpress.com/book-detail.php?book_isbn=1-58567-226-2〕 Audio versions of some books were made and as of 2009, others are apparently in preparation. In 1983 a group of devotees of the novel formed the charitable-numbered society, ''Friends of Freddy''. As part of its mandate, the organization promotes the placement of Freddy books in public libraries, and hosts a biennial convention in Upstate New York. The most recent convention, in November 2014, was held in Hamilton, New York, a town which has historic connections to Walter R. Brooks. Lectures were given and a dramatization by Dave Carley of ''Freddy the Politician'' was staged in the Colgate University bookstore's performance space. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Freddy the Pig」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|