A Dog of Flanders
Encyclopedia
A Dog of Flanders is an 1872 novel
by English author Marie Louise de la Ramée
published with her pseudonym
"Ouida
". It is about a Flemish boy named Nello and his dog Patrasche.
The story, of English origin, has little tradition of being read in Belgium, but is becoming more known because of the tourists it attracts to Antwerp. There is a small statue of Nello and Patrasche at the Kapellestraat in the Antwerp suburb of Hoboken, and a commemorative plaque
in front of the Antwerp Cathedral donated by Toyota. The story is widely read in Japan
, and has been adapted into several films and anime
.
In the 19th century, a boy named Nello becomes an orphan at the age of two when his mother dies in the Ardennes
. His grandfather Jehan Daas, who lives in a small village near the city of Antwerp, takes him in.
One day, Nello finds a dog who was almost beaten to death and names him Patrasche. Due to the good care of Jehan, the dog recovers, and from then on, Nello and Patrasche are inseparable. Since they are very poor, Nello has to help his grandfather by selling milk. Patrasche is shackled to a dogcart
and helps Nello pull the milk into town each morning.
Nello falls in love with Aloise, the daughter of a well-off man in the village named Nicholas Cogez. Nicholas doesn't want his daughter to have a poor sweetheart. Although Nello is illiterate, he is very talented in drawing. He enters a junior drawing contest in Antwerp, hoping to win the first prize, 200 francs per year. However, the jury selects somebody else.
Afterwards, he is accused of causing a fire by Nicholas (the fire occurred on his property) and his grandfather dies. His life becomes even more desperate. Having no place to stay, Nello goes to the cathedral of Antwerp to see Rubens' The Elevation of the Cross
, but he doesn't have enough money to enter. On the night of Christmas Eve
, he and Patrasche go to Antwerp and, by chance, find the door to the church open. The next morning, the boy and his dog are found frozen to death in front of the triptych
.
and Leuven
, and the Leuven Kermis.
For its authentic 19th century buildings, the Open Air Museum of Bokrijk
, Flanders
was used as scenery for the 1975 and 1992 anime and the 1999 film.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by English author Marie Louise de la Ramée
Ouida
Ouida was the pseudonym of the English novelist Maria Louise Ramé .-Biography:...
published with her pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
"Ouida
Ouida
Ouida was the pseudonym of the English novelist Maria Louise Ramé .-Biography:...
". It is about a Flemish boy named Nello and his dog Patrasche.
The story, of English origin, has little tradition of being read in Belgium, but is becoming more known because of the tourists it attracts to Antwerp. There is a small statue of Nello and Patrasche at the Kapellestraat in the Antwerp suburb of Hoboken, and a commemorative plaque
Commemorative plaque
A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, typically attached to a wall, stone, or other vertical surface, and bearing text in memory of an important figure or event...
in front of the Antwerp Cathedral donated by Toyota. The story is widely read in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and has been adapted into several films and anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
.
Plot summary
Ardennes
The Ardennes is a region of extensive forests, rolling hills and ridges formed within the Givetian Ardennes mountain range, primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, but stretching into France , and geologically into the Eifel...
. His grandfather Jehan Daas, who lives in a small village near the city of Antwerp, takes him in.
One day, Nello finds a dog who was almost beaten to death and names him Patrasche. Due to the good care of Jehan, the dog recovers, and from then on, Nello and Patrasche are inseparable. Since they are very poor, Nello has to help his grandfather by selling milk. Patrasche is shackled to a dogcart
Dogcart (dog-drawn)
A dogcart is a cart pulled by one or more dogs. The traditional varieties are rare:* Dog carts pulled by a single dog were sometimes used by peddlers....
and helps Nello pull the milk into town each morning.
Nello falls in love with Aloise, the daughter of a well-off man in the village named Nicholas Cogez. Nicholas doesn't want his daughter to have a poor sweetheart. Although Nello is illiterate, he is very talented in drawing. He enters a junior drawing contest in Antwerp, hoping to win the first prize, 200 francs per year. However, the jury selects somebody else.
Afterwards, he is accused of causing a fire by Nicholas (the fire occurred on his property) and his grandfather dies. His life becomes even more desperate. Having no place to stay, Nello goes to the cathedral of Antwerp to see Rubens' The Elevation of the Cross
The Elevation of the Cross (Rubens)
The Elevation of the Cross is a triptych painting by Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens, completed in 1610-1611....
, but he doesn't have enough money to enter. On the night of Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...
, he and Patrasche go to Antwerp and, by chance, find the door to the church open. The next morning, the boy and his dog are found frozen to death in front of the triptych
Triptych
A triptych , from tri-= "three" + ptysso= "to fold") is a work of art which is divided into three sections, or three carved panels which are hinged together and can be folded shut or displayed open. It is therefore a type of polyptych, the term for all multi-panel works...
.
The Hoboken myth
Quite recently (not earlier than 1980), the village of the story was postulated to be Hoboken, but without any reasonable reference from the literature itself. Hoboken became involved with the story through Jan Corteel, a former Antwerp tourist office employee. He used the Schelde river as the "canal" and Hoboken as the village. However, the story itself mentions a canal (known as "De Vaart") between MechelenMechelen
Mechelen Footnote: Mechelen became known in English as 'Mechlin' from which the adjective 'Mechlinian' is derived...
and Leuven
Leuven
Leuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium...
, and the Leuven Kermis.
Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
The novel has been adapted for cinema and television in live-action and animation:- A Dog of Flanders (1914), a short film directed by Howell HanselHowell HanselHowell Hansel , was an American film director. He directed 26 films between 1913 and 1917.He was born in Indiana, USA and died in New York, New York.-External links:...
.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0154418 - A Boy of Flanders (1924), directed by Victor SchertzingerVictor SchertzingerVictor L. Schertzinger was an American composer, film director, film producer, and screenwriter. His films include Paramount on Parade , Something to Sing About with James Cagney, and the first two "Road" pictures Road to Singapore and Road to Zanzibar...
and starring Jackie CooganJackie CooganJohn Leslie Coogan , known professionally as Jackie Coogan, was an American actor who began his movie career as a child actor in silent films. Many years later, he became known as Uncle Fester on 1960s sitcom The Addams Family...
as Nello.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0014733/ - A Dog of Flanders (1935), directed by Edward SlomanEdward SlomanEdward Sloman was an English silent film director, actor, screenwriter and radio broadcaster. He directed over 100 films and starred in over 30 films as an actor between 1913 and 1938....
.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0026285 - A Dog of Flanders (1960), directed by James B. Clark. The dog was played by Spike.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052745
- Dog of Flanders (JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, 1975), a Japanese animation TV series produced by Nippon AnimationNippon Animationis a Japanese animation studio. The company is headquartered in Tokyo, with chief offices in the Ginza district of Chūō and production facilities in Tama City....
. - My Patrasche (Japan, 1992), a Japanese animation TV series produced by Tokyo Movie ShinshaTokyo Movie Shinsha, formerly known as , is a Japanese animation studio, founded on October 1946. One of the oldest and most prominent anime studios in Japan, it has also produced numerous animated series airing in other countries such as France, the United States, and Italy. The company currently uses "TMS...
. - The Dog of FlandersThe Dog of Flanders (1997 film)is a 1997 Japanese anime film. It was based on the Japanese television series aired on Nippon Television from 10 October 1992 to 27 March 1993. Both the television series and this film are inspired by the book A Dog of Flanders by Ouida.-Voice Actors:...
(Japan, 1997), directed by Yoshio Kuroda.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0304072/ This was a remake of the 1975 TV series. - A Dog of Flanders (1999), directed by Kevin BrodieKevin BrodieKevin Brodie is a film director, screenwriter and former child actor. He was the son of actors Steve Brodie and Lois Andrews....
.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0160216 - Barking Dogs Never BiteBarking Dogs Never BiteBarking Dogs Never Bite is a South Korean dark comedy film released in 2000. The films original Korean title is a satirical take on A Dog of Flanders, a European pet story that is very popular in parts of Asia...
(2000), a South Korean satirical version directed by Bong Joon-hoBong Joon-hoBong Joon-ho is a South Korean film director and screenwriter.-Biography:He was born in Daegu in 1969 and decided to become a filmmaker while in middle school, perhaps influenced by an artistic family He majored in sociology in Yonsei University in the late 1980s and was a member of the film club...
. - Snow PrinceSnow Princeis a 2009 Japanese film adapted from the novel A Dog of Flanders and inspired by the 1971 film A Small Love Melody. It is directed by Joji Matsuoka and written by Kundo Koyama—the scriptwriter for the film Departures...
(JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, 2009), directed by Joji MatsuokaJoji Matsuokais a Japanese film director. After studying filmmaking in the College of Art at Nihon University, he won an award for his independent short Inaka no hōsoku at the Pia Film Festival in 1984. He directed his first commercial feature, Bataashi kingyo, in 1990 and received a number of awards for best...
. - A Dog of Flanders, 2011, Minoto Studios
For its authentic 19th century buildings, the Open Air Museum of Bokrijk
Bokrijk
Bokrijk is a provincial domain in Limburg, Belgium, situated near the city of Genk. It is mainly known for its open air museum. The domain is 5.5 square kilometres in area and hosts an important botanical garden and Flanders' largest open air playground.-History:Early sources until the French...
, Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
was used as scenery for the 1975 and 1992 anime and the 1999 film.
Documentary film
- Patrasche, a Dog of Flanders - Made in Japan (Belgium, 2007), a documentary film directed by Didier Volckaert and An van Dienderen.http://www.dogofflanders.be
External links
- Project Gutenberg eBook
- Feature article: Do you know "A Dog of Flanders"?, in Crossroads
- Patrasche, a Dog of Flanders, documentary website