Bibliograph

The porpoise, a novel, Mark Haddon

Type

Label

The porpoise, a novel, Mark Haddon

Language

eng

Index

no index present

Literary Form

fiction

Main title

The porpoise

Oclc number

1054836431

Responsibility statement

Mark Haddon

Sub title

a novel

Summary

Mark Haddon's novel begins with a harrowing plane crash: Maja, the pregnant wife of the unimaginably wealthy Philippe, is killed, but their daughter Angelica survives. Philippe's obsession with the girl's safety morphs into something sinister and grotesque as she grows into a beautiful teen. A young man named Darius, visiting Philippe with a business proposition, encounters Angelica and intuits their secret -- he decides to rescue her, but the attempt goes awry and he flees England by sea. This contemporary story mirrors the ancient legend of Antiochus, whose love for the daughter of his dead wife was discovered by the adventurer Appolinus of Tyre. The tale appeared in many forms through the ages; Apollinus becoming the swashbuckling Pericles in Shakespeare's eponymous play. In The Porpoise, as Angelique comes to terms with a life imprisoned on her father's estate, Darius morphs into Pericles, voyaging through a mythic world

Table Of Contents

The flight -- The child -- The porpoise -- The family -- The serpent -- The hunt -- The storm

Target audience

general

Contributor