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22+ oeuvres 126 utilisateurs 4 critiques

Œuvres de Dan Johnson

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Doktor Murkes gesammeltes Schweigen und andere Satiren (1958) — Artiste de la couverture, quelques éditions259 exemplaires

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Oliver Twist, a 9-year-old boy, runs away to London to avoid the misuse he is subjected to at the workhouse and later as an apprentice. However, in London, he meets with misadventure after misadventure when he is taken under the wing of Fagin and his gang of street urchins involved in petty theft. Luckily, chance encounters also bring Oliver into contact with Mr. Brownlow and the Maylies, who work to help Oliver out of his ensnarement with the street gang and to reveal the mystery of his birth.

This version of Oliver Twist condenses Charles Dickens’s renowned Victorian novel into an 80-page graphic novel. As adapter, Johnson does a good job reducing the page length of the book while still retaining all aspects of the story. Nagulakonda’s illustrations breathe additional life into the story by adding emotive characterizations and portraying the stark contrasts between Oliver’s life in poverty and his life when sheltered by upper-class families such as the Maylies. The book begins with a brief introduction to the Dickens’s life and ends with additional factoids on London during the author’s lifetime, noting problems of poverty and sanitation. All and all, this makes for a good introduction into Dickens’s works for younger or reluctant readers rather than the original – and for some, intimidating – 400-page novel.

Like many other of Dickens’s works, Oliver Twist is rife with economic concepts as the author uses the complex melodramatic plot to comment on serious issues of his day such as poverty and crime. In particular, the novel serves as a commentary on the welfare system of the time and how badly the poor were treated. Beyond pointing out the obvious consequences of poverty such as the lack of spending money for wants, Oliver Twist also serves to illuminate the far-reaching effects, including poor living conditions and sickness while highlighting the need for social reforms such as compulsory education for children and stricter child labor laws.

http://econkids.rutgers.edu/older-children-and-young-adults-2011/2198-oliver-twi...
… (plus d'informations)
 
Signalé
EconKids | 1 autre critique | Feb 19, 2012 |
Oliver Twist, a 9-year-old boy, runs away to London to avoid the misuse he is subjected to at the workhouse and later as an apprentice. However, in London, he meets with misadventure after misadventure when he is taken under the wing of Fagin and his gang of street urchins involved in petty theft. Luckily, chance encounters also bring Oliver into contact with Mr. Brownlow and the Maylies, who work to help Oliver out of his ensnarement with the street gang and to reveal the mystery of his birth.

This version of Oliver Twist condenses Charles Dickens’s renowned Victorian novel into an 80-page graphic novel. As adapter, Johnson does a good job reducing the page length of the book while still retaining all aspects of the story. Nagulakonda’s illustrations breathe additional life into the story by adding emotive characterizations and portraying the stark contrasts between Oliver’s life in poverty and his life when sheltered by upper-class families such as the Maylies. The book begins with a brief introduction to the Dickens’s life and ends with additional factoids on London during the author’s lifetime, noting problems of poverty and sanitation. All and all, this makes for a good introduction into Dickens’s works for younger or reluctant readers rather than the original – and for some, intimidating – 400-page novel.

Like many other of Dickens’s works, Oliver Twist is rife with economic concepts as the author uses the complex melodramatic plot to comment on serious issues of his day such as poverty and crime. In particular, the novel serves as a commentary on the welfare system of the time and how badly the poor were treated. Beyond pointing out the obvious consequences of poverty such as the lack of spending money for wants, Oliver Twist also serves to illuminate the far-reaching effects, including poor living conditions and sickness while highlighting the need for social reforms such as compulsory education for children and stricter child labor laws.

I reviewed this book for EconKids.
… (plus d'informations)
½
 
Signalé
sweetiegherkin | 1 autre critique | Jan 27, 2012 |
For a comic book, its visual design is superb. Campfire’s latest adaptation, Rudyard Kipling’s classic The Jungle Book, is absolutely gorgeous: it’s not in the same playing field as popular superhero comics by DC and Marvel, that’s for sure. (Feel free to disagree, but neither Spiderman nor Green Lantern has ever been drawn so crisply or in colors so rich.) Children will love the drawings and parents will appreciate Campfire’s mission to make classics of literature (and other stories of historical, mythological, and biographical import) compelling for reluctant readers. Many publishers are adapting classics of literature for the comic book medium to engage young readers. I’ve seen the graphic adaptations in bookstores and on library shelves and I’ve yet to see one so compelling, fresh, and fun. It’s hard not to connect with a story when it looks flat-out beautiful. And it must be stated that the size of the book, slim and light, helps too.

Every page of Campfire’s The Jungle Book contains vivid and colorful illustrations. Frankly, it’s a refreshing change from many of its digital counterparts. I find graphic novels in e-format unappealing because, by zooming in on each panel to read the text, you lose the emotional effect of the whole. The physical book in hand, Campfire’s The Jungle Book captivates readers through art and design. The lush colors of the forest, the murky and inky greens and browns in stark contrast to the inky purple of panther pelt and bright orange of tiger fur, make the cute, cartoony animals made iconic by Disney flat by contrast and, well, horrifically two-dimensional. Mowgli is drawn sharp, his lanky human limbs threatening, during high tension, passionate scenes. When he is playful and adventurous, learning the rules of the jungle with Baloo, he is drawn softer and rounder to emphasize his youth and naïveté. The scheming monkeys are eerie and manic. Shere Khan and his gang of jackals look malicious, even blood-thirsty. The humans look fragile yet cold and unwelcoming; a tribe all of their own, on their own.

I will say that as an adult reader the writing was a tad disappointing, though it is more poetic than the Disney version. The language is truer to Kipling’s prose but the translation is not entirely cohesive. Several scenes don’t transition well, such as when Mowgli leaves the jungle to live among the humans. Plus, I was put off by how awkward and stiff the language was for between the wolves and Shere Khan. In all, the story could have been better developed. If the series is in fact “inspired by [an] enduring relationship between a campfire and gripping storytelling,” for me it fell a bit short. I was captivated by the illustrations, the graphic rendering of the tale, but not by the narrative arc.

The Campfire adaption of The Jungle Book will definitely satisfy young minds – particularly those who are reluctant readers – but it also should be left to them. If you are a young or adult reader seeking a more complex and developed narrative, stick to the original Kipling. And, let’s be real, how can you surpass a classic? More importantly, perhaps, who would want to?
… (plus d'informations)
 
Signalé
SwensonBooks | Jan 24, 2012 |
Mix the questionable death of a mysterious young entrepreneur, his unemployed housemate with an open agenda, and an illicit toilet-making business all together and you’ve got a mystery book (self-published, at that!) bursting with San Francisco flavor and modern charm. Alex Baker, the amateur detective, carries the story with his irresistable panache. Sharp dialogue, relevant humor, and a quirky cast of characters make it difficult to put the book down. What struck me most often was the rich sense of place woven into each chapter. Almost every page offers a glimpse of the San Francisco scenery: the people, streets, neighborhoods, pubs, cafés, and conversation. I felt like pouring my own pitcher of Anchor Steam to complement the reading experience. In the end, the book’s conclusion leaves you wanting more of Alex Baker’s wit and good humor. I just hope the author has more mysteries in store for the young sleuth to solve.… (plus d'informations)
 
Signalé
M.Arena | Sep 16, 2011 |

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Œuvres
22
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2
Membres
126
Popularité
#159,216
Évaluation
4.1
Critiques
4
ISBN
23
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