Gil Braltar
Encyclopedia
Gil Braltar is a satirical short story
by Jules Verne
parodying British colonialism. It was first published together with The Flight to France
as a part of Voyages Extraordinaires
series (The Extraordinary Voyages) in 1887
.
The story is set in British fortress and colony Gibraltar
. A man, a Spaniard named Gil Braltar, dresses up as a monkey
and becomes leader of a group of monkeys living there (Barbary Macaque
). He incites attack on the fortress. The attack, initially successful, is foiled by a British general. This general is so ugly that the monkeys believe he was one of them and obey him when he leads them out. Verne's conclusion is that in the future only the ugliest generals will be sent to Gibraltar to keep the colony in British hands.
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
by Jules Verne
Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea , A Journey to the Center of the Earth , and Around the World in Eighty Days...
parodying British colonialism. It was first published together with The Flight to France
The Flight to France
The Flight to France is an adventure novel written by Jules Verne. Several English language editions were published with the subtitle, The Flight to France; or, The Memoirs of a Dragoon. A Tale of the Day of Dumouriez.-Publication history:...
as a part of Voyages Extraordinaires
Voyages Extraordinaires
Les Voyages Extraordinaires was a publishing title affixed to the novels and non-fictional writings of French author and science fiction pioneer Jules Verne...
series (The Extraordinary Voyages) in 1887
1887 in literature
The year 1887 in literature involved some significant new books.-Events:*Futabatei Shimei writes The Drifting Cloud, the first modern novel in Japan.-New books:*Mary Elizabeth Braddon - Cut by the County*Hall Caine - The Deemster...
.
The story is set in British fortress and colony Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
. A man, a Spaniard named Gil Braltar, dresses up as a monkey
Monkey
A monkey is a primate, either an Old World monkey or a New World monkey. There are about 260 known living species of monkey. Many are arboreal, although there are species that live primarily on the ground, such as baboons. Monkeys are generally considered to be intelligent. Unlike apes, monkeys...
and becomes leader of a group of monkeys living there (Barbary Macaque
Barbary Macaque
The Barbary Macaque , or Common macaque, is a macaque with no tail. Found in the Atlas Mountains of Algeria and Morocco with a small population, of unknown origin, in Gibraltar, the Barbary Macaque is one of the best-known Old World monkey species. Besides humans, they are the only primates that...
). He incites attack on the fortress. The attack, initially successful, is foiled by a British general. This general is so ugly that the monkeys believe he was one of them and obey him when he leads them out. Verne's conclusion is that in the future only the ugliest generals will be sent to Gibraltar to keep the colony in British hands.
See also
- The Day of an American Journalist in 2889, a Jules Verne's 1889 short story, also mentions Gibraltar as the last remnant of a British Empire that has lost the British Isles themselves.