Asterix and the Great Divide

Infobox Asterix
Title=Asterix And The Great Divide


Frenchtitle=Le Grand Fosse
Story=Albert Uderzo
Illustrations=Albert Uderzo
FrenchDate=1980
EnglishDate=1981
Preceded="Asterix in Belgium"
Followed="Asterix and the Black Gold"|

"Asterix and the Great Divide" is the twenty-fifth volume of the Asterix comic book series. It was first published in 1980.

Plot summary

In this volume, two rival chiefs, Cleverdix and Majestix, have been elected to govern a village in Gaul. Through various incidents, a ditch has been dug through the village dividing it into the party of the left (led by Cleverdix) and the part of the right (ruled by Majestix). Both men contest the leadership of the entire village.

However, Histrionix, the son of Cleverdix, and Melodrama, the daughter of Majestix, are in love, and decide to get help from Asterix and company to resolve the political infighting. To add a twist to the plot, Majestix's mind is poisoned by his evil advisor Codfix, who promises to ensure that Majestix becomes undisputed chief by enlisting the help of the Romans. Of course he wants to marry Melodrama in exchange for his help.

Notes

*Histrionix and Melodrama are obviously based on Romeo and Juliet.

*This was the first volume of the series that was designed and written by Albert Uderzo alone, after the death of his long-time collaborator René Goscinny, and published by his own company, "Editions Albert René". Both stylistically and story-wise it departs relatively strongly from the previous volumes; consequently, it was hailed by some who thought the series had become stale, but reviled by others who thought it was not true to the spirit of the series. The following volumes followed a more balanced line between the style of the earlier volumes and that of "Asterix and the Great Divide".

*Codfix is often referred to smell of fish, and is even called a shoal of fish by Histrionix. His pale complexion and scale mail also provide a more physical expression to this image. With his ugly fish-like face, he was the first character in "Asterix" to be given a slightly anthropomorphic appearance. He is the stereotype of a leader's right-hand and advisor who appears to be loyal but is really out for his own agenda — in ways similar to the popular view of Louis XIII of France and Cardinal Richelieu; King Théoden and Gríma Wormtongue; or Goscinny's Caliph Haroun El Poussah and Grand Vizier Iznogoud.

*Histronix and Melodrama greatly resemble Tragicomix and Panacea.

*Uderzo intended The Great Divide to be a metaphor and condamnation of the Berlin Wall.

*The bridge built over the now water-filled ditch is named "Pont de la Concorde" (Concord Bridge, as in good relations) in the French version, a reference to the bridge in Paris of the same name.

In other languages

Apart from common translations, the volume was also translated into Viennese dialect (by Willi Resetarits), as "Da grosse Grobn" and into the Finnish Savo dialect as "Luaksolaesten lempi" ("Love among the valley people").

*Dutch: "De broedertwist"
*Finnish: "Syvä kuilu"
*German: "Der große Graben"
*Greek: "Η μεγάλη τάφρος"
*Italian: "Asterix e il grande fossato"
*Mirandese: "L Galaton"
*Norwegian: "Borgerkrigen" ("The civil war")
*Portuguese: "O grande Fosso"
*Polish: "Wielki rów"
*Spanish: "Asterix y la Gran Zanja"
*Serbian: "Астерикс и велика подела"