My Father's Glory by Marcel Pagnol (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide

By Bright Summaries

Unlock the more straightforward side of My Father’s Glory with this concise and insightful summary and analysis!

This engaging summary presents an analysis of My Father’s Glory by Marcel Pagnol, an autobiographical tale which describes a summer the author spent in the Provençal countryside with his family. Due to his mother’s poor health, her husband and brother-in-law decide to take the whole family to a rural villa for the summer. There, 8-year-old Marcel learns much about life and nature, and even a little about hunting. My Father’s Glory is the first book in the Souvenirs d’enfance quadrilogy, a very successful series of books which focus on Pagnol’s memories of his childhood and are now regarded as classics of French literature. However, the author is famous not only for his novels, but also for his plays and films. He was the first filmmaker to be elected to the Académie française, and is widely considered to be one of France’s finest 20th century writers. 

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This in-depth and informative reading guide brings you:
• A complete plot summary
• Character studies
• Key themes and symbols
• Questions for further reflection

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• Language: English
• Publisher: BrightSummaries.com
• Release date: May 24, 2017
• ISBN: 9782806295446

Book preview

French writer, dramatist and director

Born in Aubagne (France) in 1895.

Died in Paris in 1974.

Notable works:

Marius (1929), play

My Father’s Glory (1957), novel

My Mother’s Castle (1957), novel

Marcel Pagnol was born in Aubagne in 1895. His father was a teacher and his mother was a seamstress. He studied English at Aix-Marseille University and then decided to follow in his father’s footsteps by becoming a teacher.

He was very successful in Paris thanks to his plays, which prominently feature the region where he grew up (the famous Marseillaise trilogy: Marius, 1929; Fanny, 1931; and César, 1936). He was also interested in cinema and directed more than 20 films (including Heartbeat, 1938).

In 1946, he was elected to the Académie française. He began his career as a novelist in 1957 with his Souvenirs d’enfance (Childhood Memories) series and The Water of the Hills in 1963. The Water of the Hills is the collective name for two of his most famous books: Jean de Florette and Manon of the Spring.

Regionalism and orality

Genre: novel

Reference edition: Pagnol, M. (1986) My Father’s Glory and My Mother’s Castle. Trans. Barisse, R. California: North Point Press.

1st edition: 1957

Themes: memory,