Asterix and the Great Divide
| Industry | Publishing |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1980 |
| Founder | Albert Uderzo |
| Products | Asterix comic books |
Asterix and the Great Divide (, "The Great Ditch") represents the twenty-fifth installment in the Asterix comic book series. Originally released in French in 1980 and subsequently translated into English in 1981, this album marks the first Asterix story authored by illustrator Albert Uderzo following the passing of co-creator and writer René Goscinny in 1977.
Plot summary
A dispute over leadership splits a Gaulish village into two factions separated by a deep trench. The contention pits chiefs Cleverdix and Majestix against each other. Efforts to settle the quarrel through negotiation or combat only intensify the division. Codfix, Majestix’s counselor, suggests enlisting the nearby Roman garrison to secure sole leadership for Majestix, with the promise of marriage to Majestix’s daughter, Melodrama, as his reward. However, Codfix secretly schemes to depose Majestix.
Melodrama informs her lover Histrionix, son of Cleverdix, who then appeals to Vitalstatistix’s village for assistance. In response, Vitalstatistix dispatches Asterix, Obelix, and Getafix to prevent Roman involvement.
Codfix offers a Roman centurion slaves from Cleverdix’s followers, but Majestix declines. In retaliation, the centurion arrests Majestix and his allies. To rescue them, Asterix, Obelix, and Getafix infiltrate the Roman camp. During this mission, Getafix inadvertently leaves behind a flask containing an elixir that heals but causes memory loss; Codfix seizes it.
Getafix disguises his magic potion as soup for the prisoners; when subjected to poison testing, it instead empowers them to overcome the Romans. While Asterix guards a house spanning the ditch, Getafix brews additional potion. Codfix uses the memory-erasing elixir to cure Romans and manipulates their amnesia to falsely accuse Gauls of unprovoked aggression. After consuming some himself, Codfix steals the magic potion and delivers it to the Romans.
During a subsequent battle, combining both potions causes Romans to alternately inflate and shrink, frightening them into seeking peace. Meanwhile, Codfix abducts Melodrama for ransom. Histrionix pursues him alongside Asterix and Obelix.
Codfix attempts escape via river with Melodrama but is intercepted by recurring pirates; he offers them a share of ransom money. The Gauls launch an attack; after drinking magic potion, Histrionix confronts Codfix in combat and sends him flying into the Roman camp. The rival chiefs consent to single combat which ends in a stalemate; Asterix then declares Histrionix as chief. The villagers fill in the ditch by diverting a river’s flow; Codfix is condemned to servitude under the Romans. Histrionix weds Melodrama; Asterix, Obelix, and Getafix return home.
Commentary
- Albert Uderzo conceived Asterix and the Great Divide as an allegory criticizing the Berlin Wall, which physically separated Socialist East Berlin from Democratic West Berlin. This barrier was dismantled nine years following this album’s publication.
- An audiobook version adapted by Anthea Bell and Derek Hockridge, narrated by Willie Rushton, was released under Hodder and Stoughton's Hodder Children's Audio label in 1987.
- This entry represents the first in the series both scripted and illustrated exclusively by Albert Uderzo after his collaborator René Goscinny’s death, published through his own company "Editions Albert René".
- In English translation, Getafix’s phrase "Change and decay in all around I see" alludes to Henry Francis Lyte's hymn Abide with Me.