Noble savage
Related: primitive - civilization - barbarian - simple
The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser (1974) - Werner Herzog [Amazon.com] [FR] [DE] [UK]
Definition
Noble savage
In the 18th century culture of "Primitivism" the noble savage, uncorrupted by the influences of civilization was considered more worthy, more authentically noble than the contemporary product of civilized training. Although the phrase noble savage first appeared in Dryden's The Conquest of Granada (1672), the idealized picture of "nature's gentleman" was an aspect of 18th-century Sentimentalism, among other forces at work.
[...] The concept appears in many further books of early 19th century. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein forms one of the better-known examples: her monster embodies the ideal. German author Karl May employed the idea extensively in his Wild West stories. Aldous Huxley provided a later example in his novel Brave New World. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_savage [Jun 2006]
See also: 18th century literature - primitive - savage - Romanticism - nature - good - morals --[1]
The Wild Child (1970) - François Truffaut
The Wild Child (1970) - François Truffaut [Amazon.com] [FR] [DE] [UK]
The Wild Child (title of the film in the United States; it was released in the United Kingdom as The Wild Boy; originally released in France as L'Enfant sauvage) was a film by the French director François Truffaut, which was released in 1970.
The film is set in the 18th century. A young boy is found in the forest near Aveyron. The child is mute, so it is placed under the supervision of Dr. Jean Itard. Itard names the boy Victor and observes the child's attempt to survive in its new, unknown world.
The screenwriter Jean Gruault and the director François Truffaut were inspired by the novel by Jean Itard, which was based on true events surrounding The Wild Boy of Aveyron, as the novel was called. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wild_Child [May 2006]
See also: wild - child - François Truffaut - 1790s - 1800s - 1810s - 1820s - French cinema - 1970
The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser (1974) - Werner Herzog
Actor Bruno S. as Kaspar Hauser.
The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser (original title : Jeder für sich und Gott gegen alle - Every man for himself and God against all) is a 1974 German film written and directed by Werner Herzog revisiting the legend of Kaspar Hauser.
Kaspar Hauser (Bruno S.) lived for the first 17 years of his life in a cellar devoid of all human contact, fed by a stranger, in 19th century Germany. One day in 1828 this same stranger teaches him how to walk and leaves him in the town of Nuremberg. He is the subject of the curiosity of all and is even exhibited in a circus before being rescued by Herr Daumer (Walter Ladengast) who patiently attempts to transform him. Kaspar soon learns to read and write but has difficulties grasping basic concepts of religion and logic. Music is what pleases him most in this civilized world he would soon leave when he is one day mysteriously stabbed, perhaps by the same man who brought him to Nuremberg. Kaspar rests in bed describing visions he had of the desert, and dies shortly thereafter. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Enigma_of_Kaspar_Hauser [May 2006]
feral child
A feral child (feral, ie. "wild" or undomesticated) is a human child who, from a very young age, has lived in isolation from human contact and has remained unaware of human social behavior, and unexposed to language. A feral child is an extremely rare phenomenon, and there are only just over a hundred known cases. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feral_child [May 2006]
See also: Werner Herzog - 1820s - Germany - 1974
your Amazon recommendations