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Saturnin

 Saturnin
type
TVTItem
 Saturnin
label
Saturnin
 Saturnin
page
Saturnin
 Saturnin
comment
A humorist book by Czech writer Zdeněk Jirotka, published in 1942. Its titular character is a resourceful manservant with a hidden sense of adventure and a penchant for creating and subsequently solving tricky situations. Said to be inspired by Jeeves and Wooster, the book is nonetheless its own thing and its characters have become archetypes in their own right in Czech popular culture. It is known for its subtle humour and hilariously absurd yet believable situations. In 2009, it was elected the most beloved book in the Czech Republic in a public poll run by the Czech TV note winning over such luminaries as Babička by Božena Němcová, The Good Soldier Švejk, as well as The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and Twilight.Also turned into a TV mini-series, which had been cut down to create a film.The main characters are: The Narrator, never named in the book. He works in an office in Prague and would lead a boring life were it not for his inexplicable impulse to hire a valet, the titular Saturnin. A valet with perfect manners, who under this veneer manages to make everyone's life exciting and solve life's problems in unconventional ways. Aunt Kateřina, the narrator's widowed aunt-by-marriage, who is notorious for her gratuitous use of proverbs and sayings. Also for having a lust for material possessions and an ingratiating personality, for being a bit of mutton dressed as lamb, and for being a Doting Parent to her son Milouš, an aspiring rake of eighteen years of age and somewhat limited wits. The Grandfather, the narrator's and Milouš's grandfather, an elderly retired industrialist with a deep love for all things electric, who is in possession of the money Aunt Kateřina would like to have and lives in a large country house where everything functions on electricity. Miss Barbora (Barbora Terebová), an attractive, modern and sportive young woman, the narrator's Love Interest and a Spirited Young Lady. Doctor Vlach, a family friend typified by biting but often long-winded commentaries on people's behaviour and a somewhat ruthless sense of humour.
 Saturnin
fetched
2023-10-08T16:30:47Z
 Saturnin
parsed
2023-10-08T16:30:47Z
 Saturnin
processingComment
Dropped link to SurrealHumour: Not a Feature - UNKNOWN
 Saturnin
processingUnknown
SurrealHumour
 Saturnin
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Saturnin / int_2dc0d2bf
type
Hidden Depths
 Saturnin / int_2dc0d2bf
comment
Hidden Depths: Milouš, when he starts crying because he lost his chance with Miss Barbora. Up until this point, his interest in her seemed much more shallow.
 Saturnin / int_2dc0d2bf
featureApplicability
1.0
 Saturnin / int_2dc0d2bf
featureConfidence
1.0
 Saturnin
hasFeature
Saturnin / int_2dc0d2bf
 Saturnin / int_3110f888
type
Illness Blanket
 Saturnin / int_3110f888
comment
Illness Blanket: Parodied. Wrapping someone up in a blanket is Aunt Katerina's solution for everything; from minor injuries to actual sicknesses, to annoyances such as being rained on.
 Saturnin / int_3110f888
featureApplicability
1.0
 Saturnin / int_3110f888
featureConfidence
1.0
 Saturnin
hasFeature
Saturnin / int_3110f888
 Saturnin / int_4067bd4d
type
Spirited Young Lady
 Saturnin / int_4067bd4d
comment
Spirited Young Lady: Miss Barbora. Not necessarily a rebelling one, since the book is set in a time when young ladies had more freedom already, but the narrator does take note of her not-quite-ladylike comments on his ability to play tennis.
 Saturnin / int_4067bd4d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Saturnin / int_4067bd4d
featureConfidence
1.0
 Saturnin
hasFeature
Saturnin / int_4067bd4d
 Saturnin / int_4143f84f
type
Leg Focus
 Saturnin / int_4143f84f
comment
Leg Focus: Miss Barbora has the most attractive legs of any woman at the tennis court. The narrator describes them in fetishistic detail, while claiming that, being the gentleman that he is, he didn't look at them when he had the chance to.
 Saturnin / int_4143f84f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Saturnin / int_4143f84f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Saturnin
hasFeature
Saturnin / int_4143f84f
 Saturnin / int_53034c21
type
Great White Hunter
 Saturnin / int_53034c21
comment
Great White Hunter: The narrator has a reputation of being a courageous hunter and tamer of animals but only because of the fanciful stories Saturnin circulates about him. One time he is in all earnestness asked to go help and catch a lion that had escaped from the ZOO.
 Saturnin / int_53034c21
featureApplicability
1.0
 Saturnin / int_53034c21
featureConfidence
1.0
 Saturnin
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Saturnin / int_53034c21
 Saturnin / int_5d7cfc66
type
The Jeeves
 Saturnin / int_5d7cfc66
comment
The Jeeves: Saturnin is a very competent manservant who can solve any precarious situation, with a twist in that it's him causing most of the trouble.
 Saturnin / int_5d7cfc66
featureApplicability
1.0
 Saturnin / int_5d7cfc66
featureConfidence
1.0
 Saturnin
hasFeature
Saturnin / int_5d7cfc66
 Saturnin / int_688afa6a
type
Evil Uncle
 Saturnin / int_688afa6a
comment
Evil Uncle: Aunt Kateřina, as a female variant. Her annoying, inconsiderate, money-grubbing personality is the closest thing this story has for a villain.
 Saturnin / int_688afa6a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Saturnin / int_688afa6a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Saturnin
hasFeature
Saturnin / int_688afa6a
 Saturnin / int_6977c45e
type
Purple Prose
 Saturnin / int_6977c45e
comment
Purple Prose: Used mainly satirically and in contrast to more colloquial styles, such as when Aunt Kateřina tells the story from her abandoned romance novel, only for Doctor Vlach to poke fun at the genre mercilessly.
 Saturnin / int_6977c45e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Saturnin / int_6977c45e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Saturnin
hasFeature
Saturnin / int_6977c45e
 Saturnin / int_71105dfc
type
Everybody Smokes
 Saturnin / int_71105dfc
comment
Everybody Smokes: Common sense, as the book takes place somewhen between 1920 and the 1940s.
 Saturnin / int_71105dfc
featureApplicability
1.0
 Saturnin / int_71105dfc
featureConfidence
1.0
 Saturnin
hasFeature
Saturnin / int_71105dfc
 Saturnin / int_7eb2bc15
type
Ambiguous Time Period
 Saturnin / int_7eb2bc15
comment
Ambiguous Time Period: The book was written in 1942, so it would be logical to assume that it takes place in the middle of WW2. However, it was originally written as an escapist fantasy for the author, to protect himself from the horrors of war. Therefore, it would probably not make much sense for it to take place at the same time, and it does seem to take place in a little First Republic-style time bubble with none of the hardships of wartime life. Except that a little mention of blackout did creep in at one point...
 Saturnin / int_7eb2bc15
featureApplicability
1.0
 Saturnin / int_7eb2bc15
featureConfidence
1.0
 Saturnin
hasFeature
Saturnin / int_7eb2bc15
 Saturnin / int_931fecec
type
Enclosed Space
 Saturnin / int_931fecec
comment
Enclosed Space: the storm also tears down the bridge that connects Grandfather's house with the town. Since it is in the mountains, the only way to gain access to the rest of the world is to go around the river's head-spring.
 Saturnin / int_931fecec
featureApplicability
1.0
 Saturnin / int_931fecec
featureConfidence
1.0
 Saturnin
hasFeature
Saturnin / int_931fecec
 Saturnin / int_9c00c209
type
Hurricane of Aphorisms
 Saturnin / int_9c00c209
comment
Hurricane of Aphorisms: Aunt Kateřina would no doubt be the Trope Namer if a Czech version of TV Tropes existed. Saturnin also employs this way of speaking - when he wants to alert the narrator to Aunt Kateřina's presence.
 Saturnin / int_9c00c209
featureApplicability
1.0
 Saturnin / int_9c00c209
featureConfidence
1.0
 Saturnin
hasFeature
Saturnin / int_9c00c209
 Saturnin / int_9fcdc510
type
Wish Upon a Shooting Star
 Saturnin / int_9fcdc510
comment
Wish Upon a Shooting Star: Zigzagged. The Narrator and Miss Barbora spend about an hour watching the sky and trying to see a star fall. The narration does not say whether they did, so presumably they actually did not, but it is safe to assume they engaged in the activity in order to follow the trope.
 Saturnin / int_9fcdc510
featureApplicability
1.0
 Saturnin / int_9fcdc510
featureConfidence
1.0
 Saturnin
hasFeature
Saturnin / int_9fcdc510
 Saturnin / int_a2836be5
type
Identity Amnesia
 Saturnin / int_a2836be5
comment
Identity Amnesia: A brief mention - the thief Saturnin challenged to a duel ended up with a head wound and forgot his name.
 Saturnin / int_a2836be5
featureApplicability
1.0
 Saturnin / int_a2836be5
featureConfidence
1.0
 Saturnin
hasFeature
Saturnin / int_a2836be5
 Saturnin / int_ae3d6438
type
Deadpan Snarker
 Saturnin / int_ae3d6438
comment
Deadpan Snarker: Doctor Vlach. Other characters also have their moments, and seeing this is a humorist book, especially the narrator himself in his narration.
 Saturnin / int_ae3d6438
featureApplicability
1.0
 Saturnin / int_ae3d6438
featureConfidence
1.0
 Saturnin
hasFeature
Saturnin / int_ae3d6438
 Saturnin / int_b2099693
type
Stargazing Scene
 Saturnin / int_b2099693
comment
Stargazing Scene: The narrator and his love interest Miss Barbora spend the summer at his grandfather's beautiful villa. They watch stars together on the terrace, try to see a shooting star and are mostly silent. The narrator muses whether it was right when he decided not to try to kiss her. However, he has a very specific idea about their first kiss. He wants them to simply "kiss", not to "kiss her" or steal the kiss from her.
 Saturnin / int_b2099693
featureApplicability
1.0
 Saturnin / int_b2099693
featureConfidence
1.0
 Saturnin
hasFeature
Saturnin / int_b2099693
 Saturnin / int_b4fce1ab
type
Obfuscating Insanity
 Saturnin / int_b4fce1ab
comment
Obfuscating Insanity: Grandfather's eventual way of dealing with Aunt Kateřina's ingratiations
 Saturnin / int_b4fce1ab
featureApplicability
1.0
 Saturnin / int_b4fce1ab
featureConfidence
1.0
 Saturnin
hasFeature
Saturnin / int_b4fce1ab
 Saturnin / int_b7e0c5ff
type
Love Triangle
 Saturnin / int_b7e0c5ff
comment
Love Triangle: The Narrator and Milouš for Miss Barbora. But, considering Milouš's behaviour towards her, the competition was not that equal.
 Saturnin / int_b7e0c5ff
featureApplicability
1.0
 Saturnin / int_b7e0c5ff
featureConfidence
1.0
 Saturnin
hasFeature
Saturnin / int_b7e0c5ff
 Saturnin / int_b97c2cfb
type
Maybe Ever After
 Saturnin / int_b97c2cfb
comment
Maybe Ever After: Near the end of the novel, Miss Barbora agrees to go on a date with the narrator and suggests they use the familiar singular "you" with each other, indicating that she is interested in pursuing a relationship.
 Saturnin / int_b97c2cfb
featureApplicability
1.0
 Saturnin / int_b97c2cfb
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1.0
 Saturnin
hasFeature
Saturnin / int_b97c2cfb
 Saturnin / int_c23525d4
type
Character Title
 Saturnin / int_c23525d4
comment
Character Title: The book is named after Saturnin. It is quite a good choice, since the name is very unusual.
 Saturnin / int_c23525d4
featureApplicability
1.0
 Saturnin / int_c23525d4
featureConfidence
1.0
 Saturnin
hasFeature
Saturnin / int_c23525d4
 Saturnin / int_c253090a
type
Big Blackout
 Saturnin / int_c253090a
comment
Big Blackout: On a smaller scale, much of the book's exciting adventures happen when the electricity in the Grandfather's house is cut off during a storm.
 Saturnin / int_c253090a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Saturnin / int_c253090a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Saturnin
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Saturnin / int_c253090a
 Saturnin / int_d6707631
type
Waxing Lyrical
 Saturnin / int_d6707631
comment
Waxing Lyrical: Used to a timelessly humorous effect with a poem rather than a song, when a remark concerning Milouš's whereabouts triggers Saturnin quoting a famous Czech poem probably every Czech schoolchild is forced to read at some point.
 Saturnin / int_d6707631
featureApplicability
1.0
 Saturnin / int_d6707631
featureConfidence
1.0
 Saturnin
hasFeature
Saturnin / int_d6707631
 Saturnin / int_d9d8fd35
type
Battle Butler
 Saturnin / int_d9d8fd35
comment
Battle Butler: Saturnin would no doubt very much like to be one, and often actually is.
 Saturnin / int_d9d8fd35
featureApplicability
1.0
 Saturnin / int_d9d8fd35
featureConfidence
1.0
 Saturnin
hasFeature
Saturnin / int_d9d8fd35
 Saturnin / int_e913fe74
type
Epic Flail
 Saturnin / int_e913fe74
comment
Epic Flail: Saturnin's rise to newspaper fame happened when he caught a thief in one of his previous employers' houses and challenged the thief to a duel with Hussite flails.
 Saturnin / int_e913fe74
featureApplicability
1.0
 Saturnin / int_e913fe74
featureConfidence
1.0
 Saturnin
hasFeature
Saturnin / int_e913fe74
 Saturnin / int_f98c63
type
Wedding Bells... for Someone Else
 Saturnin / int_f98c63
comment
Wedding Bells... for Someone Else: The book ends with the nameless narrator nervously asking his crush Miss Barbora out. She doesn't make it easy for him, but she accepts and he's beyond happy. All previous chapters have a summary of the chapter, in the 'In Which a Trope Is Described' style. The very last chapter is very brief (One-Paragraph Chapter brief) and resembles just the summary. The narrator says he knows that every good story needs a satisfying ending and that there is no happy ending like a wedding. Everyone expects it's him and the lovely Barbora. He's glad he will not disappoint his readers because his widowed aunt Katerina got married to a rich gentleman.
 Saturnin / int_f98c63
featureApplicability
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 Saturnin / int_f98c63
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 Saturnin
hasFeature
Saturnin / int_f98c63
 Saturnin / int_fe0330fb
type
Brick Joke
 Saturnin / int_fe0330fb
comment
Brick Joke: Usually only in the scope of one chapter, but there are several.
 Saturnin / int_fe0330fb
featureApplicability
1.0
 Saturnin / int_fe0330fb
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 Saturnin
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Saturnin / int_fe0330fb
 Saturnin / int_name
type
ItemName
 Saturnin / int_name
comment
 Saturnin / int_name
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1.0
 Saturnin / int_name
featureConfidence
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 Saturnin
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Saturnin / int_name
 Saturnin / int_name
itemName
Saturnin

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Saturnin
hasFeature
Great White Hunter / int_e793773d
 Saturnin
hasFeature
Hurricane of Aphorisms / int_e793773d
 Saturnin
hasFeature
Illness Blanket / int_e793773d
 Saturnin
hasFeature
Obfuscating Insanity / int_e793773d
 Saturnin
hasFeature
Spirited Young Lady / int_e793773d
 Saturnin
hasFeature
Stargazing Scene / int_e793773d
 Saturnin
hasFeature
The Jeeves / int_e793773d
 Saturnin
hasFeature
Wedding Bells... for Someone Else / int_e793773d