''Die Wächter'' is a 1970

dystopian novel Utopian and dystopian fiction are subgenres of speculative fiction that explore extreme forms of social and political structures. Utopian fiction portrays a setting that agrees with the author's ethos, having various attributes of another reality ...

'' The Guardians'' (German title: ''Die Wächter'') by the English author

John Christopher Sam Youd (16 April 1922 – 3 February 2012) was a British writer best known for science fiction written under the name of John Christopher, including the novels '' The Death of Grass'', ''The Possessors'', and the young-adult novel series ...

. He portrays the fate of Rob Randalls, a boy living in a two-class society. The novel was awarded the German youth literature prize in 1976.

Plot summary

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

of the 21st century is divided into two regions. One is the frantic and advanced Konurba, the other is the region in which humans live under pre-

WWI World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting took place mainly in Europe and th ...

conditions. The people of the two regions do not know each other because a fence marks the border of both sides. That is why both sides'population is suspicious of each other. Rob Randall, a boy from Konurba, lives together with his father ever since his mother died. After his father died in an accident, the boy is sent to a public boarding school. But because of dominantly brutal customs Rob runs away from the

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...

. He decides to flee to the region his mother grew up in. After arriving there; Rob meets the son of country

aristocrat The aristocracy (''from Greek'' ''ἀριστοκρατία'' ''aristokratía'', "rule of the best"; ''Latin: aristocratia'') is historically associated with a "hereditary" or a "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the ...

s, Mike Gifford, who agrees to hide Rob in a cave. When Mike's mother finds Rob, she decides after initial hesitation to offer him to live with the family as an allegedly "nephew from

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

". The boy is fast to settle into the life of country aristocrats and attends school together with Mike starting in September. There they get to know Daniel Penfold, an upperclassman who criticises social order. Whilst Mike is starting to develop an interest in Penfold's ideas, Rob confronts these ideas sceptically.

Interpretation

The author depicts a two-class society in this novel. The whole system is based on prejudices both groups of people have against each other. Christopher also shows what happens when something is seen as perfect and thus making people overlook their own mistakes. This denial of reality and prejudices are creating a social order in which people are happy on their own, showing no interest in others. The author wants to make the reader to question seemingly perfect conditions instead of accept them without a second thought.

Television adaptation

In 1985, ''Die Wächter'' was made into a television series of six episodes with a runtime of 45 minutes per episode. The producing company was the Bavaria Atelier GmbH. The cast included Martin Tempest as Rob Randall, Renate Schroeter as Mrs. Gifford, Paul Hawkins as Mike Gifford, and Sophie Lawrence as Cecily Gifford. The television series aired on the German television channel ARD from February until March 1986.

Literature

* ''Die Wächter'' by

, published by Ravensburger Verlag, .

External links

*
Review of ''Die Wächter''

Review of the novel ''Die Wächter''
at ''Dystopische Literatur''
''Die Wächter'' D 1985 TV series
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wachter, die 1986 German television series debuts 1986 German television series endings German science fiction television series 1980s German television miniseries Television shows based on British novels German-language television shows Das Erste original programming de:Die Wächter

Plot summary

Interpretation

Television adaptation

Literature

See also

External links