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The Great Brain
The Great Brain is a series of children's books by American author John Dennis Fitzgerald (1906–1988). Set in the small town of Adenville, Utah, between 1896 and 1898, the stories are loosely based on Fitzgerald's childhood experiences. Chronicled by the first-person voice of John Dennis Fitzgerald, the stories mainly center on the escapades of John's mischievous older brother, Tom Dennis Fitzgerald, a.k.a. "The Great Brain". The Great Brain was made into a movie released in 1978, with the main character played by Jimmy Osmond.
Mercer Mayer originally illustrated the books, except for 1995's The Great Brain Is Back (which was illustrated by Diane deGroat). Mayer did the original cover illustrations for the first seven books as well, but Carl Cassler re-did the cover illustrations for some of the reprints of the first seven books.
Although John D. Fitzgerald was born in Price, Utah, several references in the stories suggest Adenville is located in Utah's "Dixie" in the southwestern corner of the state. A small village called Adenville briefly existed near Cedar City, about which little is known.
The publisher's note in The Great Brain Is Back, published after the death of the author, recounts the story of the series' origin. Fitzgerald had written two novels for adults, Papa Married a Mormon and Mama's Boarding House, published in 1955 and 1958 and set in Adenville, Utah, at the end of the 19th century. A third book was requested by the editor, E. L. Doctorow, but he changed jobs before the manuscript was completed. Fitzgerald submitted the new novel, which focused on the children of Adenville, to Doctorow at The Dial Press but by then family stories were out of favor with adult readers. The new editor for children's books offered to publish the novel if it were cut in half and eliminated some passages aimed at adults. The result was The Great Brain.
Titles in order of chronological continuity are
The Fitzgerald family members include:
All the Fitzgerald men have the middle name of Dennis, a reminder of the "Fitzgerald Curse". The protagonist says that two centuries before he was born, Dennis Fitzgerald betrayed six of his cousins to English soldiers during a tax revolt in County Meath. His father decreed that all male Fitzgeralds should have the middle name of Dennis to be reminded of his son's treachery. It is a theme with the protagonist's parents, with the mother calling him and his brothers by the middle name of "Dennis" when she is cross with them and the father casually referring to them by their first two initials S.D., T.D., and J.D. The author's actual family is different: He had had an older sister, Belle Empey (née Fitzgerald). His two elder brothers were named William (rather than Sweyn) and Tom, and he had two younger brothers, Gerald and Charles. There was no record of his parents adopting children.
Catholicism is central to the family's life and identity, a recurring theme in a town where Catholics are distinctly in the minority. The breakdown is said to be 2,000 Mormons, 500 or so Protestants, and only about 100 Catholics. All the non-Mormons or "Gentiles" attend a generalized community church, and the Fitzgeralds have to make do with the services of itinerant priests and of the local preacher, Reverend Holcomb, who preaches "strictly from the Bible" so he does not show favoritism to either Protestants or Catholics. It was said that once a year a Catholic priest would visit Adenville to hear confessions, baptize babies or do specifically Catholic rituals; other times a Protestant minister would do likewise, such as marry Protestants.
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The Great Brain
The Great Brain is a series of children's books by American author John Dennis Fitzgerald (1906–1988). Set in the small town of Adenville, Utah, between 1896 and 1898, the stories are loosely based on Fitzgerald's childhood experiences. Chronicled by the first-person voice of John Dennis Fitzgerald, the stories mainly center on the escapades of John's mischievous older brother, Tom Dennis Fitzgerald, a.k.a. "The Great Brain". The Great Brain was made into a movie released in 1978, with the main character played by Jimmy Osmond.
Mercer Mayer originally illustrated the books, except for 1995's The Great Brain Is Back (which was illustrated by Diane deGroat). Mayer did the original cover illustrations for the first seven books as well, but Carl Cassler re-did the cover illustrations for some of the reprints of the first seven books.
Although John D. Fitzgerald was born in Price, Utah, several references in the stories suggest Adenville is located in Utah's "Dixie" in the southwestern corner of the state. A small village called Adenville briefly existed near Cedar City, about which little is known.
The publisher's note in The Great Brain Is Back, published after the death of the author, recounts the story of the series' origin. Fitzgerald had written two novels for adults, Papa Married a Mormon and Mama's Boarding House, published in 1955 and 1958 and set in Adenville, Utah, at the end of the 19th century. A third book was requested by the editor, E. L. Doctorow, but he changed jobs before the manuscript was completed. Fitzgerald submitted the new novel, which focused on the children of Adenville, to Doctorow at The Dial Press but by then family stories were out of favor with adult readers. The new editor for children's books offered to publish the novel if it were cut in half and eliminated some passages aimed at adults. The result was The Great Brain.
Titles in order of chronological continuity are
The Fitzgerald family members include:
All the Fitzgerald men have the middle name of Dennis, a reminder of the "Fitzgerald Curse". The protagonist says that two centuries before he was born, Dennis Fitzgerald betrayed six of his cousins to English soldiers during a tax revolt in County Meath. His father decreed that all male Fitzgeralds should have the middle name of Dennis to be reminded of his son's treachery. It is a theme with the protagonist's parents, with the mother calling him and his brothers by the middle name of "Dennis" when she is cross with them and the father casually referring to them by their first two initials S.D., T.D., and J.D. The author's actual family is different: He had had an older sister, Belle Empey (née Fitzgerald). His two elder brothers were named William (rather than Sweyn) and Tom, and he had two younger brothers, Gerald and Charles. There was no record of his parents adopting children.
Catholicism is central to the family's life and identity, a recurring theme in a town where Catholics are distinctly in the minority. The breakdown is said to be 2,000 Mormons, 500 or so Protestants, and only about 100 Catholics. All the non-Mormons or "Gentiles" attend a generalized community church, and the Fitzgeralds have to make do with the services of itinerant priests and of the local preacher, Reverend Holcomb, who preaches "strictly from the Bible" so he does not show favoritism to either Protestants or Catholics. It was said that once a year a Catholic priest would visit Adenville to hear confessions, baptize babies or do specifically Catholic rituals; other times a Protestant minister would do likewise, such as marry Protestants.