Three Bags Full
Encyclopedia
Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Story (original German
title: Glennkill: Ein Schafskrimi) is a work of detective fiction
which features a flock of anthropomorphic Irish
sheep
out to solve the murder of their shepherd
. Written originally in German by Leonie Swann
, the novel has been translated in to more than 30 languages.
in his middle, and resolve to solve his murder. The story is set in the fictional Irish village of Glennkill. Horrified, Miss Maple, the cleverest sheep in the flock, suggests they find the murderer. The others agree, and Miss Maple volunteers to inspect the body.
A little later, a certain Tom O'Malley finds the body and, panicked, runs to fetch the people of Glennkill. This draws not only the townspeople, but several reporters.
and breeds (the merino
and hebridean are present, among others). Using the perspective of the flock, Swann makes comedic jabs at human character and institutions.
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
title: Glennkill: Ein Schafskrimi) is a work of detective fiction
Detective fiction
Detective fiction is a sub-genre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator , either professional or amateur, investigates a crime, often murder.-In ancient literature:...
which features a flock of anthropomorphic Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
sheep
Domestic sheep
Sheep are quadrupedal, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Like all ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates. Although the name "sheep" applies to many species in the genus Ovis, in everyday usage it almost always refers to Ovis aries...
out to solve the murder of their shepherd
Shepherd
A shepherd is a person who tends, feeds or guards flocks of sheep.- Origins :Shepherding is one of the oldest occupations, beginning some 6,000 years ago in Asia Minor. Sheep were kept for their milk, meat and especially their wool...
. Written originally in German by Leonie Swann
Leonie Swann
Leonie Swann is the nom de plume of a German crime writer. She studied philosophy, psychology and English literature in Munich, and now lives in Berlin.-Work:...
, the novel has been translated in to more than 30 languages.
Plot
At the beginning of the novel, the sheep belonging to George Glenn awake to find their shepherd dead with a spadeSpade
A spade is a tool designed primarily for the purpose of digging or removing earth. Early spades were made of riven wood. After the art of metalworking was discovered, spades were made with sharper tips of metal. Before the advent of metal spades manual labor was less efficient at moving earth,...
in his middle, and resolve to solve his murder. The story is set in the fictional Irish village of Glennkill. Horrified, Miss Maple, the cleverest sheep in the flock, suggests they find the murderer. The others agree, and Miss Maple volunteers to inspect the body.
A little later, a certain Tom O'Malley finds the body and, panicked, runs to fetch the people of Glennkill. This draws not only the townspeople, but several reporters.
Major themes
Largely humorous in character, the novel displays a strong knowledge of sheep behavior, biology, husbandrySheep husbandry
Sheep husbandry is a subcategory of animal husbandry specifically dealing with the raising and breeding of domestic sheep. Sheep farming is primarily based on raising lambs for meat, or raising sheep for wool. Sheep may also be raised for milk or to sell to other farmers.-Shelter and...
and breeds (the merino
Merino
The Merino is an economically influential breed of sheep prized for its wool. Merinos are regarded as having some of the finest and softest wool of any sheep...
and hebridean are present, among others). Using the perspective of the flock, Swann makes comedic jabs at human character and institutions.
Characters
- George Glenn — the murdered shepherd
- Maude — a ewe with a powerful sense of smell
- Sir Ritchfield — the lead ram of the flock
- Miss Maple — the cleverest sheep in the flock, Glenkill, and possibly the world
- Heather — a lively young sheep
- Cloud — the wooliest sheep in the flock
- Mopple the Whale — a merinoMerinoThe Merino is an economically influential breed of sheep prized for its wool. Merinos are regarded as having some of the finest and softest wool of any sheep...
ram, the memory sheep of the flock, and the sheep with the largest appetite - Othello — a black Hebridean ram with four horns, who was rescued by George from a dog-fight years earlier
- Zora — a black–faced ewe with an unusual fascination with abysses
- Rameses — a young ram
- Lane — the quickest sheep in the flock
- Sara — a ewe
- A Lamb — the eyewitness to the murder
- Melmoth — Sir Ritchfield's twin brother, who had once left the herd but returned years later
- Cordelia — a ewe that likes odd words
- Maise — a naive young ewe
- Winter Lamb — a troublemaking lamb
- Willow — the second–most silent sheep in the flock
- Gabriel's Ram — a very strange sheep
- Fosco — a sheep that thinks himself clever
- Ham — Glenkill's butcher and general enemy of sheep
External links
- Three Bags Full at Random HouseRandom HouseRandom House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
's U.S. site