With the character of the equally lovable and boastful retiree Tartarin from the southern French town of Tarascon, Alphonse Daudet (1840-1897) explicitly aimed to create a prototype of the Frenchman. Always ready to put grand plans into action, Tartarin fails miserably every time and must return from the wide world back to his petty bourgeois homeland. The character proved to be so successful that Daudet published two sequels to the first volume released in 1872. In the original "Tartarin of Tarascon," Tartarin sets off for Africa, where he experiences adventures that are both incredible and ridiculous.