The Voyage of Captain Popanilla

"The Voyage of Captain Popanilla" by Earl of Beaconsfield Benjamin Disraeli is the story of a fantastic journey that served as a satire of society. Fantaisie is an undiscovered remote and idyllic island in the Indian Ocean with mermaids and serpents. One day the indigenous people's sunset is disturbed by a ship, which they presume to be a sea monster, sinking. Popanilla is on the beach looking for the hair lock of his mistress which he has lost. He comes across a sea chest and investigates its contents, namely books.