History Literature / JonathanLivingstonSeagull

* NoAnimalsWereHarmed: Creator/RogerEbert was disturbed that this appeared [[AvertedTrope not to be the case]] in the movie, which used real-life footage of wild seagulls, sometimes in peril.

* RejectionRitual: The gulls of Jonathan's Flock have a ritual called "Stand to Center," which is used to either honor the recipient gull or shame them. A gull who is centered for shame is [[TheExile Outcast from the Flock]], and sentenced to spend the remainder of his or her life alone or with other exiles.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: {{Downplayed}}. While Fletcher is not a complete {{Jerkass}}, he's quite hot-tempered, cynical and unable to let hold grudges go. Despite of this, he's very loyal and caring towards Jonathan [[spoiler: and his students, when he becomes a teacher after Jonathan's death]].

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->''Lost on a painted sky''\\
''Where the clouds are hung''\\
''For the poet's eye''\\
''You may find him''
-->--Music/NeilDiamond, "Be"

''Jonathan Livingston Seagull'' is a novella by Creator/RichardBach published in 1970. It is a fable about a seagull who dreams of more than a dreary day-to-day life of squabbling for food and teaches himself to fly farther and faster than any bird could imagine. He suffers terribly in the course of his journey of self-discovery: both physical trauma from the stresses that he puts on his body and [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer ostracism from the Flock]], who cannot begin to understand the idea of a seagull who just wants to fly.

Dying on the wing after a long life of isolation, he [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence ascends to a higher level of spiritual existence]] and discovers that he's not the first to do so. Unlike his new peers, however, he chooses to return to the mundane world to teach others to follow in his path.

''Jonathan Livingston Seagull'' is a novella by Creator/RichardBach published in 1970. It is a fable about a seagull who dreams of more than a dreary day-to-day life of squabbling for food and teaches himself to fly farther and faster than any bird could imagine. He suffers terribly in the course of his journey of self-discovery: both physical trauma from the stresses that he puts on his body and [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer ostracization from the Flock]], who cannot begin to understand the idea of a seagull who just wants to fly.

* ShownTheirWork: The novel contains a surprisingly detailed amount of exposition on the aerodynamics of seagull flight.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: {{Downplayed}}. While Fletcher is not a complete {{Jerkass}}, he's quite hot-tempered, cynical and unable to let hold grudges go. Despite of this, he's very loyal and caring towards Jonathan [[spoiler: and his students]].

* AllLovingHero: Johnatan

* AllLovingHero: Johnatan