Many of Jules Verne’s characters seem to be very good and perfect, and filled with consideration for others – in other words, idealized, especially considering the situations these characters are in. Why?
The moral idealism of Verne’s work has not gone unnoticed, even in his day. This moral idealism garnered him the personal congratulations of Pope Leo XIII in 1884. Verne once wrote, “If I am not always what I ought to be, my characters will be what I should like to be.” However, it is worth noting that much of the moral aspect of Verne’s work was the work of his editor/publisher/censor Pierre-Jules Hetzel, knowledge that has been coming to light relatively recently. Hetzel’s intervention regarding Captain Nemo is the reason the cold, detached fighter manages to comply with conservative values and repents at the end of his life in The Mysterious Island.
According to Edmund J. Smythe in Jules Verne: Narratives of Modernity, Verne’s characters present themselves as representatives of the whole of community.
Where did Jules Verne get his ideas?
Jules Verne is considered to be a, if not the, father of science fiction. His descriptions of his creations dazzled the public. Some of these creations did not even exist in Verne’s time, yet he was writing about them! Prime examples include Verne’s space-travelling devices (written about long before actual space travel) and the fantastical Nautilus, a submarine made alive on paper before one actually existed. Verne had his imagination to thank for a significant chunk of his writing. Inventions of his mind have been proved impossible to actually function in the real world if his descriptions and specification were followed, such as in the case of the hot air balloon used in Five Weeks in a Balloon.
Verne was a studious pupil and expected to be a lawyer. However, he found himself in Paris (for sentimental reasons) where he obtained his license. Here, more interested in writing, Verne had been writing plays in the drama and theatre industry.
While still in the industry, he became acquainted with scientists, explorers, and innovators in general, including balloonist, Felix Nadar, who was the inspiration for Verne’s groundbreaking success Five Weeks in a Balloon after he built a giant air balloon. Verne also travelled internationally with Aristide Hignard. Verne was also friends with Victor Hugo and Alexandre Dumas.
Verne is famous for his exciting adventures. This may be due to his own adventuresome and rebellious streak – he stowed away on a ship bound for the West Indies at an early age, an adventure cut short by his pursuing father.
Verne was a real rebel, much like some of his characters. He was an unconventional man who followed his star, which was writing, even when that vocation did not provide him with much success. His father withdrew financial support when it was discovered that his son was writing instead of pursuing law like he had, and Verne turned to supporting himself as a stockbroker. After he got married, Verne continued to write and look for a publisher, with the encouragement of his wife.
How did Jules Verne’s writing change in his later years, and why? What happened to these writings?
After the deaths of his rigorous editor Pierre-Jules Hetzel and his mother in 1887, the writings of Verne became darker. Personality changes must be considered, but a very important factor in this is Hetzel’s son, who took over his father’s business. This son was not as involved as Hetzel had been editorially.
After his death, Verne’s son Michel had Invasion of the Sea and The Lighthouse at the End of the World published, as the Voyages Extraordinaires continued for several years after. It has been discovered that Michel Verne extensively altered these stories, the unadulterated originals being published at the end of the 20th century.
Verne’s Paris in the Twentieth Century was very depressing and pessimistic. His editor believed that Verne’s booming career would be damaged by this work if he was to publish is immediately, and so suggested a 20-year wait before publication. The manuscript was put in a safe where it was discovered in 1989. In 1994 it was published, around the same time that a number of other Jules Verne works were being published for the first time, which can be considered a revival of sorts.
What was Jules Verne’s writing history before he made it big?
Jules Verne did not come from a literary family. His father wrote some songs in his youth, but avoided publicity and very few of his songs got into print. When Verne grew up, his father wanted him to be a lawyer over a writer, and withdrew financial support over this after finding out that Verne was writing instead of working in law. Verne was forced to become a stockbroker as a means of supporting himself, but disliked the profession, although he had some success. Verne continued to write each day.
Verne’s feelings toward writing were apparent from the start. wrote a lot in his youth, including short stories, plays, songs, and many poems, hinting at what was to come. A number of these were published in Musee des familles, a magazine edited in Paris which other famous author wrote for, including Honore de Balzac and Verne’s friend Alexandre Dumas. Verne’s contributions were of adventure and carefully prepared scientific details that were characteristic of his later, legendary works.
Jules Verne enjoyed amazing success and acclaim even when he was alive. What made Verne successful?
Verne literally had a formula for success. (Or a recipe, or a blueprint. Something that can be followed exactly.) His breakout work, Five Weeks in a Balloon, follows this formula and so are similar in plot progression. Five Weeks in a Balloon is the first of Verne’s popular Voyages Extraordinaires, which all follow this formula of mixing twists in an adventure-based plots with technical, geographic, scientific and historical descriptions.
Verne was recognized during his lifetime as one who possessed a command of the subjects he tackled in his writing. As the father of science fiction, Verne was a pioneer of the genre, so while adventure stories already were in circulation, the subjects Verne wrote about were fresh, new, intriguing and unexpected. This also contributed to Verne’s success.
A third contributor to Verne/’s success was Pierre-Jules Hetzel, his editor, publisher and censor. Hetzel’s editing was vital to the text, his censoring helped make the books more appealing and directed them towards a respectable demographic, and the fact that he gave Verne a chance (after Verne was rejected by all the other publishers he went to) meant that Verne could get his foot in the door by getting in print. The fact that Pierre-Jules Hetzel happened to be one of France’s most important publishers didn’t hurt, either.