Jules Verne: the trip of his life

Who hasn’t heard of Jules Verne? It is fascinating to immerse yourself in his wonderful adventures, but, above all, to see how a 19th century man was able to anticipate some much later discoveries and inventions. Without a doubt, Verne was ahead of his time, since he managed to unite engineering, science and literature in his works.

When submarines were still a fantasy, when electric motors were unthinkable, he created his Nautilus, a perfectly detailed and developed submarine.

The French writer was in charge of capturing the details of his inventions in his work, providing countless data and explaining to the reader how they work. Verne played with verisimilitude, but also with the scientific and technological advances of his time.

Jules Verne is a fundamental piece in letters, but also a revolutionary on a scientific level. He has been called the father of science fiction by some experts, but, in reality, He did science in his works and reinvented the travel book.

Jules Verne, early years

Jules Gabriel Verne was born into a bourgeois family in the French city of Nantes in 1828. His childhood was quite quiet and comfortable, his father was a well-positioned lawyer and Julio, from an early age, was a great lover of travel. .

AND There is a legend that says that, while he was still small, he tried to escape to enlist as a cabin boy on a ship bound for India.. His father discovered it in time and made him promise that he would only travel with his imagination.

Jules Verne would dedicate himself to traveling with his imagination and, as a result of these adventures, some of the most emblematic works of science fiction would be born. In 1848, at the height of the revolutionary boom, he moved to Paris with the intention of studying law. His father paid for his studies, but with a fairly tight stipend.

Verne was always convinced that it was more important to feed the spirit than the body itself. For this reason, he spent his money on buying books, feeding, for long periods, only on milk and bread.

He was a man who did not enjoy much health as a result of the hardships he experienced. Despite these economic difficulties, young Verne considered himself very happy these years.

At that time in his life, when he frequented Parisian literary circles, he met Alexandre Dumas, with whom he would establish a close friendship. The influences of Dumas and Victor Hugo marked his literary vocation.

The family life of Jules Verne

In 1850, Verne completed his law studies. However, Against his father’s will, he decides to dedicate himself to literature.. In 1856, he met Honorine de Vyane, whom he married in 1857.

Despite the bad relationship with his father, he gave him 50,000 francs on the occasion of his marriage. He settled in Paris as a stockbroker, but his career did not give very good results; Verne was born for other things.

Jules Verne did not find the emotional stability he expected when he married. He often became desperate with his wife and ran away whenever he could. In 1861, his only son, Michel Verne, a difficult boy, was born. The writer himself admitted him to a correctional facility and an asylum, events that marked a relationship of hate between the two.

At the age of 58, he was shot in the leg which resulted in a limp from which he would not recover. The shot came from the hand of his young nephew Gastón, the situation was never clarified, since everything seemed to indicate that his relationship was not bad. However, the boy was admitted to a mental hospital.

A life of extraordinary travel

Jules Verne’s first literary period spans from 1862 to 1886. In September 1862, he met Pierre-Jules Hetzel, the editor who would publish the first of the works that make up the yes extraordinary trips, Five weeks in a balloon (1863). Initially, it was serialized in Le Magasin d’éducation et de récréation by Hetzel, the novel became an international bestseller.

As a result of the magnificent reception, Hetzel offered Verne a long-term contract. in which he was to produce many more works of “scientific fiction.” In this way, the writer managed to dedicate himself to what he knew how to do best and became a full-time writer.

The relationship between the two was so fruitful that it would last for four decades, in which Verne composed the works that comprise Extraordinary trips. Thus, one of the most productive and successful connections in the most recent literature was created.

Verne had just reinvented the travel book genre and made a great contribution to other genres such as adventure or science fiction. This popular series of adventure novels were very visionary. A unique quality of extraordinary trips is that they were carefully documented and supported by scientific and geographical data.

Among the 45 extraordinary travel stories, the famous works were included: Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864) and From the Earth to the moon (1865). In addition to Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870), Around the world in eighty days (1872) or The mysterious Island (1874).

By 1886, Jules Verne had acquired world fame and a modest fortune. During this period, he also purchased several yachts and sailed to many European countries. He also collaborated in the theatrical adaptations of several of his novels.

Jules Verne: disenchantment and posthumous works

During his second literary period, which spans from 1886 until his death in 1905, the tone of his writings changed, as noted by the Encyclopedia Britannica. . Verne began to distance himself from his own hallmark, his texts were no longer impregnated with scientific advances or adventures and explorations like the previous ones.

At this time, its theme approached the dangers of technology forged by scientists full of arrogance.. That is to say, in a certain way, it adopted a more pessimistic tone, showing us the consequences of certain advances.

Some notable examples of this change were: The purchase of the North Pole (1889), A floating island (1895), for the flag (1896) and Owner of the world (1904). This change in tone occurred simultaneously with the different adversities that he encountered in his life. Jules Verne was greatly affected by the successive deaths of his mother and his mentor, Hetzel.. Upon his death, the writer left a large number of unpublished manuscripts.

The third period, from 1905 to 1919, includes the time in which his posthumous works were published.. These works were substantially edited by his son, Michel. Among the posthumous titles, we find: The golden volcano (1906), Thompson Travel Agency (1907), The Danube Pilot (1908) and Jonathan’s survivors (1909).

The problem is that Verne’s work, by then, was already well known. As a consequence, critics found that these posthumous titles were excessively contaminated, Michel’s imprint had eliminated many of Verne’s hallmarks and, therefore, they were not viewed favorably.

Verne, precursor of literature and science

Jules Verne became a world-famous author; how we have progressed, He was considered the father of modern science fiction. He was awarded the Legion of Honor for his contributions to education and science.

The popularity of Jules Verne’s work is attested to by the fact that he is one of the most translated authors in the world.. His influence is such that his works have been performed in the theater and have even been filmed on various occasions.

The scientific advances of Jules Verne

In some of his works you can see some inventions that would later materialize. Some examples of scientific advances that Verne imagined are:

Real time communication: In Paris in the 20th century, Verne predicted the emergence of the Internet. He imagined a communication network that would allow people to connect with different parts of the world and share information.Submarines: In his work Twenty thousand leagues under the sea, described a means of aquatic transportation (Nautilus) similar to current submarines. In that same novel, Julio foresees the possibility of taking photographs underwater.Space travels: around the moon and From the Earth to the moon They are two novels in which Jules Verne predicts space exploration and trips to the moon. One hundred years after these publications, Apollo 11 would reach the moon.Air travel: in the novels Robur the Conqueror and Owner of the World, Verne imagines and describes aerial vehicles that today resemble helicopters and airplanes.

Verne’s fame survives to this day, and it is incredible to imagine that a man could anticipate inventions that would appear decades later. The details, the trips, the countless advances make his work a unique production.

His imprint goes beyond the field of literature and cinema, extending to the world of science and technology. Generations of scientists, inventors and explorers admit the inspiration that his work meant. Verne and his extraordinary journeys will continue to remind us that “what one man can imagine, another can someday achieve.”

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