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Re: Lost Pages from 80 days

From: Norman Wolcott <nwolcott~at~kreative.net>
Date: Fri, 24 Apr 1998 00:25:22 -0400
To: "Jules Verne Forum" <jvf~at~math.technion.ac.il>

Several of the Forum have mentioned that the "Lost Pages" might be a
hoax or a fraud. In fact an examination of the document reveals
several internal inconsistencies which may lead credence to the belief
that the document is not genuine. Consider
   1. In the "Lost Pages" Fogg describes his watch, or at least
those available, as having an accuracy of at least one minute a month.
However Passepartout in Aden in conversation with the detective Fix
says that his watch coming from his great grandfather does not vary by
more than five minutes a year; this would be twice as accurate as
Fogg's. It would be very unlike Verne to have his hero Fogg not claim
superiority of the English timepieces over those of their French
cousins, especially that of his servant.
  2. If Fogg had instructed Passepartout to adjust his watch to
keep time on the journey, and not to miss his meals, it would appear
that Passepartout must have forgotten about it, for in Aden as Fix
points out, his watch is off by over two hours, and Fix has to remind
him to reset his watch every day at noon. Passepartout appears totally
ignorant of the fact. These two facts alone indicate that the author
(if not Verne) had not done his homework very well. (On the other hand
the discussion of longitude is more credible--the map on page 285 of
"Vingt Mille" depicting the course of the Nautilus clearly shows the
zero longitude line passing directly through Paris!)
  3. I think that we also must pay attention to the posting of
J-M Margot, an expert on Verne, on 8 April. He draws attention to the
date on the head of the original posting of the "Lost Pages", 1 April
1998. Now this date is one which at least in Anglo-Saxon countries is
accompanied by activities often found later to be not genuine. I do not
know if this is also the custom in continental and other countries. But
this also indicates that Mr. Hudson's article may be a work of creative
fiction.
  If the "Lost Pages" are not genuine, there may indeed be no French
original, and Mr. Unwin to the contrary, a "reconstruction" may be as good
a French source as can be obtained. In fact I will personally
contribute one of my best GIF's of Captain Nemo to the person who creates
the best French reconstruction of the "Lost Pages".
----------
> From: Garmt de Vries <G.deVries~at~phys.uu.nl>
> To: Jules Verne Forum <jvf~at~math.technion.ac.il>
> Subject: Re: Lost Pages from 80 days
> Date: Thursday, April 23, 1998 8:35 AM
>
> > >M. Hudson informs me that he has temporarily mislaid the
French pages
>
> M. Hudson inspired by Mrs. Hudson, Sherlock Holmes' landlady?


----------
> From: Garmt de Vries <G.deVries~at~phys.uu.nl>
> To: Jules Verne Forum <jvf~at~math.technion.ac.il>
> Subject: Re: Lost Pages from 80 days
> Date: Thursday, April 23, 1998 8:35 AM
>
> > >M. Hudson informs me that he has temporarily mislaid the french pages
>
> M. Hudson inspired by Mrs Hudson, Sherlock Holmes' landlady?
Received on Fri 24 Apr 1998 - 07:26:17 IDT

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