Jules Verne Forum

<jvf@Gilead.org.il>

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec 19961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009

Re: Verne's itineraries

From: Ian Thompson <ithompson~at~geog.gla.ac.uk>
Date: Thu, 24 Jul 2003 11:04:52 +0100
To: "Jules Verne Forum" <jvf~at~Gilead.org.il>

As a geographer, I think that Garmt has made a good suggestion. I would add
just a few points to the debate.
The published maps in the Voyages novels are not always a good source. As
Francois Derivery has pointed out (Pulsions et Inscriptions dans deux romans
de Jules Verne, EC Editions, Paris 1994) Hetzel used his own illustrators
who would provide material which in a sense was independent of the text as
far as cartographic accuracy was concerned. If I take the case of the Rayon
Vert, the map in the first edition showing the itinerary, omits certain
sections described in the text and includes others that from a navigational
point of view would have been impossible. There are also unfortunate
mis-spellings of place names...Ben Nevis becomes Ben Levis for example!
Leading on from this, it is important to differentiate between itineraries
in the novels which are undoubtedly based on first hand travel and other
parts of the narrative which are either imaginative or based on guide book
accounts. In the case of the three "Scottish" novels, it seems certain that
the Scottish itinerary in Voyage a Reculons accurately depicts Verne and
Hignard's journey, down to incredibly localised detail and the inclusion of
real people. 18 years later, in Les Indes Noires, the same itinerary is
"recycled" but the autobiographical element has gone and therefore Verne
feels free to take geographical liberties to suit his narrative (the
inclusion of a non-existant coal field, travel on a railway line that didn't
exist until after the book was published etc). In the case of Le Rayon Vert,
it seems likely to me that the novel is partly based on Verne's voyage to
the Hebrides (Corryvrekan,Oban,Mull, Iona and most definitely Staffa) but
that the first section from the Clyde to Crinan was probably based on travel
guides, which were abundant for this very popular tourist route. Moreover,
the story ends at a great pace...in a few pages the personnae are
transported by rail back to Glasgow. In other words, if based on Verne's own
travel up the west coast, the novel tells us nothing of what happened after
Staffa. Did the St Michel III travel on to Norway via Cape Wrath? through
the Caledonian Canal ?,which was navigationally possible.
In summary, the novels give us many clues, but for the itineraries of
Verne's own travels we need factual evidence ( ships logs, diary notes,
letters etc).
If Garmt has an electronic format in mind, then I think zoom insets would be
necessary for areas where we have accurate local detail. I will be happy to
post the maps that I have drawn for Scotland and have been prepared for
publication.
More reactions to Garmt's suggestion would be welcome.
Ian Thompson.
Received on Thu 24 Jul 2003 - 13:06:43 IDT

JV.Gilead.org.il
Copyright © Zvi Har’El
$Date: 2009/02/01 22:36:11 $$