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Re: Verne's anti-semitism

From: Walter J Miller <wjm2~at~nyu.edu>
Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2003 11:05:50 -0700
To: Jules Verne Forum <jvf~at~Gilead.org.il>

Thank you, Nejat Bayramoglu, and those who have called me. Walter James Miller

----- Original Message -----
From: Superonline <neckobay~at~superonline.com>
Date: Tuesday, September 9, 2003 9:16 am
Subject: Re: Verne's anti-semitism

> Dear Friends,
>
> Walter J Miller explains the historical situation with delicately
> selectedwords and impressive memoires.
>
> I would like to add one thing. It's one of the methods of literary
> criticism to consider the real life of a writer, in searching for an
> explanation of his works. But it may not prove to be the exact
> truth every
> time. It's not easy to decipher a creative mind -- especially a
> centuryafter his death.
>
> In Jules Verne's case, I personally believe we should not
> question his
> works from a 21st century point of view, expecting "political
> correctness"from him, but rather enjoy his works and the sparks
> for curiosity ("the
> curiosity" which Koestler questions whether to be an "instinct" or
> not) he
> created and is still creating in the imagination of young minds.
>
> Best regards,
> Nejat Bayramoglu
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Walter J Miller" <wjm2~at~nyu.edu>
> To: <jvf~at~Gilead.org.il>
> Sent: Tuesday, September 09, 2003 4:38 PM
> Subject: Verne's anti-semitism
>
>
> > Dear Jean-Pierre Boutin and other Vernians:
> > I hasten to add my own experience with Verne's seemingly anti-
> semiticportrait in Servadac. Actually, I think I've said it best
> in my Intro to
> The Mighty Orinoco. Jules, like Charles Dickens and so many
> hundreds of
> great writers---Chaucer, Shakespeare---was raised by a Church that
> flagrantly preached anti-semitism. As W. H. Auden, the great
> English poet,
> explained to me in 1940, it was impossible to be graduated from Oxford
> without at least a tinge of anti-semitism. George Eliot was
> shocked to
> discover this in herself and wrote a whole novel to atone for it.
> Dickensapologized to the rabbis of London...he was not even aware
> how much his
> vignette of Fagin would wound his Jewish admirers. And Auden fell
> in love
> with an American Jew whom he passionately protected and admired
> until his
> death. The reason this has rarely been said in defense of Verne---
> in some
> ways a creature of his times---is simply that not everybody dare
> expressanti-Church sentiments. But it's the Churc
> > h's fault, not Verne's, not Chaucer's, not Dickens's. And I'm
> sure Michel
> took his father to task for being anti-Dreyfusard. The difference
> betweenJules and his son exemplifies the growing awareness of this
> awful problem
> created by the Church. The present Pope has tried to set things
> straightby pointing out that "the Hebrews are our older brothers."
> There should be
> a long footnote to every passage in Verne that offends in this
> way. Cheers!
> Walter James Miller
> >
> >
>
>
>
Received on Wed 10 Sep 2003 - 21:08:33 IDT

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