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Re: Source of phrase from 5S?

From: Art Evans <aevans2~at~tds.net>
Date: Sun, 6 Jun 2004 09:01:25 -0700
To: "Jules Verne Forum" <jvf~at~Gilead.org.il>

Hi Terry,

You always make such interesting posts. Nearly every one could be the
jumping-off point for an entire thesis!

In my opinion, Joe's satiric quip seems to target not as much the
"teleological fantasies of 19th-century scientific positivism" (descendants
of Larmarck's transformism, etc.) but, rather, a kind of Panglossian
religious determinism. This passage is especially interesting because, as
you know, "Providence" is a key concept in Verne's ideology--constantly
mediating between science and faith in his works. And it is almost always
portrayed in a positive light. Here, it might be interpreted as the butt of
a joke. Very rare. Frankly, I'm surprised that Hetzel didn't try to edit
out this "bon mot"!

Best,
Art


Best,
Art

----- Original Message -----
From: "Terry Harpold" <tharpold~at~english.ufl.edu>
To: "Jules Verne Forum" <jvf~at~Gilead.org.il>
Sent: Saturday, June 05, 2004 5:59 AM
Subject: Source of phrase from 5S?


> Dear colleagues,
>
> In ch. xxxviii of _Cinq Semaines en ballon_, Joe produces one of his most
charming jokes in response to Fergusson's observation that the Niger River
flows past some of the greatest cities of Africa:
>
> "Tien... cela me rappelle l'histoire de ce grand admirateur de la
Providence; qui la louait du soin qu'elle avait eu de faire passer les
fleuves au milieu des grandes villes!"
>
> Joe acts here -- as do all the clowns of the novels -- as Verne's double:
the joke is a witty stab at the teleological fantasies of 19th-century
scientific positivism, just the sort of satirical observation that Verne is
fond of making. But: is the joke original with Verne? Or is Joe actually
citing someone else, from fiction or reality, who expressed this sentiment
first?
>
> TH
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------
> Terry Harpold
> Assistant Professor
> Department of English
> University of Florida
>
> tharpold~at~acm.org
> tharpold~at~english.ufl.edu
> http://www.english.ufl.edu/~tharpold
>
> "Reading in no way obliges you to understand."
>
>
Received on Sun 06 Jun 2004 - 19:02:11 IDT

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