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Re: Pterodactyl in Centre de la Terre?

From: Brian Taves <btav~at~loc.gov>
Date: Fri, 4 Aug 2006 18:24:27 -0400 (EDT)
To: Jules Verne Forum <jvf~at~Gilead.org.il>

Thank you, Garmt, and Volker, for this--as soon as I saw the subject line
I immediately remembered the illustration, but had just never really
thought about it before. I wonder how often the illustrators intruded
with an intervention that was, as in this case, largely outside of the
primary events of the novel?

On Fri, 4 Aug 2006, volker dehs wrote:

> In fact, Riou illustrated "La Terre avant le déluge" (1863) de Louis
> Figuier, one of Verne's sources. Another of Verne's sources, the poem
> "Les Fossiles" (1856) of Flaubert's friend, Louis Bouilhet, describes
> the combat of Plesiosurus and Pterodactylus. But I remember that in
> "Voyage au centre de la Terre", Verne speaks of the Pt., without
> citing it's name. But no citation has been eliminated.
>
> Cheers, Volker
>
> > Dear friends,
> >
> > Here's something I just realised:
> >
> > In the combined frontispice for "Cinq semaines en ballon" and "Voyage au
> > centre de la terre" (the first image at Ariel's page
> > http://jgverne.cmact.com/VE/VCTierra.htm), there is a pterodactyl sitting
> > on a rock, at the lefthand end of the cave. In the novel, as published in
> > a volume, there is no such animal. I know that Verne added considerable
> > bits of texts during the revision of this novel, but did he also eliminate
> > a pterodactyl? Or is its presence in this picture just creativity on the
> > part of Riou, the illustrator? That would show that not only Verne, but
> > also Riou did a lot of background reading.
> >
> > Cheers,
> > Garmt.
>
> --
> Volker Dehs, Eisenbahnstr. 9, D-37073 Göttingen. Tel.: 0551 / 38 13 088

Brian Taves
Motion Picture/Broadcasting/Recorded Sound Division
Library of Congress
101 Independence Avenue, S.E. Washington, D.C. 20540-4692
Telephone: 202-707-9930; 202-707-2371 (fax)
Email: btav~at~loc.gov


Disclaimer--All opinions expressed are my own.
Received on Sat 05 Aug 2006 - 01:24:37 IDT

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