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Re: Hector Servadac

From: wbutcher <wbutcher~at~netvigator.com>
Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2007 09:14:30 +0800
To: "'Jules Verne Forum'" <jvf~at~gilead.org.il>
Cc: <1001~at~atlanticbb.net>

Just a quick comment on two points of an important issue.

The first translations, at least the authorised ones, were generally done on the basis of the page-proofs, but sometimes on the galley-proofs. Very little information indeed on the general route(s) from the proofs to the -- typically -- three different first editions (periodical, in-18, in-8), and, above all, between them, has been published to date.

The question of the Magasin version was fully treated in the OUP critical edition of Captain Hatteras (extracts available on line).

Bill
wbutcher~at~netvigator.com
http://home.netvigator.com/~wbutcher/
1/F, 46A, Lung Mei Village, Taipo, Hong Kong

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-jvf~at~Gilead.org.il [mailto:owner-jvf~at~Gilead.org.il] On Behalf Of Norm Wolcott
Sent: 07 September 2007 00:25
To: Jules Verne Forum
Cc: 1001~at~atlanticbb.net
Subject: Re: Hector Servadac

I somewhat thought this email might prompt some discussion on this one
of Verne's most controversial books. I have not looked at the dates
yet, but it would seem quite likely that the Seaside version was based
on the magazin version, as in the case of Michael Strogoff the Emma
Garrison Jones version precedes, at least in the beginning, any book
version. There are even chapter inversions, but not having the
"magazin" I cannot say for sure if these are translator errors or not.

As for Verne's anti-semitic tendencies, these are as WJM states. The
3rd republic was seized by a wave of anti-semitism culminating in the
Dreyfus Affair. Dreyfus was not fully exonerated until 1906, after
Verne's death. See the illuminating Wikipedia article on the Dreyfus
Affair, according to which antisemitism in the French military
continued until the 2nd world war in the persona of the Vichy regime,
which sent Dreyfus' grand-daughter to her death in the concentration
camps.

As a further question are any of the "magazin" versions available
on-line for comparison purposes?

On 9/6/07, Jan Rychlík <jan.rychlik~at~seznam.cz> wrote:
> Dear Walter,
>
> thank you very much for this most pregnant specification. I feel it is an important output of this debate, no matter that my original input was to draw attention to the fact, that the Munro translation is probably based on the Magasin version and not to blame Verne for antisemitism (although it is deplorable).
>
> Sincerely
>
> Jan
>
> > ------------ Původní zpráva ------------
> > Od: Walter J Miller <wjm2~at~nyu.edu>
> > Předmět: Re: Hector Servadac
> > Datum: 05.9.2007 18:02:00
> > ----------------------------------------
> > Vernians, this has been a typically productive discussion. I want to add what I
> > must always add in defense of Chaucer, Shakespeare, Dickens, and Verne,
> > shameless as it may sound. They were all raised in a church that preached
> > anti-Semitism (until recently). Finally the next-to-the-present pope admitted
> > it, the Jews were not responsible for Jesus' death, and the Jews are to be
> > regarded as our elder brothers. Poor Chaucer, Shakespeare, Dickens and Verne
> > did not have the benefit of such enlightenment in their early upbringing. We
> > all know they would have preferred that interpretation. When his followers
> > proclaimed him King of the Jews, the Romans had to take over, and the richest
> > Jews, disturbed by Jesus' anti-rich man tendencies, were glad to turn him over
> > to the Romans for execution. The Church found it convenient to put all the blame
> > on the Jews, but no one aware of history can do that any longer. Cheers!
> > Walter James Miler
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: Jan Rychlík <jan.rychlik~at~seznam.cz>
> > Date: Wednesday, September 5, 2007 10:08 am
> > Subject: Re: Hector Servadac
> > To: Jules Verne Forum <jvf~at~Gilead.org.il>
> >
> >
> > > Dear Chris,
> > >
> > > Hakhabut in fact is a representative of Germany/Germans, not Jews per
> > > se. But it is, of course, significant of Verne's (or, rather,
> > > contemporary conservative-christian) perception of Jews.
> > >
> > > As for Hetzel, according to Lottman's quotation of correspondence of
> > > Hetzel father to Hetzel son, he deplored Verne's antisemitic panache
> > > in Hector Servadac and Verne had to reduce it in rewriting the text
> > > for book edition (Paris rabbi protested against the Magasine version).
> > >
> > > Your reaction implies that Hetzel was a Jew. Was he? Personally, I
> > > remember one Jewish merchant of this name.
> > >
> > > Sincerely
> > >
> > > Jan
> > >
> > > > ------------ Původní zpráva ------------
> > > > Od: Chris Moser <crmoser~at~shaw.ca>
> > > > Předmět: Re: Hector Servadac
> > > > Datum: 05.9.2007 14:22:52
> > > > ----------------------------------------
> > > > The question of Verne's attitude towards Jewish people can not be
> > > separated
> > > > from his relationship with Hetzel . Given Hetzel's significant
> > > involvement
> > > > in the editing of Verne's works and Hetzel's close personal
> > > relationship
> > > > with Verne I have always thought that the racist comments in the
> > > Eglish
> > > > editions were placed there by the translators.
> > > >
> > > > Chris
> > > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > > From: "Jan Rychlík" <jan.rychlik~at~seznam.cz>
> > > > To: "Jules Verne Forum" <jvf~at~Gilead.org.il>
> > > > Sent: Wednesday, September 05, 2007 1:07 AM
> > > > Subject: Re:Hector Servadac
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > > Dear Norm,
> > > > >
> > > > > I think it should be noted that Munro translation is probably
> > > based on the
> > > > > Magasin version of the novel. See Vol. 1, end chpt. 18:
> > > > >
> > > > > Munro translation:
> > > > >
> > > > > "In fact, captain," replied Count Timascheff, "there are, on this
> > > fragment
> > > > > of our old globe, the nations of France, Russia, Italy. Spain,
> > > England,
> > > > > and Germany. As for the last, it must be allowed that she is very
> > > badly
> > > > > represented by this Jew."
> > > > > " No, I do not think so," replied Captain Servadac.
> > > > >
> > > > > Ellen Frewer's translation:
> > > > >
> > > > > "True, captain," answered the count; "we have only a fragment of a
> > > world,
> > > > > but it contains natives of France, Russia, Italy, Spain, and
> > > England. Even
> > > > > Germany may be said to have a representative in the person of this
> > >
> > > > > miserable Jew."
> > > > > "And even in him," said Servadac, "perhaps we shall not find so
> > > > > indifferent a representative as we at present imagine."
> > > > >
> > > > > conform to the French book version:
> > > > >
> > > > > – En effet, capitaine, répondit le comte Timascheff, il y a, sur
> > > ce
> > > > > fragment de notre ancien globe, des nationaux de France, de
> > > Russie, d'Italie,
> > > >
> > > > > d'Espagne, d'Angleterre, d'Allemagne. Quant à celle-ci, il faut
> > > convenir
> > > > > qu'elle est assez mal représentée par ce renégat!
> > > > > – Ne nous montrons pas trop difficiles!» répondit le capitaine Servadac.
> > > > >
> > > > > Sincerely
> > > > >
> > > > > Jan
> > > > >
> > > > >> ------------ Původní zpráva ------------
> > > > >> Od: Norm Wolcott <nwolcott2ster~at~gmail.com>
> > > > >> Předmět: Hector Servadac
> > > > >> Datum: 04.9.2007 22:12:51
> > > > >> ----------------------------------------
> > > > >> By now I am sure everyone has looked at the Munro version of Hector
> > > > >> Servadac on the Library of Congress web site. However, the
> > > magazine is
> > > > >> a little difficult to read online, and so I have posted a preliminary
> > > > >> version of chapters 1-5 on ibiblio at
> > > > >>
> > > > >> http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/docs/books/sherwood/Servadac_001-005.htm
> > > > >>
> > > > >> As is known the Sampson Low translation by Ellen Frewer ,
> > > although it
> > > > >> follows the story line faithfully, is defective in that it paraphrases
> > > > >> much of the action and conversations, and much of the detail is lost.
> > > > >> In addition she seems almost to be trying to explain the story to
> > > the
> > > > >> English readers as if afraid they will not get the point at all if
> > > > >> translated literally. That may be true. We do not have to venture
> > > very
> > > > >> far into the novel to see how much of the original flavor has been
> > > > >> lost in the Frewer version. Miss Frewer has also softened down
> > > much of
> > > > >> Verne's descriptions of Isaac Hakhabut perhaps noting a little
> > > > >> overkill.
> > > > >>
> > > > >> The Munro translation about which I shall have more to say later
> > > is
> > > > >> much more of a literal translation giving us the unvarnished Verne.
> > > > >> Unfortunately there is much error in the typography requiring much
> > > > >> editorial redaction, in addition to the normal OCR difficulties and
> > > > >> spelling variations from page to page.
> > > > >>
> > > > >> One interesting feature of the Seaside Library edition is the
> > > > >> confusion of "u" with "n". These two letters are identical
> > > > >> typographically, but there are notches indicating the top and bottom.
> > > > >> It appears that after typesetting a junior or apprentice distributed
> > > > >> the type into the type boxes, carelessly confusing several "u"
> > > > >> 'sand"n" 's. There was obviously not much opportunity for proof
> > > > >> reading in this high speed operation.
> > > > >>
> > > > >>
> > > > >>
> > > > >>
> > > > >>
> > > > >> --
> > > > >> Norman Wolcott, nwolcott2 at post.harvard.edu
> > > > >>
> > > > >>
> > > > >>
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> >
> >
> >
>

-- 
Norman Wolcott, nwolcott2 at post.harvard.edu

Received on Fri 07 Sep 2007 - 04:19:57 IDT

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