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Michel Lamy and Phileas Fogg

From: volker dehs <volker.dehs~at~web.de>
Date: Sun, 16 Sep 2007 09:44:02 +0200
To: Jules Verne Forum <jvf~at~gilead.org.il>

Michel Lamy's book, published for the first time in France in 1984 is simply utter nonsence with an incoherent argumentation, some interesting views, an agglomeration of erroneous interpretations, but amusing to read - as all esoteric dull.

It has nothing, but nothing in common with Bill's well commented translations of Verne's novels. But I agree with you, Harry, his interpretation of the quoted passage on Phileas Fogg is not convincing. In fact, this sentence ('Face isn't the only expressive organ') is a quotation of the book "De la physionomie et des mouvements d'expressions" of the physiologist Pierre Gratiolet, an old fried of Hetzel who published his book posthumously in 1865. Jules Verne quotes Gratiolet in several of his novels (From Earth to Moon, 20000 Leagues, The Chancellor). There is no necessity at all for a sexual interpretation, seen the the context of the phrase in Gratiolet's book:

"La face n'est pas le seul organe expressif des pasions; loin de là, la main, le pied de l'homme et des animaux, la queue de certains caranassiers, tels que les chiens et les chats, ont des expressions qu'on ne saurait méconnaître" (pp. 7-8).

Gratiolet doesn't explain man's character by appearence of man's physiognomy, but by it's functions.

Cheers,
Volker

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> I should explain that I was introduced to Jules Verne in the 1980's, thanks to the BRB International production "Around the World with Willy Fog" and therefore had an assumption prior to reading the proper book (which I still thank Bill for sending to me) that Mr. Fogg was a fine, upstanding English gentlemen which indeed the book proved.
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> However, I was slightly dismayed to read in the same book William's insistence that (and I am quoting here):
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> "The clearly legible '- Face isn't the only expressive organ' is also vital. It's explicit sexual innunedo declares that the mind's composition is not in the face, that Fogg's imperturability conceals the strongest impulses and that his fate will ultimately be determined by his libido"
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> I mean look at him for pete's sake. How can anyone with that expression possibly be more "libido" than Tom Jones??? This is why I think that the main reason these books are produced are simply to cash in on the money that started with the Da Vinci Code. I would like to finish my defence of Mr. Fogg with the following quote from Trial by Jury by Gilbert and Sullivan
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> "The rich attorney my character high tried vainly to disparage!"
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> And if any does seek to disparage Mr. Fogg's character, they'll have me to answer to!
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> Harry Hayfield (Supporter for Mr. Fogg)

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Received on Sun 16 Sep 2007 - 09:44:10 IST

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