Issue 2 NAUTILUS Autumn 2001

Verne - The Manuscripts William Butcher

erne’s manuscripts are a vital source of knowledge about the Extraordinary Journeys. VThey provide not only a general insight into his creative process but also highly significant variants with the published editions. Verne seems to have prepared at least two or three MSS for each published novel, with one or more known to survive for all except . The vast majority are owned by the Municipality of Nantes, although also available in microfilm form at the National Library in ‘Britain’, ‘clubs’, and ‘Fog [sic]’: meaning that Paris. A remarkable event was the revelation in social observations are paramount when the 1995 of an unsuspected MS in private hands, archetypal modern hero is born and that a Journey to the Centre of the Earth. journey and a time limit have not yet begun to Few of the MSS have really been studied to be dreamed of. The mo MS of Twenty Thousand date. However, they have been shown to be Leagues (OUP, 1998) present comparably vital in understanding the authorship of the illuminating variants. Thus a three-clause posthumous works. It is also known that Hetzel agreement is made between Nemo and Dr required drastic alterations to Elector Servadac, Aronnax governing their life on board. The mo Captain Hatteras, and , visit the seabed of the English Channel; imposing incongruous happy endings. Thus the Aronnax conjures up medieval visions from the MS Hatteras, driven on by his northward cliff shadows near Le Havre; and the Nautilus monomania, plunges suicidally into the volcano forms a poetic scene of happy dawn and sunny at the North Pole. The MS Nemo gives the tranquillity off Dover. Nemo above all appears Island’s colonisers the giant pearl he had so more independent and intransigent. He is a carefully nurtured in Twenty Thousand Leagues composer, preferring his own music to ‘all the under the Seas; and instead of his life as a ancient and modern’; the scores of Papuans ‘mistake’ and the absurd ‘God and my invading his ship are electrocuted, deliberately country!’, the MS has a dying ‘Independence!’ and without remorse; and the all-important Startling revelations about Verne’s most Vengeur is a ‘Republican’ ship. The closing successful novels are made in the three words praise Nemo as ‘the Man of the Waters, ‘World’s Classics’ volumes translated and entirely free’. edited by William Butcher. Thus in the OUP In sum, the MSS are vital for Journey to the Centre of the Earth (2nd edn 1997), understanding ’s novels. Given this exclusive information about the MS is writer’s historical and literary stature, it is provided: Lidenbrock appears less sympathetic, clearly urgent to integrally publish the major the underground cavern seems quite different, ones as soon as possible. the logbook is narrated partly in the past tense, William Butcher 0 3 and a new source for the novel is acknowledged. Similarly Around the World in NAUTILUS - Editor Stuart Williams Eighty Days (OUP, 1995; 2nd edn 1997) shows On behalf of the Jules Verne Society (GB) that the opening page of the MS contains such 26 Matlock Road, Bloxwich, WS3 3QD, Great Britain surprises as clear anti_Semitism, a C 3 fourteen_year backdating, political references Copyright of the individual authors published herein. to ‘Hanover’ and ‘the Duke of Wellington’, Opinions expressed and statements made by individual and an explicit remark as to Phileas Fogg’s authors do not necessarily reflect those of the Society or of motivation, ‘Face isn’t the only expressive the Editor of this Newsletter, and no responsibility is accepted for such. No reproduction in any form may be organ’! An even earlier fragment jots down made without written permission.

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