3 ms·

I think it's concerning how a lot of people here seem to take offense at the fact the article underlines the predominantly white and masculine nature of Verne's

I think it's concerning how a lot of people here seem to take offense at the fact the article underlines the predominantly white and masculine nature of Verne's protagonists. Should an analysis of Verne's work refrain from pointing this out? Because it would be too "woke"? Verne lived during the peak of the French colonial Empire. Whites were a minority in the total population of the Empire, racism was pretty much a state institution used to justify an ad hoc hierarchy of the peoples living in the colonies. Seeing how Verne's archetype of the adventurer was shaped by colonial imagery is relevant to understanding his work. I don't know what more to tell you.

adrian_b 2y ago
While that is true, it is not something specific to Verne but it is how everybody was educated at that time. Verne was far more sympathetic towards non-European people that the vast majority of the Europeans of his time and many non-Europeans had very positive roles in his writings, even if their roles were less important than of the main European heroes. There were even a few strong female characters in some of his novels, even if most had male protagonists. Therefore I think that it is stupid to insist on this. Only in the context of describing racism of the entire society of the 19th century it makes sense to give examples from Verne, among many others, to illustrate the way of thinking of that time. Discussing this only in Verne can give the impression that he was worse than others, when in fact he was much better from this point of view. He certainly was not an "apostle of colonization" and even the article recognizes that many of his works are very critical of colonization. The main thing that can be reproached to Verne is that he tended to be much more indulgent about French colonization than about British colonization, under the mistaken assumption that in the French colonies abuses happen much less frequently than in the British colonies (though the British appear to have indeed been the worst, judging after the very small percentages of surviving natives in the British colonies in comparison with the colonies of all other countries). As a child I have read a very large number of the novels of Jules Verne. While there were a few passages where he expressed a naive optimism about the possible benefits of bringing "civilization" to some remote parts of the Earth, those have made very little impression on me. What I have retained because I was impressed by them have been exactly the parts where the European colonization was criticized and where various natives had very positive images. So any article author that describes Jules Verne as an "apostle of colonization" cannot have done due diligence in really reading his works.
- pvg 2y ago
  He certainly was not an "apostle of colonization" The 'apostle of colonization' quoted by the article is something someone said about Verne in 1929. As a compliment.
- thrance 2y ago
  The article is not painting Verne as a rabid colonialist, but he certainly was a product of his time, and understanding this is necessary to properly look at his works. I too have read quite a lot of his books. Having non-European heroes be subordinate to European heroes was a common trope in colonial times. Look at Jean-Baptiste Marchand's expedition though Africa, and the statue he got as a result.
RandomThoughts3 2y ago
I don’t take offense but is it in any way surprising that Verne being a Frenchman writing for a predominantly French audience depicted adventurers who actually look like him? Seems to me like taking a sledgehammer to tore down doors which are already wide open but maybe I’m missing something. At this point, the mandatory postcolonial blurb in any literature article feels so expected that it has become slightly trite at least to me.
- thrance 2y ago
  My previous comment was specifically targeted to those who feel offended this is even brought up. Jules Verne's books often features adventurers inspired by the heroes created by colonial propaganda, like Lyautey, Marchand, Brazza... Understanding the context of the time Verne lived in is necessary to get where his stories come from. Not mentioning it would lead to a pretty subpar analysis, in my opinion.
  - RandomThoughts3 2y ago
    > Understanding the context of the time Verne lived in is necessary to get where his stories come from. Certainly but that’s kind of implied by merely talking about Verne. Anyway, the article leans more heavily towards the overall Verne outlook towards colonialism than his simple choice of character thankfully. I don’t think the analysis is particularly compelling or interesting - it’s the usual continental philosophy inspired rehash you expect for any modern literature paper, a discipline which has apparently become entirely incapable of producing any novel idea - but well I guess it’s nice it exists even if reading it feels like looking at a paint by number piece of art.

adrian_b 2y ago

While that is true, it is not something specific to Verne but it is how everybody was educated at that time. Verne was far more sympathetic towards non-European people that the vast majority of the Europeans of his time and many non-Europeans had very positive roles in his writings, even if their roles were less important than of the main European heroes. There were even a few strong female characters in some of his novels, even if most had male protagonists. Therefore I think that it is stupid to insist on this. Only in the context of describing racism of the entire society of the 19th century it makes sense to give examples from Verne, among many others, to illustrate the way of thinking of that time. Discussing this only in Verne can give the impression that he was worse than others, when in fact he was much better from this point of view. He certainly was not an "apostle of colonization" and even the article recognizes that many of his works are very critical of colonization. The main thing that can be reproached to Verne is that he tended to be much more indulgent about French colonization than about British colonization, under the mistaken assumption that in the French colonies abuses happen much less frequently than in the British colonies (though the British appear to have indeed been the worst, judging after the very small percentages of surviving natives in the British colonies in comparison with the colonies of all other countries). As a child I have read a very large number of the novels of Jules Verne. While there were a few passages where he expressed a naive optimism about the possible benefits of bringing "civilization" to some remote parts of the Earth, those have made very little impression on me. What I have retained because I was impressed by them have been exactly the parts where the European colonization was criticized and where various natives had very positive images. So any article author that describes Jules Verne as an "apostle of colonization" cannot have done due diligence in really reading his works.

pvg 2y ago
He certainly was not an "apostle of colonization" The 'apostle of colonization' quoted by the article is something someone said about Verne in 1929. As a compliment.
thrance 2y ago
The article is not painting Verne as a rabid colonialist, but he certainly was a product of his time, and understanding this is necessary to properly look at his works. I too have read quite a lot of his books. Having non-European heroes be subordinate to European heroes was a common trope in colonial times. Look at Jean-Baptiste Marchand's expedition though Africa, and the statue he got as a result.

RandomThoughts3 2y ago

I don’t take offense but is it in any way surprising that Verne being a Frenchman writing for a predominantly French audience depicted adventurers who actually look like him? Seems to me like taking a sledgehammer to tore down doors which are already wide open but maybe I’m missing something. At this point, the mandatory postcolonial blurb in any literature article feels so expected that it has become slightly trite at least to me.

thrance 2y ago
My previous comment was specifically targeted to those who feel offended this is even brought up. Jules Verne's books often features adventurers inspired by the heroes created by colonial propaganda, like Lyautey, Marchand, Brazza... Understanding the context of the time Verne lived in is necessary to get where his stories come from. Not mentioning it would lead to a pretty subpar analysis, in my opinion.
- RandomThoughts3 2y ago
  > Understanding the context of the time Verne lived in is necessary to get where his stories come from. Certainly but that’s kind of implied by merely talking about Verne. Anyway, the article leans more heavily towards the overall Verne outlook towards colonialism than his simple choice of character thankfully. I don’t think the analysis is particularly compelling or interesting - it’s the usual continental philosophy inspired rehash you expect for any modern literature paper, a discipline which has apparently become entirely incapable of producing any novel idea - but well I guess it’s nice it exists even if reading it feels like looking at a paint by number piece of art.