Science Fiction Française : Jules Verne



Imagine an author who in the mid 19th century predicted the splashdown location of Apollo 11 within three miles.  Or what if an author described the effects of deep water pressure on a submarine over 50 years before man ever invented any such vessel?  How about an author who depicted the molten center of our earth with alarming accuracy before the theory of plate tectonics was ever proposed?  These are but a few of the amazing prophetic visions of French author Jules Verne, grandfather of modern Science Fiction.



"From our survey of the recent criticism of Verne's work it is apparent that we are witnessing an evolution of critical attitude in France toward the genres of which Verne's work is representative: social utopia, science fiction, and fantastic romance--genres long considered only from narrow- minded points of view. The most important contemporary critics and philosophers have contributed to the clarification of Verne's very rich and complex output."

"Step by step, eliminating many misreadings, they have been winning for Verne a first-rank position in the history of French literature. This evolution is of course related to the present upswing in French studies of SF, which are showing signs of vitality after a long period in which the neglect of SF was relieved only by archaic, gossipy, and inadequate commentary."

- Science-Fiction Studies, edited by R.D. Mullen

Welcome to our humble Jules Verne Site, a project of French students at the University of Texas @ Austin. On this site you will find:

A summary of the life and times of Jules Verne

A timeline of Verne's life

Selected critical reviews of Verne's Work

Links to other Verne sites

This page is a project for Fr312K, compiled by Mark Bankston, Abey Bruce, and Sam Julian

Questions? Email us at : plato@mail.utexas.edu