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quentin skrabec
John yes I agree much is being overlooked in studying.
We are all united by our love of Verne; however, I think one issue in the Forum is an old one of perspective. Engineer/scientist versus literary criticism, historian versus translator, traveling into Verne’s future world versus describing Verne’s present, even country views such as America versus Europe. Verne’s love of the Civil War is often considered of less interest. In America, Britain, and Russia, for example, Verne is worshiped as a great engineer and is credited by many of America’s and Russia’s greatest engineers and scientists as the inspiration behind their work. Verne sent us to the moon more than even Wernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr von Braun ( please don’t restrict this idea to its literal sense). Engineering types understand a different part of Verne’s mind. Certainly, Verne did not inspire as many engineers in Europe; however, he seems to be held in higher esteem there for his literary skill. And research in an area is fine, but don’t forget his engineering and love of war technology. Many in the forum always tell me “Verne was NOT an engineer” of course, he did not have a degree, I know that!), by taking American engineers and others so literally, they miss the point. Engineers relate to Verne’s If I'm looking for great literature, I might not turn to Verne, but for science, engineering, and adventure, Verne is the go-to choice. You can see it in the popularity of the Nautilus series in this country. Literary-oriented reviews hate the lack of staying true to the novels, while those who love science and adventure see it as Verne-like, even challenging the orthodoxy of Nemo’s character. American researchers and scholars continue to praise and write about Verne from a technical perspective. Research on the source of Verne’s ideas is of significant interest to American engineers and scientists. Sources of Verne’s science have as much interest as his literary techniques. Many view the intersection of science and science fiction as passé, with little to offer today. Literary reviews, literary criticism, and translation issues are where the future research lies.
However, some of the best engineering schools in America, like Rutgers, MIT, and the University of Michigan, still use case studies of Verne’s predictions ( insight, if you will) to give engineers a design perspective. Many recent articles in America are looking back to the old Verne of engineering and science. We don’t care about his literary status- but love the world of fantasy, wonder, and speculation he created for the reader. In the cradle of origin for our space program of the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, it would be hard to find an American child who didn’t know of Jules Verne. Verne dominated our movies, toys, and comic books. My own career choice as an engineer was wholly related to Jules Verne. American engineers care little if he is classified as a children’s author because in the heart of every engineer is a child. No other writer in the genre evokes such a dopamine rush in the brain of an engineer. Daily Google searches of Verne find technical references to his engineering insights at 2-3 a day! That is why I love researching the continuing science of Jules Verne. His failure design (FMEA), reverse engineering, and project management approach for submarines, cannons, and ships are often reviewed in our engineering schools. Call him whatever you want, but for an American engineer, he has earned his honorary engineering degree.
John Lamb
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