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Jules Verne, Man of the Future (April 15, 2005, One)

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Program Summary

From childhood, Jules Verne never wanted to be anything but a writer, resisting his father’s attempts to set him on the practical path of lawyering. He achieved his dream and international acclaim for his spell-binding tales of adventure into the unknown and unheard of and along the way invented a whole new genre of writing that came to be known as science fiction. The French author of 20,000 Leagues under the Sea, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and From the Earth to the Moon fascinated readers in his time and, decades later, turned out to be an uncanny foreteller of the scientific future.

Verne was not a scientist, but he did have an intense interest in it as well as a vivid and logical imagination. What made him unique was his ability to extrapolate from the science of his time and imagine ways in which that science might come to be used and its impact on society. As we all know, submarines have indeed conquered the deep, men have walked on the moon, and balloons have traveled around the world.

Guests

Brian Taves, author 'The Jules Verne Encyclopedia' and trustee of the North American Jules Verne Society in Washington, DC

Related Links and Resources

Centre International Jules Verne
North American Jules Verne Society , Inc.

For Discussion:

• What is science fiction? Have you read any of it? Do you think the science in it is believable?
• If you were a 19^th century reader of Jules Verne’s books, would you have thought any of it could really happen? Do you think his writing influenced scientists in any way?
• Verne’s books were criticized by some for their “bad science,” but the bad parts later turned out to be the fault of translators who altered his writing. What do you think are some of the shortcomings of his scientific ideas?
• Who are some other well-known science fiction writers? What did they write about? Have any of their visions come true?

Activities

Hidden Jules. First read about the life of the father of science fiction at The UnMuseum, then about his long-lost, recently-found short story Paris in the Twentieth Century, Verne’s vision of the future so bleak that his publisher wouldn’t print it. Compare his version of the 20^th century with other science fiction writers such as H.G. Wells, Aldous Huxley, etc.

Science fiction and fact. The Jules Verne FAQ page answers basic questions about the writer and his works and has a list of inventions and technologies in his stories that presage later scientific developments. There’s also a myth-busting list of things for which he is credited but that he really didn’t imagine (i.e. the atomic bomb). Get captivating explanations of the scientific principles in his work at Jules Verne: Science Fiction Inventions (Technovelgy.com). This site is an excellent resource for exploring the realities of science fiction.

A fictional future. Get together with the English department for an interdisciplinary project. Choose a science fiction book or story for students to read, and discuss the scientific principles contained in it. You can find reading material at Novels Grades 7-9 (Ramapo College of New Jersey), or you may want to choose a classic by Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Ray Bradbury, or even the “Star Trek” series. Search for Tomorrow: Science Fiction Literature and Today’s Student and Science Fiction and the Future (Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute) are two excellent units designed specifically for middle school that include sample lesson plans and bibliographies.

Budding Bradburys. Have students write a short science fiction story using current scientific theories, research, technology, etc.

For more fun with science fiction, visit these Science Friday Kids’ Connection pages: April 30, 2004, Hour Two: Science in Fiction and July 25, 2003, Hour Two: Science Stranger Than Fiction

Use the search box below to perform a Google search within any of the specifc sites or general domains mentioned in this Activities section.

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