New Munchhausen: Jules Verne

The new Munchausen, what means? Simple it is sufficient read The adventures of Baron Munchausen of German writer Rudolf Erich Raspe(1737-1794), that in 1785 edited this book where he told the adventures of this baron, that is truly existed, in fact Karl Friedrich Hieronymous von Münchhausen, a German soldier, that Raspe, has took for the adventures of his Baron; until here nothing of interesting , but the interesting is in the time when Raspe and Jules Verne(1828-1905) written their romances the times were different, but same faithful in rationality, aseptic and scientist rationality, and the reactions of these two writers are similar, some step of Raspe is indicative: “The essential advertence that I must set before of narration of adventures of my life much dynamic is this: I want declare that in the narration of modest occurred things whole I have been protagonist I have had fro the absolute sake the scrupulous truth. Unfortunately are the writers that, for the have an easy success, adorn their narrations…”, naturally it is an antithesis, this is the literary figure that has near two words that are contrast between them; the step that we have read is the semiotic contrast between a wit, this the 17^th century, and the wit of romance that is alone a fantastic narration, and Verne lived in a time that was similar, during the Positivism, where the science was dominant and the rationality was likewise; in fact in the romance of Munchhausen, Raspe begin saying that he want tell alone the truth, and in this romance are words, letters, point and commas but the truth nothing, and he is very immediately “lier”, other step is necessary: “I remember the advisement of my grandfather that is has died to age of 306 years for the fishbone of a whale( this good man was very great eater, and a whale of shark were his hors-d’oeuvre…”; it is naturally a book for childhood and the fantasy is fundamental for the childhood, but here is also a reaction to Enlightenment. The same reaction that Verne has had against the Positivism, in fact in his romance, The travel to center of earth, he described a code conversion of a document in Latin language that he code converses read it contrary, already here it impossible, but the text said: “Go down in the crater  of Yocul…and you are going to arrive to center of earth…”. The vulcan Yocul is in Island and the last eruption is in 2010. Some rationality is present in nephew of Lidenbrock, Axel, protagonist and scientist in this romance, his nephew: “Alone the scientific arguments could persuaded the professor Lidenbrock. Now I have excellent against this possibility for this travel. Come to center of earth. It is crazy! The connection to reality Verne has kept it for the descriptions, that have a valor of representation of reality, very much particulars that haven’t motive to be present, and also the interior dynamic, the wit that emerges the other tie to reality; the arrive to Island is the catalog of geography, because Verne mentioned every town; it is because the environment descripted must be motive to induce that also the travel in the center of earth is real. Hence this romance is has dual validities on for the real and other for the fantasy.

Alessandro Lusana  .