путешествие

The French literature from the late 19th and early 20th centuries that can be classified as “space fiction” centered on missions to Mars and making contact with Martians. The topic’s appeal stems from scientific findings of the time (particularly the so-called Martian canals) as well as the traditional symbolism of the Roman god who gave the Red Planet its name. All authors who wrote about Mars during the “Belle Époque” were inspired, to varying degrees, by the writings of the eminent astronomer Camille Flammarion (both scientific and fictional).

The article considers posthumous novels by Jules Verne only recently published in the original author’s versions. Despite the abundance of genre models, themes and intonations, they constitute a certain unity. Motives and characters, well known to the readers of Verne’s‘classical’ works, mix well with original narrative solutions.