Is Paris in the Twentieth Century... America in the Twenty-First Century?

“Woman is Passion, Man is Action, and it is for this reason that man adores woman.” — Honoré de Balzac

Jules Verne's “Lost Novel”, Paris in the Twentieth Century, was the second book written by Jules Verne, but was considered too radical for the time. Quite honestly, it may very well be too radical for this time. Let me explain.

Written a hundred years before it's setting (1960-1963), it relates the tale of a mechanized society that completely regresses, rather than progresses. Sure, it had technology that we've just begun to match, but it lost every sense of human value. Life was no longer life, but a society so controlled by machines that music, plays, literature (really, any of the arts) and most importantly life have no value any more.

While this might make for great fiction, it's quite terrifying to think that it could be our future very soon. Ever since the Industrial Revolution, the family unit has lost it's value. Ever since abortion and euthanasia became prominent, we have devalued human life to an almost irreplaceable extent. Everything is becoming computerized. Human jobs are now able to be performed by robots or computers. While it increase after the Industrial Revolution, the current living standard has significantly diminished due to inflation that is through the roof. Jobs are disappearing, the wages are disgustingly high for some, and sickeningly low for a majority of the rest.

The degradation of humanity, if it continues at it's current alarming rate, will lead us to Verne's Paris of the Twentieth Century.

What's interesting to me is the fact that Jules Verne has a knack for saying things that sound prophetic or just plain unrealistic to us simply because we don't see what he saw. In this book, he “predicted” things such as magnetic lift transportation, elevators and fax machines. There are many other examples of this as well, but one of my favourites comes from his book Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, he discusses Atlantis. To the “modern” mind, there is no explanation for Atlantis other than supernatural or mythological. To Verne's, and mine, it was simply a matter of history and truth. Jules Verne can uncover the hidden or forgotten truth in many things. And this book was a shining example of his ability to speak the plain and simple truth just as it should be—unhindered.

Beyond this exposé on a frightful, and frightfully close, future, this story is also about love and passion, which also seems lost in this day. It is about loving someone, not lusting for someone. It is about knowing when the time is right. It is about knowing what true love is. For example, Verne says “The young lady was a living poem; he sensed rather than saw her; she touched his heart before delighting his eyes.” Rather than presenting lust, he presents depth of emotion before physical attraction.

The story begins on August 13, 1960, with one Michel Dufrénoy, a sixteen year old poet winning a prize for Latin Verse at a large ceremony. It continues with his journey home, and his reflections. He knows his adopted family (his aunt and uncle, as he is an orphan) will be upset, and he is right. His uncle brings him the day after to work for him in his mercantile, but he grants him a day of freedom first. This Michel uses to visit the library, where he meets his Uncle Huguenin. His uncle works in the forgotten section of “old” literature. Michel promises to visit him when he has the chance.

The next day, Michel begins his job where he proves to be of little use on the cash registers, so he is sent to work with Quinsonnas on the ledger, which is still hand-written. The ledger itself is a feat of science—it is six metres high, and a mechanized platform allows you to move around so as to write on it. Michel soon learns that Quinsonnas is a musician, and he meets him one night with another friend (Jacques, who wants to be a soldier) where they discuss the woes of all their professions being lost.

Finally, Michel finds time to visit his Uncle. He learns that his former Professor, Richelot, and his granddaughter Lucy are to join them for dinner. Michel and his Uncle spend the afternoon discussing the classics that are forgotten by the modern society. Dinner roles around, and the other guests show up. Michel is stricken by Lucy, and she with him. They take a walk after dinner, where the bond is strengthened.

Michel goes back to work, where he can no longer focus. He and Quinsonnas get into a heated discussion on women, which ends in the ledger being ruined and both of them being fired. They go to Uncle Huguenin’s house, where they plan what to do next. Michel tries work for the Drama Department, which ends in his quitting. Quinsonnas goes away for some time, but returns to Paris eventually. Michel and Uncle Huguenin discuss the possibility of marriage between Michel and Lucy, and his Uncle says he must be able to support her first. He decides to write a book of poetry. During this time, Quinsonnas leaves for Germany with no intent to return, and he gives Michel 500 francs to live off of for the time being. Also, Lucy’s Grandfather, the Professor, loses his job, but Michel remains unaware of that.

That winter turns out to be one of the worst ever. Michel is down to his last franc, and instead of buying food, he buys Lucy a present for the first time. He goes to find her in the bitter cold only to learn of her Grandfather’s lack of employment, and them being kicked out of their home. He wanders the streets of Paris through the night, where he is starving to death. In the morning he finds himself in Paris’ most famous cemetery, where he walks past the graves of many great heroes of literature. There, at his end, he curses Paris and cries for his love.

Here is a detailed explanation of all of Jules Verne’s work. And here you can find 54 of Jules Verne’s novels in an online text.