Jules Verne
From the Earth to the Moon (De la Terre à la Lune), written by Jules Verne in 1865, is a science fiction classic that recounts the attempt by members of the "Gun Club," established after the American Civil War, to travel to the Moon in a massive cannon shell. The work is notable for its technical foresight, written a century before humanity set foot on the Moon.
After the war, members of the Gun-Club, complaining of unemployment and idleness, set themselves an immensely difficult goal: to send a projectile to the Moon. In addition to these daunting engineering and capital obstacles, the personal and technical conflict stemming from the rivalry between Barbicane and Captain Nicholl regarding ballistics and armor forms the core dilemma. In the final stage, with the inclusion of the Frenchman Michel Ardan, the effort to transform the projectile into a habitable vehicle and mitigate lethal risks arises.
The setting is initially Baltimore, Maryland (the Gun-Club's home base). As the project moves into action, the story shifts to Florida, specifically to the Tampa-Town area and the elevated terrain known as Stone's Hill, where the launch will take place.
The 1860s (immediately following the American Civil War).
An enthusiastic, humorous, boundary-pushing, ironic, and highly optimistic atmosphere, kneaded with scientific passion. It reflects the era's unlimited belief in progress with a festive spirit.
A third-person omniscient, yet interpretive narrator. The narrator presents events to the reader from an ironic and highly humorous perspective, conveying American excess with sweet mockery.
The world is entirely bound by Newtonian mechanics, ballistic principles, and the physics and chemistry of the era; however, the author's 19th-century optimism comes into play. Vital physical obstacles, such as the recoil of the projectile, can be overcome by products of genius like water buffers or gunpowder types with calculated burn rates. Space travel, which appears impossible, can be traversed within the framework of pure rationality when provided with sufficient determination and industrial funding.
The social foundation of the novel is American 'Yankee' culture. This culture recognizes no impossibilities, values practice over theory, and possesses a mercantile and activist mindset. The fact that arms and cannon manufacturers, unable to tolerate post-war peace-time idleness, combine their military genius into a civilian and trans-border mega-project reflects the progressive enlightenment spirit of the era.
Characters are arranged at equal intervals on a circle; you can read the relationship type and dynamics by clicking on the lines.
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Barbicane was a cannon manufacturer, while Nicholl was a master of defensive armor, making them fierce professional rivals. When the Gun-Club project emerged, Nicholl tried to humiliate him with large wagers. However, after Michel Ardan's charisma pulled both back from the brink of a duel in the woods, they were transformed into brave friends willing to be trapped in the same projectile.
When Nicholl and Barbicane were about to hunt each other in the woods, both shouting in unison to accept Michel Ardan's proposal to ride inside the projectile together.
Maston provides the most provocative and explosive energy for the project, contrasting with Barbicane's strategic and cool-headed demeanor. He is devoted to Barbicane and is instantly ready to sacrifice his own life or take a bullet for him whenever his safety is at stake.
When Barbicane went to duel with Nicholl, Maston rushing around the woods in terror and throwing himself forward, telling Nicholl, 'Leave the President, kill me instead'.
Barbicane is a reserved American based entirely on calculations, mathematics, and engineering realities. Ardan, on the other hand, is a playful, aesthetic, and visionary Frenchman who disregards risks. By complementing each other, they transform a hollow projectile into a hopeful spacecraft carrying life.
Michel Ardan wanting to furnish the interior of the wagon entirely according to his own artistic tastes atop Barbicane's cool-headed formulas, and Barbicane making space for this contrasting temperament.
Nicholl's sharp and destructive criticisms are softened by Ardan's extremely polite yet quick-witted diplomatic stance. Ardan notices the honorable stance and hidden refinement in Nicholl during their very first dialogues, stopping him from being an enemy.
In their encounters in the woods, Ardan watching Captain Nicholl politely set free a bird struggling with a spider and claiming he is 'charming'.
As one military madman and the other an adventurous madman, the two characters constantly elevate each other's enthusiasm. Ardan's exaggerated statements always find their greatest support in Maston's relentless applause.
During the open-air meeting, while Ardan talks about interplanetary flight, J. T. Maston excitedly interrupts and gives him the most daring response by saying, 'Let's correct the Earth's axis!'
The commercial and prestige advantages that the shot to the Moon will provide drive these two American states into a bloody rivalry. Administrators, newspapers, and the general public belittle each other's territories and cultures through the media.
The arrival of Florida and Texas assembly members in Baltimore to stir up a commotion around the Gun Club headquarters, and the subsequent expulsion of the Texan envoys from the city by cramming them into a private train.
Barbicane determines the goals, boundaries, and designs, while Murchison is the figure who brings these ideas to life in the field with monstrous energy, utilizing thousands of workers and massive smelting furnaces.
The excavation of the underground well at Stone's Hill and the successful management of the dangerous casting processes of the Columbiad cannon by Murchison, and the deep trust Barbicane places in him.
Due to his unwavering loyalty to President Barbicane, Maston hates Captain Nicholl, who sabotages the project. Even when peace is ultimately established, the traces of tension give way to a forced acceptance.
During the incident in the forest, when J. T. Maston finds Captain Nicholl, he assumes Barbicane has been shot and hurls harsh, vindictive accusations at him.
