French Studies 497J - ST-Jules Verne/FrenchSteampunk

Course taught in French. In this class we will explore worlds filled with sea-world mechanics linked to the magic of electricity, mysterious gear-filled machines that go under water and in the sky, and steam-powered engines. What are these fictional worlds? They are instances of steampunk, a subgenre of science fiction and fantasy, in which the old and new, the real and the imaginary, technology and at times the supernatural mix together to create fascinating fictional worlds that allow us to explore essential questions concerning our own world and ourselves. This class is open to all students with an advanced level of French and will examine recent French steampunk narratives inspired by Jules Verne's novels, especially 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and The Mysterious Island. The course will focus on the main characteristics of French steampunk fiction in the 20th and 21st centuries through the study of a short story anthology, two comic books, and two videogames. One common theme of these works is the depiction of the Nautilus, the fictional submarine imagined by Jules Verne; we will explore this common thread in all of these narratives to question the idea of progress and civilization. Finally, we will focus on the relation between Jules Verne and the USA in some of these works, as well as what this fictional relationship between Verne and the USA could mean for us nowadays.