The Mighty Orinoco

by Verne, Jules; Luce, Stanford; Evans, Arthur B.; Evans, Arthur B.; Miller, Walter James

• ISBN13: 9780819565112
• ISBN10: 0819565113
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2003-02-26
• Publisher: Wesleyan Univ Pr

Summary

Jules Verne (1828-1905) was the first author to popularize the literary genre of science fiction. Written in 1898 and part of the author's famous series Voyages Extraordinaires, The Mighty Orinoco tells the story of a young man's search for his father along the then-uncharted Orinoco River of Venezuela. The text contains all the ingredients of a classic Verne scientific-adventure tale: exploration and discovery, humor and drama, dastardly villains and intrepid heroes, and a host of near-fatal encounters with crocodiles, jungle fever, Indians and outlaws -- all set in a wonderfully exotic locale. The Mighty Orinoco also includes a unique twist that will appeal to feminists -- readers will need to discover it for themselves. This Wesleyan edition features notes, and a critical introduction by renowned Verne scholar Walter James Miller, as well as reproductions of the illustrations from the original French edition. CONTRIBUTORS: Walter James Miller, Stanford Luce, Arthur B. Evans.

Author Biography

ARTHUR B. EVANS is Professor of French at DePauw University and Managing Editor of the scholarly journal Science Fiction Studies. He is series editor for Wesleyan's Early Classics of Science Fiction series. STANFORD LUCE is Professor Emeritus of French at Miami University in Ohio. WALTER JAMES MILLER is Professor of English at The School of Professional and Continuing Studies at New York University.

Table of Contents

Introduction	ix
The Mighty Orinoco
PART ONE
M. Miguel and His Two Colleagues	3	(13)
Sergeant Martial and His Nephew	16	(11)
On Board the Simon Bolivar	27	(12)
First Encounter	39	(11)
The Maripare and the Gallinetta	50	(12)
Island after Island	62	(13)
Buena Vista to La Urbana	75	(11)
A Cloud of Dust on the Horizon	86	(16)
Three Boats Navigating Together	102	(12)
At the Mouth of the Meta	114	(15)
A Halt in the Village of Atures	129	(15)
A Few Observations by Germain Paterne	144	(11)
Respect for the Tapir	155	(13)
The Chubasco	168	(13)
San Fernando	181	(16)
PART TWO
A Few Words about the Past	197	(13)
The First Leg of the Journey	210	(13)
Two Days in Danaco	223	(13)
Final Advice from Manuel Assomption	236	(12)
Beef Cows and Electric Eels	248	(14)
Terrible Fears	262	(15)
The Campsite near Maunoir Peak	277	(11)
The Young Indian	288	(11)
Across the Sierra	299	(12)
The Ford of Frascaes	311	(12)
The Mission of Santa Juana	323	(14)
En Route	337	(11)
Two Months at the Mission	348	(13)
Au Revoir!	361	(10)
Notes	371	(24)
Bibliography	395	(22)
A Biography	417	(8)
Jules Gabriel Verne
About the Contributors	425