The Political Calculator in Jules Vernes De la terre à la lune and Autour de la lune

Abstract

The mathematical calculations in Jules Vernes De la terre à la lune (1865) and Autour de la lune (1870) not only chart the way to the Moon but also plot out a political narrative. Specifically, as a challenge to the European colonial conquests of his time, Verne models an internationalist geographical expedition on the abstract and applicable qualities of both mathematics and fiction to construct a forward-looking yet achievable model. With numbers and words mounted on the canvas of nineteenth-century imperial Europe, Vernes lunar stories engender rich discussions on how literature, mathematics, and politics interconnect.