Verniana — Jules Verne Studies / Etudes Jules Verne — Volume 3 (2010–2011) — 11–32

Nemo, Flourens et quelques autres - Divagations autour de Vingt mille lieues sous les mers

Volker Dehs

Abstract

Captain Nemo’s character inspired a lot of adaptations, but his own sources still remain mysterious. The article examines two individuals related to the Vernian hero: the colonel Charras and Gustave Flourens; the “Flourens” quoted in the novel Paris in the Twentieth Century is identified, as well as the model of the diver Nicolas, nicknamed the “Pesce”. The second part is devoted to some literary predecessors of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas published between 1845 and 1868, particularly to Voyage sous les flots by Jules Rengade (1867-68).

Full text (in French):