The Readers Review: Literature from 1714 to 1910 discussion

The Mysterious Island
Week 5 (July 15 - 21) Part 3, Chapters 1 - 11

Lots of action and more assistance for the colonists from their mysterious benefactor. This has been my favorite section so far, even more so than last week's reading.

1) Pirates! A boat of pirates arrives and drops anchor within sight of the Granite House. Ayrton attempts to gather information by boarding the boat, the Speedy. It appears, to me, that Ayrton is attempting to make amends, not only to the colonists but for the guilt he carries due to the actions of his past which led to his being marooned on Tabor Island. On the other hand, it seems that this action could be deadly and might be a sign he is giving up on himself. What do you read into Ayrton's actions?

2) As usual, Cyrus Harding makes an excellent plan to defend the island, and the colonists do have some success. Inexplicably the Speedy is "raised on a sort of waterspout" and "split in two, and in less than ten seconds she was swallowed up with all her criminal crew!" (less the few men who landed on the island in the small boats). Is it rather miraculous or supernatural? How do you explain this? Is it explainable?

3) Herbert is shot, Spillett took the lead in doctoring him. Once Herbert takes a turn for the worse, medication is found on the table next to his bed. Where did it come from? What are your thoughts on the conviction of the colonists that there is a benevolent hand behind many happenings on the island?

4) The colonists finally conclude that Aryton is lost, likely dead at the hands of the few pirates remaining on the island. If this is the case, do you think Aryton has redeemed himself in his own eyes? How do you think he'll be remembered by he colonists?

This section was a bit tedious for me. I'm not into battle stories unless there is some sci-fi or supernatural aspect involved. But then again, there is some seemingly supernatural force on the island, and I have no theories at this point as to what/who it may be. I'm half expecting the colonists to find the pirates' bodies hanging in the woods. I'm thinking of some folklore from different parts of the world regarding forest guardians; perhaps this island has one that has taken a liking to the colonists. I'm not terribly knowledgeable about Verne and his influences.

I thought this section was fine but it may be more ingrained in me to enjoy fight/battle scenes. The story is moving along in a suitable manner to what I anticipate to be an engaging and satisfying conclusion.

However, a few descriptions in this section reminded me to comment on a slightly irritating aspect of Verne's storytelling in the novel. Verne consistently lays it on thick with positive comments about the skills and abilities of these castaways. Well, maybe not a thick spread, but at least a thin spread that gets put on so often that it has become way too thick after 600 pages.

Some examples within a four page stretch during this section made me think of this:
Chapter VIII - "Cyrus Smith, Gideon Spilet and Pencroft had become quite adept at dressing the boy's wounds....The reporter tended to this task with loving attention."
Chapter VIII - "As they had so many times before, the colonists had relied on the unfailing logic of simple common sense, and once again their wide knowledge of the world had served them well."
Chapter IX - "Entrenched in the depths the courageous negro could not be caught offguard." and a bit later:
Chapter X - "Night came on, no doubt the last night on earth for this brace child, this unfailingly good-hearted child, a child wise beyond his years, a child loved by his companions as if he were their own."

Now I realize that none of the descriptions are that bad in of themselves, but over time all this backslapping commentary makes the book's overall tone appear to be more of a moral lesson about the value of certain positive traits than the exciting tale of human beings in an incredible adventure. I do appreciate and understand having both, a moral lesson within an adventure story, but Verne's emphasis on telling us rather than showing us just how heroic they are is a bit tiresome to me.

Now that I've released my previously slightly-subjugated inner curmudgeon, I feel better and ready to go back and just enjoy some good storytelling in the last section. As I said many words before now: "The story is moving along in a suitable manner to what I anticipate to be an engaging and satisfying conclusion."

Brian E wrote: "However, a few descriptions in this section reminded me to comment on a slightly irritating aspect of Verne's storytelling in the novel. Verne consistently lays it on thick with positive comments about the skills and abilities of these castaways. "

For me, the irritation comes in the long-drawn out technical descriptions. No matter how long he goes on about something I know nothing about I still won't get it. People who have knowledge in an particular area don't need it broken down for them. I loved 20,000 Leagues after the first, oh 1/2 of the book which was all technical.

I think that the consciously didactic part of Verne’s fiction is an obstacle, although acceptable to his immediate readers, but in this case Verne was emphasizing the difficulty of developing a civilized life on an uninhabited island, a point often glossed over in the numerous imitations of Robinson Crusoe (for which the term Robinsonade was coined).


Notably Swiss Family Robinson, where they had a ship’s cargo for resources. Other writers added episodes which make the book pretty fantastic, like a giant constrictor which eats a mule (or donkey, I am not sure which). No thought as to how a snake could have grown that big on an island without large animals to eat, and without destroying the island ecosystem by exploiting lots of indigenous smaller animals.

This section was more to my liking since there is more action and fewer long, technical passages. From the beginning of the novel, I have found the over-praising of the men grating. A group of men in such a difficult situation would invariably have differences of opinion and temperament, resulting in the inevitable arguments or angry outbursts. The story would have been better if some of the characters had been more well-rounded. I respect Verne's imagination and desire to educate the reader, but his heroes are too saintly for my taste.