The Book Report: ‘The Children of Captain Grant’

By Kate Norrish Staff Writer If you’ve heard of this book, you likely have some thoughts right now. Love it or hate it, I think it’s worth the reading experience. “The Children of Captain Grant” - sometimes translated under the title “In Search of The Castaways” - was published serially between 1863 and 1864. It was written during an odd time to say the least. British colonialism was in full force, the Emancipation Proclamation in America had just come into law, and that’s excluding timeless issues like environmentalism. Jules Verne used his “Oceanic Trilogy,” which also includes “20,000 Leagues Under The Sea” and “The Mysterious Island” to help children understand these complexities, with mixed results. The plot is about a message in a bottle sent by a ship captain. However, due to it being retrieved from the stomach of a dissected shark after floating around in the ocean for several years, all that can be made out is the name “Captain Grant,” and a latitude, which could apply to Chile, Australia, or New Zealand. Captain Grant’s children - a teen girl named Mary and a 7-year-old named Robert, along with the married couple who found the note and some friends - decide to take a sailing ship to go find him. They are joined by Paganel, who could easily be one of the most underrated characters of 1800’s literature - a highly respected, and yet easily distracted geographer, he is considered by many to be the origin of the “absent-minded professor” trope. He comes along in an introduction scene that deserves to be iconic, where he appears on deck a day after leaving the harbor. A stranger to everyone, he got on the wrong boat, believing that he was boarding a steamship to go to India. The reason he didn’t notice earlier? He heard that sleeping for 36 hours straight prevents seasickness, and did exactly that. However, despite his bumbling demeanor, he becomes a valuable resource in traveling throughout the latitude (the 37th parallel, for all the geography loving Paganels who may be reading), and his lack of social ability makes him open toward everyone’s perspectives. While “20,000 Leagues” has undertones focusing on The British Raj, and “The Mysterious Island” tackles - though sometimes not well - a formally enslaved man developing his own autonomy, “The Children of Captain Grant” is about the relationship between various Indigenous groups and colonists. This book’s themes were a little odd. Jules Verne had a habit of creating racial stereotypes, and then using them for interesting anti-colonialist commentary. Despite things getting extremely uncomfortable in places, I do think the book is worth a read to understand how he handles these complexities, and start a discussion on what that means. For example, in my favorite scene in the book, the characters meet an Aboriginal boy who has been fed large amounts of British propaganda. Later, after by far the most racist scene in the story, where the characters are taken prisoner by a Māori community, they use this conversation to come to the conclusion that the missionaries are in the wrong due to how uninformed they are when it comes to the inner workings of both the local wildlife and cultures. There is also a moment where, despite having a cook on hand, Paganel insists that he can make dinner because he’s French, ending in a disgusting meal. This seems to be a criticism of stereotypes, which could have been much more self aware, but it prepares the characters for various flawed, but thought worthy discussions focusing on the concept of violent Indigenous people. In a nutshell, this is a book about perspective, and it is well overdue for a modern adaptation. Unfortunately, it is difficult to find a good English copy. I would personally recommend the J.B. Lippincott translation. It is free on Project Gutenberg. Another criticism of this book is that the scenarios the characters are presented with are unrealistic. While I wouldn’t quite describe it like that, I think these plot points add some fun. Little quirks like Robert being carried off by a large bird, and the crew thinking they can get away from rough seas at ‘Cape Catastraphe’ may not be super realistic... but come on, you’ve got to admit they’re charming. This is hands down the most complicated review I have written for this column. I wrote it, rewrote it, questioned if it was my place to write it, and reread various chapters of the book, questioning if I even should like this book. I would recommend “20,000 Leagues Under The Sea” as your introduction to Verne, but after that, take a deep breath, prepare for a time capsule on colonial perspectives, make sure you got on the right boat, and travel with “The Children of Captain Grant.”