Who wrote Captain Grant's Children? Analysis of the work "Children of Captain Grant"

What would happen to society if there were no people in it who could dream? Probably, it would still live in the Stone Age, it supported the eternal fire in a deep cave and hunted for wild animals with sticks and bows. But, fortunately, the dreamers were, are and will be! It is they that lead us to progress, leading us beyond our dreams. And one of such dreamers, science fiction writers who believe in a man with a capital letter, is Jules Verne.

Brief biography of the writer

His name is familiar to us even from a children's bench. The author of the book The Children of Captain Grant, The Fifteen-Year-Old Captain, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, The Mysterious Island, Around the World in Eighty Days, and many other beautiful works, is undoubtedly an unusual person. He not only predicted the future of technological progress, but also worked hard to ensure that his fantasies were scientifically grounded and possible. Not surprisingly, all of its flying vehicles, submarines and other adaptations take place in our lives.

Jules Vern was born on February 8, 1828 in French Nantes, not far from the country's largest port. Probably, that's why he was so carried away by the sea since childhood. The ancestors were noblemen, but the Vernov family resembled the Celts (by the father) and the Scots (by the mother). The family was large, but the boy's education was very decent. However, Jules dreamed of the sea, so he tried to get on a ship. His father took him ashore at the last moment and literally demanded a promise that this would not happen again. And the young fellow kept his word: since that time he had dreamed of the sea. And first there were sonatas and poems dedicated to the cousin who rejected him, then plays, and then real literary masterpieces.

The best novel of the French dreamer

Who wrote Captain Grant's Children? Perhaps everyone will answer this question. This work, though considered childish, has an unpredictable and very fascinating plot. The book is written in clear language, and scientific reasoning and information about the world around them are so interesting that even adults can read them with rapture. Therefore, we can safely say that the novel is the best of Jules Vern's writings.

J. Verne "Children of Captain Grant": plot

The book begins with a story about the yacht Duncan, which belongs to the rich Scottish Edward Glenarvan. During the voyage the crew catches a shark, in the belly of which there was a note. In it, in three languages, a certain Captain Grant asks for help: after the death of their ship ("Britain") he was on the island with two sailors. The geographic coordinates of this piece of land could not be fully read, since the paper was damaged by salt water. But this does not prevent noble people from going in search of the missing. Since the government refuses to equip the rescue operation, the lord sends it at his own expense. The expedition includes the children of Captain Grant - the daughter of Mary (sixteen years old) and the son of Robert (twelve years old), Lady Glenarvan, Major McNabbs, Captain John Mangles, assistant captain Tom Austin and a team of twenty-three people, originally from Scotland.

"Duncan" goes on a voyage

Who wrote "Captain Grant's Children", we have already found out. Now let's talk about the future of the yacht after she sailed from the port of Glasgow. On board, suddenly there is another passenger who has confused the ships. Scattered scientist Jacques Paganel decides to join the search for a brave captain. First, "Duncan" keeps going to Patagonia, but when the travelers crossed this land on the thirty-seventh parallel, having overcome all the obstacles, they did not find Grant there. But everywhere they met noble people who were ready to help at a difficult moment. In the pampas of Argentina, they met a native named Talcave, who became their guide.

Because the crew of "Britain" was not found in South America, Paganel suggests that the note meant Australia. The team returns to Duncan and leaves for the green continent. Surveying along the way of the island, the company sails to Australia. There they quickly find the right traces: the farm worker Ayrton served once as a boatswain from Captain Grant and saw the crash with his own eyes. He volunteered to show the place where, as thought, the whole crew of the ship was lost. The children of Captain Grant and their assistants go to the east of the mainland, but it turns out that Ayrton deceived them, as he was the leader of the bandits. He wanted to take over Duncan, and destroy his passengers. Miraculously they avoid a terrible fate, and Paganel's absent-mindedness saves the ship.

Adventure continues

Very fascinating book "Children of Captain Grant"! The author sends his heroes to New Zealand, where they were nearly devoured by the natives. But still, the rescue operation continues. Ayrton tells everything he knows, and for this Glenarvan planted it on one of the islets of the Pacific Ocean. By a happy coincidence, the island of Tabor, located at the thirty-seventh parallel, was the refuge of Captain Grant and his people. After completing his mission, Duncan returns home. Happy end.

Characteristics of heroes

Romantic and idealistic was J. Verne, "Children of Captain Grant" prove it. In the book we see different heroes, positive and negative. Characters of the second category are the true scum of society, ready for any crime for profit. So Ayrton, he's the leader of the gang, was ready to ruin almost three dozen people to take over the high-speed yacht of the Scottish lord. But what do we see at the end? The triumph of the human spirit over evil, mercy over bad habits! Lord Glenarvan agrees with his wife, who asks to release Ayrton in return for the truth he will tell. And although the story of the sailor could not help in search of the missing captain, the noble man restrains his word. Instead of trial and hard labor, which shone the robber, he was put on the island. Thus, he received forgiveness from the team and a chance to repent.

The positive characters of the book "Children of Captain Grant" are courageous people, noble, brave. They keep their word, given even to themselves, and are ready to overcome various obstacles for the sake of saving one person. They risk their lives, but the goal for them is justified. Women in the work of Jules Verne (and this is exactly the one who wrote "Children of Captain Grant") is also special. They are strong in spirit, ready to sacrifice themselves, are merciful and never complain of fate or deprivation. That's what the ideal brought the writer into society. He drew a big man who cares for his neighbors, and gets help from heaven for it. After all, all those lucky coincidences were nothing but the protection of God, providence.

Features of the novel

Whoever wrote Captain Grant's Children, the reader already knows. And the one who loves the work of Jules Verne can remember that the book is literally filled with interesting information about the world around him. The writer tells about the habits of animals, about nature and its phenomena, about the climate of continents and regions, about their flora and fauna, interprets geography and history. This is a real encyclopedia of knowledge from different fields of science! And only for this it is worth reading the novel entirely.

The Great Trilogy of Jules Verne

We briefly told the story of the first book that entered the great trilogy, which Jules Verne created. "Children of Captain Grant" continue. This is the novel "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea", which tells about the adventures of the amazing Captain Nemo, the first builder of a submarine named "Nautilus". And the "Mysterious Island", in which everything returns to normal. That is, Ayrton again becomes a normal member of society (not without the help of other heroes), and Captain Nemo takes the secret of his ship to another world, though, revealing some of his secrets to people. And again, reading these books, you admire the ideal of a real man, drawn by a great science fiction writer.

Jules Verne "Children of Captain Grant": reviews of his contemporaries

Probably, it is impossible to remain indifferent to the works of the great Frenchman. Everyone who read them falls in love forever. They have grown more than one generation, and we can safely say that there will not be one more. We read and watch films based on the novels of Jules Verne, we learn to be the best, we strive for our own ideal.

Although for the sake of truth it should be said that the reviews of the book "The Children of Captain Grant", like the rest of the trilogy, are not the same. Of course, in the nineteenth century it was a bold fantasy, in which it was hard to believe. And today - this is quite a common phenomenon. But I want to tell all these critics that books are meant for children and those who are still alive with child perception, belief in miracles, craving for adventure. And read it is necessary for those who want to regain a sense of childhood. So remember this name for life and do not ask who the author is. "Children of Captain Grant", like other novels of the incorrigible dreamer Jules Verne, is a book worth your attention.