The Nautilus of Jules Verne: starting a fire with a lentil

[@draygosmith]

Darn, and I thought I could save money by leaving the matches out of my emergency kit, since it's already jam-packed with lentils. 🧠

[@WeTravelbyNight]

Useful things, lentils!

[@Atrahasis7]

I am glad that in Portuguese, French translations are always amazing ( from Stendhal to Yourcenar, they are marvellous), I read it young and my mind was spinning, could not understand most of it, but as you grow older the book just keep getting better. A testament to its quality that grew up in a world were subs are pretty "common" but the novel still left a deep impact in me, you are right its not science fiction its scientific fiction even with its outrageous moments, that's the true purpose of science communicator, to instil true wonder while stil being didactic, probably one of the most difficult things to do in world, and Verne pulled it flawlessly multiple times, across many books. One that stuck with me as a kid was the deep dive into the deepest parts to the ocean were Verne describes alien landscapes shaped by pressure, while Nautilus continuously drives downward but keeping still because of outside pressure. I dont hate the Disney movie, its not from my time, but i saw it recently and yeah, its just for kids.

[@Directrix_Gazer]

Minor correction, the Disney 20,000 Leagues adaptation came out in 1954, not 1964. I seem to remember a lovely website that used the French text to create a thorough-going 3d model reconstruction of the vessel. Can't seem to find it anymore.

[@waffletracktor]

The subtitles were correct so may have just been a miss-reading? always funny when the audio and the text differs.

[@doltBmB]

Vernian Era?

[@Directrix_Gazer]

@@doltBmB That's it! Thanks.

[@cwam1701e]

I listened to the audio book for the first time just about a month ago; the placement of the lantern behind the pilot house was the only thing that struck me as odd in the description of the Nautilus. On the whole it was a very different book than I expected, being essentially an education on undersea wonders. It reminded me of the Willard Price "Adventure" series of books I read as a child in primary school!

[@trekkieraccoon3343]

I appreciate to Seaquest DSV references in the beginning

[@rustygunner8282]

For your look into the interior of the Nautilus, you might examine how the space is utilized. There was an analysis on the web years ago of how much of the interior volume was taken up by engineering spaces and Nemo’s personal space (Nemo’s cabin, salon, library and possibly dining room - the crew might eat there in normal circumstances but did not while the Arronax party was embarked) and the very cramped closet left for the crew. Nemo was a seriously entitled jerk.

[@theotherohlourdespadua1131]

Given who Captain Nemo is (Either a Polish noble - as Verne intended before Hetzel's intervention - or an Indian prince), it is made super clear that classism wasn't done away when Captain Nemo disavow the laws of the world above...

[@aaronbrookins8694]

Ive been a longtime fan of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea but had no idea about its origins or that such interesting information was missing.

[@dereckhasken9055]

American education?????

[@guillermodiego819]

This was great! I wasn't aware of all those modifications done in the translation. Would you consider making a video on the War of the World's tripods?

[@robburns4176]

The USS Nautilus (SSN-571) is named after the Disney version; Disney's contribution to the story that the Nautilus is nuclear powered.

[@incaseofsuccess]

Excellent! Look forward to the next one!

[@iainmulholland2025]

One point discovered from modern propellers is it is better to have an odd number, either 3 or 5, usually 5. Moving the sub at 40+ knots would need perhaps more power than is available, bearing in mind modern ships and subs top 30 to 35 knots.

[@hollywood1340]

I caught the seaQuest reference. Well done.

[@johnlamb6095]

See the Raphael Semmes Wikipedia page for a full comparison between the largely Birkenhead Lairds built CSS Alabama and the largely Birkenhead Lairds built Nautilus. Both vessels were finished on a desert island, and while Captain Nemo's motto is Mobilis in Mobile....Raphael Semmes was from Mobile Alabama.

[@theotherohlourdespadua1131]

Ever since I read this books when I was 15 I became fascinated with the sea since then. I use to own two copies of this book: the Penguin Classics version (the 1867 edition) and the Oxford World Classics version (the 1871 version, what Verne describes as the definitive version, and my favorite). Sadly I lost both to wear and the pandemic. For those asking about where to find a good translation of the book, the Oxford World Classics version is the way to go. Not only it was published by the Oxford University Press, it was translated by one William Butcher and contains extras like a whole listbof footnotes in the back explaining things in the book (for example, milt) and essays about Captain Nemo, the Nautilus, and the debate about what is Jules Verne's vision of this novel...

[@WeTravelbyNight]

Until I started making this video, I didn't know by how much the English language translators had changed the original text. It was a revelation to me, and changed the direction of the video.

[@theotherohlourdespadua1131]

​@@WeTravelbyNightYeah, it was through the Oxford World Classics edition I was made aware of the history of bad English translations of Verne's novels affecting his literary legacy on the English-speaking side. F.P Walter set the record straight for Verne by making a better "from-the-ground up" English translation of the book...

[@theeddorian]

The illustrations of the Heritage Book Club edition, which is what I grew with, placed the lantern behind and above the pilot's cage in the same physical structure. They were lowered into the hull when the Nautilus was configured to attack. The dimensions of the Nautilus as described by Verne were very close to many of the German and allied submarines used in WW I. Any consideration of the Nautilus needs to consider the Ictineo II, whose plans were offered to the Spanish, British, and Union navies during the American Civil War. The Ictineo II was riginally a coopered, wooden hulled, double hulled submarine with two different types engines, one of which produced oxygen as a by-product while submerged. It was capable of reaching a depth of 100 feet. The Nautilus is in many ways simply an elaboration on the Ictineo II design. Had the Ictineo II design been adopted, undersea warfare would have been vastly advanced long before 1900.

[@modelnut617]

If you have read through the Vernian Era website by Mike Crisafulli you will know that having the diving planes exactly amidships won't work. To get the NAUTILUS to function it would need a set of planes at both ends something like a quarter of the way from the bow and the stern.

[@barryelverson9486]

Just as so many lazy translations result in comedy, both enjoyable and cringe worthy. 😂 I have admit, watching this video made me think of the other versions of the Nautilus I have seen over the years. The mentioned Disney one, then there was another film post that had a very differing design. The anime Nadia of the Blue Water came with yet another iteration complete with the spacecraft/submarine Neo Nautilus. (I still display the model of this Nautilus, not the neo.) Then came the Kevin O’Neil design in Alan Moore’s League of Extraordinary Gentlemen comic. After that came the movie sort of adaption of that comic. Respectively a literal mechanical nautilus and a sword. (Yes I know of the line in the film it stuck in my memory). I love the fact that you showed the closest to the actual design from the author. Thank You! 👍

[@theotherohlourdespadua1131]

I have fondness for the LOEG Nautilus, both book and movie....

[@brianhiggins7204]

Video on point, i had no idea of the translation issues and that explains why i didn't like the book that much. can't wait for the video about the inside

[@theotherohlourdespadua1131]

You really should read the Oxford Classics version of the book. That one is a new translation that has all the footnotes explaining many things...

[@mattmilsop4003]

I can't wait to see the interior!

[@WeTravelbyNight]

This video was supposed to be a cutaway video with the interiors, but I was running out of time and I got sidetracked by the translation question.

[@stainlesssteelfox1]

The Nautilus is apparently powered by Sodium/Mercury batteries, with the sodium being extracted from sea water. But where does the energy to extract the sodium from sea salt come from? I know sodium ion batteries are being looked at as a replacement for lithium ion (lower Wh/Kg, but useful for static power banks), but batteries need charging.

[@theotherohlourdespadua1131]

According to the book, it was extracted using coal...

[@90lancaster]

I would presuppose the Lantern house is rotatable and maybe on a gimble & wouldn't just have to face directly forwards.. it would be useful for docking and board and such then..

[@GabrielGABFonseca]

I quite like how the model you're using in your video reminds me of the depiction shown on an illustrated book I read as a kid (and still have!) The illustrations were by a Paul Wright, and I wonder if you used them as a reference when making your own model?

[@WeTravelbyNight]

The Vernian Era website has a catalogue of Nautilus design interpretations, which is a fascinating read.

[@Terigena]

Lenses and lentils share an etymological root. Lenses are so named because they are lentil shaped.

[@SaturnCanuck]

Interesting. Not sure what version I read but it was technical. At any rate, looking forward to more.

[@familieehrenfeld9123]

I think now Mona Lisa is going to give him the hardest shit time of his life. He better resubmerge that Nautilus fast, and with padding. I sure can imagine a tour on that ship.

[@kaitlyn__L]

I must admit, these aspects of the English translation meant the original never interested me. So the main way I interacted with the stories of Captain Nemo were via an extremely loose anime adaptation created by Hideaki Anno (the man who later created Evangelion). In that story, however, the Nautilus is powered by an antimatter reactor and was not a modern invention of Nemo's but just one of many starships created by an ancient interstellar empire, which he merely converted into a submarine. So that's quite significant. It keeps a lot of the rest about the ship fairly accurate though. There's some embellishments to the deck at the top, it's a bit more colourful, and the shape is slightly altered after taking inspiration from real-life modern subs of the 90s, but certainly your CGI render already seemed familiar. Makes me wonder if the Japanese translation was far more accurate to the French book. There's plenty of other deviations in the story of course of course, such as recurring antagonists that are arguably the inspiration for Team Rocket later-on in the 90s. But in terms of the Nautilus, they could've changed a hell of a lot more than they did.

[@jeffery7281]

Actually that idea make me think of the design of Yamato (I mean the starship one), which is apperantly having a submarine-style design

[@kaitlyn__L]

@@jeffery7281 haha yeah, I wouldn’t be surprised if they took some inspiration from Space Battleship Yamato for this version of the Nautilus!

[@captainexcabier]

Is there an English translation that you'd recommend?

[@theotherohlourdespadua1131]

I recommend the Oxford World Classics Edition of the novel since it is a new translation. It also has footnotes explaining things mentioned in the novel (like milt) and essays about the themes and metathemes Captain Nemo and the Nautilus came to represent...

[@WeTravelbyNight]

The website 'The Vernian Era' has a list of recommended English translations. It's a really good website! I think the more recent Oxford World Classics version is pretty good.

[@robertcairns6395]

Any recommendations for an accurate English translation?

[@elFulberto]

I read somewhere that Nemo was initially supposed to be a Polish noble with a particular hatred for Russians but his nationality was later changed to Indian - and his hate redirected at the British - due to political reasons.

[@MatthewCaunsfield]

Now I have to wonder which version I i read myself!

[@WeTravelbyNight]

Apparently one way to know if it's the Mercier Lewis translation is to see if there is a chapter called 'The Nautilus' missing.

[@silverthorn9759]

Was that a SeaQuest reference at the start

[@WeTravelbyNight]

Oh, yes!

[@scottie_2024]

So is there even a reliable English translation of the original French text?

[@theotherohlourdespadua1131]

Yes, any of the more definitive editions that came out of the 1990's are good. The one I recommend is the Oxford World Classics edition which builds upon this tradition of making good translations of the original. Also, this edition is the 1871 version which is already definitive...

[@familieehrenfeld9123]

So why didn't Nemo pad the engine room to keep Mona Lisa safe? She just floated on the water. Ah he suffered much more I think😅

[@familieehrenfeld9123]

I know, I know 😂