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booksandjazz 's review for:
In the Year 2889
by Jules Verne
This is a thought-provoking work of early science fiction, bursting with vivid imagination given its publication date of 1889. As the title indicates, the short story In The Year 2889 follows an average day in a futuristic era—more specifically, the year 2889. The story specifically focuses on the activities of billionaire, Fritz Napoleon Smith, who heads the telephone-news journal The Earth Chronicle Despite this, we learn little to nothing about Fritz; rather, the story, by contrast, almost solely focalizes the technological innovations the author envisions and is not at all plot- or character-focused. For this reason, the beginning of In The Year 2889 was slow for me but the final 1/2 was unexpectedly captivating. I ultimately found it so interesting that I went back to see more of the history behind when these innovations were instituted in society vs. the publication date of 1889. I also had several issues with the regressive ideas outlined in the text, juxtaposing its technological wonder. I outlined these main points below and tried to use quotes from the text as well! (2.25 stars)
Astoundingly accurate analogs to modern-day/predictions from the text (often using different words than today, but the same concepts):
- Predicted FaceTime/Video Communication (“In the mirror of the phonotelephone…Mr. Smith and his wife have arranged to take their meals simultaneously. It is delightful thus to take breakfast tête-a-tête with one who is 3000 miles or so away. Just now, Mrs. Smith's chamber has no occupant.”; Verne calls it phonotelephotic communication)
- Predicted social media/24-hour news (“The outer world, already notified, was anxiously expectant, for the whole world could be eye-witnesses of the performance, a reporter meanwhile, like the chorus in the ancient drama, explaining it all viva voce through the telephone.”)
- DVR/Voicemail/Save for Later News App Feature ("Furthermore, each subscriber owns a phonograph, and to this instrument he leaves the task of gathering the news whenever he happens not to be in a mood to listen directly himself"; listeners who are not currently in the mood to listen to the telephone-communicated news to record it for later)
- Discussion of isolation as a byproduct of social media and industrialization/innovation (“For him, instead of the endless suites of apartments of the olden time, one room fitted with ingenious mechanical contrivances is enough. Here he sleeps, takes his meals, in short, lives.”)
- Solar Power/other forms of energy (“To Jackson we are indebted for those wonderful instruments the new accumulators. Some of these absorb and condense the living force contained in the sun's rays; others, the electricity stored in our globe; others again, the energy coming from whatever source, as a waterfall, a stream, the winds, etc.”)
- Human hibernation/frozen upon death (“the possibility of our suspending our vital functions and of calling them into action again after a time”; one famous scientist imagined in the short story writes in his last will to have himself frozen upon death and then unfrozen again 100 years later)
- The field of Cryonics/human cryopreservation/corpse freezing exists as a practice done now in hopes of future restoration, though generally not accepted by the scientific community and seen as a “fringe pseudoscience” (first done in 1967)
- Traveling by air-train (I believe 1903 was the first documented successful aviation attempt, when the Wright brothers remained in flight for 12 seconds, traveling 120 feet)
- The Piano Electro-Reckoner which allows “the most complex calculations [to] be made in a few seconds”; (calculators were first invented in 1642 but I thought of this more as akin to Bank-specific apps that essentially do monetary transaction calculations for you)
Interesting but hasn’t happened yet (but there’s still over 850 years remaining for some of the ideas to play out)
- Full prepared meals being sent through “food-pipes” rather than cooking
- The innovation of color photography causing painting to become antiquated and outmoded (arguable in terms of the mainstream popularity of painting vs photography, yet museums, and illustrations in books, and a vast array of other uses for painted artwork, are still widely seen throughout the world)
- Manufacturing human beings (idea played out in a Black Mirror Season 1 episode I believe)
- Traveling by tube
- The tub coming to us rather than us taking a hallway to travel to the tub (“Hall-way? Why, Doctor, as you well know, everything is done by machinery here. It is not for me to go to the bath; the bath will come to me. Just look!" and he pressed a button. After a few seconds a faint rumbling was heard, which grew louder and louder. Suddenly the door opened, and the tub appeared.”)
- Advertisements broadcast on clouds (though you could make an argument for blimp signs/messages being similar to this)
I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out the main points I took major issue with:
- The discussion of colonization: The entire text is written in a way to depict the incredible advancements of this new 2889 reality, framing the epoch as a utopia; the concept of colonization is accordingly—and disturbingly—lauded in the text. In the story, Great Britain has now become a colony of America and the entire continent of Africa, a colony of France—everyone living in 2889 is seemingly alright with this. While the author is able to envisage a technologically forward-thinking community, the notion of colonialism as “aspirational” remains appallingly rampant in this writing.
- The treatment of women in the text: The women depicted are pejoratively described as habitually late, and are limited in self-expression to hats and fashion. The women are seemingly not fully privy to the wonders of innovation, nor are they ever described as contributing to it. The story is definitely written in a tone meant to belittle and undermine women as still “inferior” even in this future time period.
- Discussion of harvesting energy that has been pre-existing but unused and generally the idea of the Anthropocene and human interaction with these natural force (“For Mr. Smith has obtained a lease of the great falls of Niagara. For ages the energy developed by the falls went unutilized. Smith, applying Jackson's invention, now collects this energy, and lets or sells it.”) Was really interested when this was initially brought up in the text, but it turned out Verne included this as a point of admiration, rather than acknowledging the effects of industrialization and using natural resources/essential nonrenewable energy (which could already be seen in the 1800s, where the after-effects of the industrial revolution were being largely noted by many authors)
- The obsession with capitalism/a culture of lauding billionaires/the fact that the only character we follow is a billionaire ("The profit, of course, would be enormous. Mr. Smith, captivated by the scheme, bought a half-interest in it.”)
Overall, I enjoyed the science-fiction aspects of this text but was disappointed by how incredibly regressive this utopia vision turned out to be. The ending line of the story still did feel like a perfect wrap-up of it all, nevertheless:
“And the history of that one day is the history of 365 days every year, except leap-years, and then of 366 days—for as yet no means has been found of increasing the length of the terrestrial year.”
Astoundingly accurate analogs to modern-day/predictions from the text (often using different words than today, but the same concepts):
- Predicted FaceTime/Video Communication (“In the mirror of the phonotelephone…Mr. Smith and his wife have arranged to take their meals simultaneously. It is delightful thus to take breakfast tête-a-tête with one who is 3000 miles or so away. Just now, Mrs. Smith's chamber has no occupant.”; Verne calls it phonotelephotic communication)
- Predicted social media/24-hour news (“The outer world, already notified, was anxiously expectant, for the whole world could be eye-witnesses of the performance, a reporter meanwhile, like the chorus in the ancient drama, explaining it all viva voce through the telephone.”)
- DVR/Voicemail/Save for Later News App Feature ("Furthermore, each subscriber owns a phonograph, and to this instrument he leaves the task of gathering the news whenever he happens not to be in a mood to listen directly himself"; listeners who are not currently in the mood to listen to the telephone-communicated news to record it for later)
- Discussion of isolation as a byproduct of social media and industrialization/innovation (“For him, instead of the endless suites of apartments of the olden time, one room fitted with ingenious mechanical contrivances is enough. Here he sleeps, takes his meals, in short, lives.”)
- Solar Power/other forms of energy (“To Jackson we are indebted for those wonderful instruments the new accumulators. Some of these absorb and condense the living force contained in the sun's rays; others, the electricity stored in our globe; others again, the energy coming from whatever source, as a waterfall, a stream, the winds, etc.”)
- Human hibernation/frozen upon death (“the possibility of our suspending our vital functions and of calling them into action again after a time”; one famous scientist imagined in the short story writes in his last will to have himself frozen upon death and then unfrozen again 100 years later)
- The field of Cryonics/human cryopreservation/corpse freezing exists as a practice done now in hopes of future restoration, though generally not accepted by the scientific community and seen as a “fringe pseudoscience” (first done in 1967)
- Traveling by air-train (I believe 1903 was the first documented successful aviation attempt, when the Wright brothers remained in flight for 12 seconds, traveling 120 feet)
- The Piano Electro-Reckoner which allows “the most complex calculations [to] be made in a few seconds”; (calculators were first invented in 1642 but I thought of this more as akin to Bank-specific apps that essentially do monetary transaction calculations for you)
Interesting but hasn’t happened yet (but there’s still over 850 years remaining for some of the ideas to play out)
- Full prepared meals being sent through “food-pipes” rather than cooking
- The innovation of color photography causing painting to become antiquated and outmoded (arguable in terms of the mainstream popularity of painting vs photography, yet museums, and illustrations in books, and a vast array of other uses for painted artwork, are still widely seen throughout the world)
- Manufacturing human beings (idea played out in a Black Mirror Season 1 episode I believe)
- Traveling by tube
- The tub coming to us rather than us taking a hallway to travel to the tub (“Hall-way? Why, Doctor, as you well know, everything is done by machinery here. It is not for me to go to the bath; the bath will come to me. Just look!" and he pressed a button. After a few seconds a faint rumbling was heard, which grew louder and louder. Suddenly the door opened, and the tub appeared.”)
- Advertisements broadcast on clouds (though you could make an argument for blimp signs/messages being similar to this)
I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out the main points I took major issue with:
- The discussion of colonization: The entire text is written in a way to depict the incredible advancements of this new 2889 reality, framing the epoch as a utopia; the concept of colonization is accordingly—and disturbingly—lauded in the text. In the story, Great Britain has now become a colony of America and the entire continent of Africa, a colony of France—everyone living in 2889 is seemingly alright with this. While the author is able to envisage a technologically forward-thinking community, the notion of colonialism as “aspirational” remains appallingly rampant in this writing.
- The treatment of women in the text: The women depicted are pejoratively described as habitually late, and are limited in self-expression to hats and fashion. The women are seemingly not fully privy to the wonders of innovation, nor are they ever described as contributing to it. The story is definitely written in a tone meant to belittle and undermine women as still “inferior” even in this future time period.
- Discussion of harvesting energy that has been pre-existing but unused and generally the idea of the Anthropocene and human interaction with these natural force (“For Mr. Smith has obtained a lease of the great falls of Niagara. For ages the energy developed by the falls went unutilized. Smith, applying Jackson's invention, now collects this energy, and lets or sells it.”) Was really interested when this was initially brought up in the text, but it turned out Verne included this as a point of admiration, rather than acknowledging the effects of industrialization and using natural resources/essential nonrenewable energy (which could already be seen in the 1800s, where the after-effects of the industrial revolution were being largely noted by many authors)
- The obsession with capitalism/a culture of lauding billionaires/the fact that the only character we follow is a billionaire ("The profit, of course, would be enormous. Mr. Smith, captivated by the scheme, bought a half-interest in it.”)
Overall, I enjoyed the science-fiction aspects of this text but was disappointed by how incredibly regressive this utopia vision turned out to be. The ending line of the story still did feel like a perfect wrap-up of it all, nevertheless:
“And the history of that one day is the history of 365 days every year, except leap-years, and then of 366 days—for as yet no means has been found of increasing the length of the terrestrial year.”