the next day.
Lu Shi and Bernard Shaw were invited to the Paris Opera House.
The Opera House was designed by Charles Garnier in 1861 and is a masterpiece of eclecticism.
Its architecture perfectly combines ancient Greek and Roman colonnades, Baroque and other architectural forms. It is large-scale, exquisite and detailed, and magnificent.
Verne led everyone into the venue,
He introduced: "Before the play begins, there will be a simple performance."
Bernard Shaw chuckled,
"That's comparable to what happens in British theaters."
Verne laughed.
They were placed in the front row with the best view.
Several people took their seats one after another.
After a while, the performance began.
A man in a tuxedo came onto the stage, and then asked his assistant to move a table with a potted orange tree on it.
These things are obviously props for performances.
Lu Shi was surprised,
"It's actually magic?"
Hearing what he said, Roland couldn't help but be curious and asked, "Has Professor Lu seen this before?"
Lu Shi smiled and shook his head,
"No, I haven't seen it, but I have heard of it. There is a collection of strange stories in China called Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, and there are all kinds of stories in it."
While we were chatting, the magician on the stage had already started performing.
People watched as small oranges grew on the orange trees.
There were exclamations everywhere.
Verne muttered: "Even though I have seen it many times, I still can't understand the mystery."
He turned around and asked Lu Shi: "Professor Lu, can you tell me about Chinese magic? Maybe I can see some secrets from it... Ah... I'm sorry, I got a little carried away."
Poincaré on the side said: "Jules is like this, he likes to get to the bottom of everything."
Lu Shi waved his hand and spoke casually,
"There is a story in "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio" about a man who threw a rope into the air in a busy city, then climbed up along the rope, and did not come back for a long time. His child couldn't wait any longer. Climb up and look for it, and some broken limbs will be thrown down from the top."
"Hiss..."×4
Bernard Shaw, Roland, Poincaré, and Verne gasped at the same time.
The magic that was promised suddenly turned into a horror story.
Lu Shi chuckled,
"After the trick is completed, people will be told that only they are qualified to go to heaven. The child violated heaven's rules by going up to look for his father and was cut into pieces. People who watch the show will pay when they see that the performer is pitiful."
Poincaré nodded and said: "So that's it. The ending should be happy, right? That child will soon appear in the crowd alive and kicking."
Lu Shi said, "That's right."
Roland asked curiously: "What's the principle?"
Lu Shi spread his hands,
“How can this kind of thing be made public if it’s something people rely on to make a living?”
The rest of the people agreed.
Poincaré circled his beard with the fingers of his right hand and said with a smile: "However, I think such events can be explained in a rigorous way, just like Jules's science fiction works."
As he spoke, he nodded to the stage,
At this time, the magician was distributing the "picked" oranges to the audience in the first row.
Verne shrugged,
"Stop hating me."
Poincaré looked over,
"how?"
Verne said: "Not all the books I write are about science fiction. For example, the book "Around the World in Eighty Days" that I will read next is not innovative. It may be more appropriate to call it a travelogue."
Lu Shi on the side smiled and said: "In terms of rigor, this book is not bad at all~"
Unexpectedly, Lu Shi would suddenly interrupt,
Poincaré chuckled,
"Look, Professor Lu said so."
Verne also became interested, leaned forward towards Lu Shi, and asked, "Why did Professor Lu say that?"
Lu Shi did not answer, but asked a question:
"Mr. Verne, you are a Frenchman. Why did you use an English gentleman as the protagonist to write "Around the World in Eighty Days"?"
Verne couldn't help but be stunned.
When writing this book, he vaguely remembered that he had indeed considered this issue.
But he couldn't tell the answer to the question.
Verne pondered,
"It should be some kind of inspiration."
Bernard Shaw jokingly said: "Maybe it is some kind of inspiration, because when the writer is creating, not every setting and every sentence can explain why."
Nabokov also made a point during his lecture:
Many times, a certain detail of the author's writing may only be subconscious, but the reader can extract the author's intention that he was not aware of at the time.
Verne also said: "Human thoughts inevitably come and go, and are fleeting. Many techniques or ideas may be unconscious, but they may also be a reflection of the author's inner mind. However, the author himself may not know it."
Roland clapped his hands and said, "Then I can explain Professor Lu's question just now."
Verne asked: "How?"
Roland said: "Betting is a British vice, and Mr. Verne said that we French people don't do it."
There was an eerie silence,
"..."
"..."
"..."
Immediately, several people laughed.
The audience in the opera house couldn't help but look sideways.
Poincaré patted Roland on the shoulder and whispered: "You, you...I can guarantee that Professor Lu definitely doesn't think so."
Lu Shi nodded and pointed to the stage,
"It's time to start, we'll talk later."
The dramatic performance begins.
In fact, the story of "Around the World in Eighty Days" is very simple.
Mr. Fogg, a British gentleman, and his club members bet £20,000 that they could travel around the world in eighty days. After the bet was agreed, he set out from London with his servant nicknamed "Passepartout" , began a thrilling journey around the world,
He made a detailed plan:
From London to Suez. Railroads and mail ships. 7 days;
From Suez to Bombay. Mail ship. 13 days;
…
From New York to London. Mail boats and railroads. 9 days.
The final total is 80 days.
At this point in the performance, Lu Shi asked: "Have you noticed the characteristics of Mr. Fogg's route?"
George Bernard Shaw put his hand into his pocket, pinched the tobacco packet, and then put his fingers under his nose to smell the aroma of tobacco to refresh himself.
After a long while, he said: "British colony."
A word to wake up the dreamer.
Verne said: "Yes, that's what I should have thought at the time."
According to the background time of 1872, the British could almost circle the world along the colonies,
If the protagonist, Mr. Fogg, wants to travel quickly between places, his identity as a suzerain can be of great help to him.
Lu Shi explained: "You can figure it out just by looking at the route. The Suez Canal is controlled by the British, India and Singapore are British colonies, Japan is the British ally (small) country (brother), and the only trouble is the United States..."
Verne shook his head,
"Although the relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom is not harmonious, at least they are similar in language, which can ensure smooth communication."
Roland was curious,
"What if it's French?"
Lu Shi said: "That would be troublesome. You can go from Algeria to the Congo across half of Africa, but this road runs north-south and is not helpful at all for circumnavigating the earth. You can go to Yemen via Madagascar by sea, but you have to go around it. A lap around the Cape of Good Hope wastes a lot of extra time..."
As Lu Shi spoke, he made invisible gestures with his hands in the air.
It was as if he had a map of the world in front of him.
Except for Bernard Shaw, everyone else was dumbfounded.
Bernard Shaw whispered: "I told you that Professor Lu is an interdisciplinary all-rounder, but you still don't believe it."
It’s not that I don’t believe it,
It's really beyond cognition.
Can ordinary people be so familiar with world geography?
But when I think of Lu Shi's book "Guns, Germs and Steel", it seems very reasonable.
Poincaré secretly rejoiced, thanks to letting Lu Shi leave the calligraphy treasure yesterday.
Seeing that Lu Shi was so knowledgeable, it is not difficult to judge that he will become a shining star in the history of many human disciplines in the future. It would be an honor for the French Academy to have his share of calligraphy.
At this time, Roland next to him asked: "Why do we have to go to the colonies?"
Bernard Shaw said with a smile: "It will be very troublesome if you don't go through the colonies. Passing through areas controlled by other countries, the entry and exit procedures are very cumbersome, and there is a possibility of being arrested as a spy."
In the 19th and 20th centuries, many colonies were under military control;
Once inside, I can’t explain why it makes sense.
Roland asked again: "But the trouble is still with Mr. Fogg. His status as a suzerain has made him hunted by British police detectives all over the world."
Verne raised the corners of his mouth,
"That's where the drama gets."
Roland scratched his head,
Because the discussion was too in-depth, he regarded this problem as a real problem, but forgot that it was actually based on the plot.
Lu Shi said humorously: "If it were a French person, "Around the World in 200 Days" would not be science fiction at all. That's why Mr. Verne had to use a British person to bring rigor to the fantasy."
Everyone couldn't help but want to laugh after hearing this.
But the show had already begun, and they tried to hold it back.
Verne pursed his lips and joked: "I didn't expect that, Professor Lu, you actually think that "Around the World in 200 Days" is a science fiction work."
Lu Shi quickly waved his hand,
"Don't make fun of me. 'Two Hundred Days' is 'Around the World in Eighty Days'."
Verne's mouth curved.
"Why do you think this is science fiction?"
Lu Shi said: "In the end, Mr. Fogg said that he spent almost 19,000 pounds on this journey. Isn't that enough science fiction?"
"Poof!"×4
The others couldn't hold it back and laughed anyway.
Bernard Shaw said "hmm" and said, "Mr. Fogg spent a total of nearly 20,000 pounds on this trip, equivalent to 500,000 francs. However, Margaret's extravagant life in "La Traviata" only cost 100,000 francs for one year. , so, "Around the World in Eighty Days" is indeed quite science fiction."
Using Dumas's works to tease the French made Verne even more unable to help laughing.
He coughed several times before trying to calm down.
"Huh! No more British people will be the protagonists in the future."
Bernard Shaw spread his hands,
"If you don't need it, don't use it. Mr. Fogg hugged the beautiful girl on the way. This is obviously something you French people are good at."
Verne said slightly proudly: "You British people don't need to belittle yourselves."
The two literary giants actually joked with each other like children.
After chatting for a few more words, the topic circled around.
Verne continued to ask: "Professor Lu, you haven't answered my question just yet. Why do you think "Around the World in Eighty Days" is a science fiction work?"
Literary critics believe that this film has rich themes and
Roaming theme, detective theme, love theme...
A variety of topics intersect and integrate with each other, allowing readers to always find their favorite part.
Some people even read humanistic ideas in it,
For example, in the passage about India, Verne used the words of his characters to express his indignation at India's barbaric burial system; and the scene in which Fogg was beaten at the San Francisco Convention satirized the chaos of American democratic elections.
However, among so many themes, critics feel that science fiction is the only one missing.
Lu Shi said: "Science fiction... Gentlemen, what do you think science fiction is?"
These words caused everyone to think deeply.
After a moment, Roland was the first to speak: "Science fiction works should be like "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea", with many magical technologies."
There is no need to refute these words.
Poincaré on the side shook his head,
"Roman, what is the origin of science fiction?"
Although he is a mathematician, he has a strong literary foundation, so it is not strange to ask such a question.
Roland replied: "It should be "Frankenstein"."
George Bernard Shaw proudly said: "This is the work of us British people."
"Frankenstein" is the work of Mary Shelley. This book made her known as the "Mother of Science Fiction".
It is worth mentioning that her husband’s name is Percy Bysshe Shelley, one of the most talented lyric poets in the history of English literature. Everyone knows the phrase “Winter is coming, can spring be far behind?” , no one knows.
Poincaré said: "Is there a lot of futuristic technology in Frankenstein?"
Roman frowned slightly,
"this……"
Poincaré said: "Although I don't know how to classify science fiction, I can definitely say that Frankenstein has a very profound idea."
Lu Shi took over the conversation,
"Yes, that book is a classic because it discusses the ethical issues of humans and humanoids."
Poincaré was stunned for a moment, then clapped his hands and said excitedly: "Okay! What a 'human and humanoid'! As expected of Professor Lu, he summed it up so well. Science fiction is not just a fantasy, it can also be developed in depth."
As he said that, Poincaré cast an admiring look at Lu Shi.
Lu Shi was inevitably a little embarrassed.
He changed the topic and said: "Actually, there are many branches of science fiction. The ones I can think of include world exploration, civilizations, parallel worlds, time travel, disaster and rebirth, humans and humanoids..."
The more he talks, the more he talks.
When everyone looked at the landing with strange eyes,
stare--
Lu Shi quickly shut up.
He asked, "What's the problem?"
Bernard Shaw said: "Some of them I can understand, such as world exploration, Mr. Verne's "Journey to the Center of the Earth" and the Ocean Trilogy should be included among them; humans and humanoids, I just mentioned "Frankenstein" Example. How to explain the others?"
Lu Shi said: "Inter-civilizations are the contact and exchange between two intelligent civilizations."
Everyone was silent.
After a while, someone asked: "Is there any precedent for this kind of work?"
Lu Shi has read so many works, of course he can give examples.
But for a while he could only think of Clark's "Childhood's End", and that book was published in 1953, so it certainly couldn't be used as an example.
"That's what I said," he said.
"That's what Shen Te Miao said".
Verne felt as if his heart was scratched by a cat, and asked: "What about other types? Can Professor Lu give an example?"
Lu Shi thought for a while and said, "I told Natsume before... Well... Natsume is my roommate. I told him a story called "The Last Man". There is only one sentence, 'The Last Man on Earth'." I was sitting alone in the room, and then suddenly there was a knock on the door...'."
As soon as these words came out, the three French people's eyes changed when they looked at Lu Shi.
Especially Verne, it is as if a young man who has just grown up has seen a naked beauty, as if he wants to eat him alive.
Bernard Shaw patted Lu Shi on the shoulder,
"You are really suitable to come out and communicate."
(End of chapter)
