After another period of time, Verne finished reading "The Country Teacher" for the second time.
Only by looking at it repeatedly can he notice the details.
This book is really well written.
It is just over 20,000 words, but it is exquisite and clever.
Verne said: "I never thought that science fiction could be written like this. On the surface, the attractive subject in "Country Teacher" is the Carbon-Based Alliance, but in reality, it is still about human beings. 's hymn."
This is natural,
Writers are human beings, so why write if they don’t write about human beings?
Poincaré mused: "Having said that, this description of alien civilization is undoubtedly very successful."
Verne cast his eyes away,
"how to say?"
Poincaré closed his eyes and recalled his feelings while reading,
"When you were reading "Country Teacher", did you ever think about questions such as 'Do alien creatures really exist' and 'Are they really that much more powerful than humans'?"
Bernard Shaw and Verne nodded together.
Poincaré said: "This is it. Those doubts will arise, which shows that Professor Lu wrote well and portrayed it realistically."
After hearing what he said, the two of them understood.
Verne's eyes fell on the manuscript again,
Analyzing from the perspective of writing techniques, Lu Shi’s creation of carbon-based bioenergy in the Milky Way is so realistic mainly due to the use of two techniques:
First, comparison,
Compare the smallness of the earth with the power of the carbon-based alliance.
Because humans are afraid of deep space,
People always subconsciously believe that it is not that there are no living creatures on alien planets, but that those creatures are too powerful and hide in the dark to prevent humans from discovering them;
Second, human-like processing,
Even if it is as powerful as the carbon-based biological alliance, the basic laws of physics are still the same as humans.
When the children recited what Mr. Li had just said, "When an object is not acted upon by an external force, it will remain stationary or move in a straight line at a uniform speed." Verne felt like he was hit instantly.
At this moment, Niu's Three Laws became legendary, and the cold physics knowledge made people feel very warm.
Verne let out a sigh of relief,
"Huh~"
At this age, I didn’t expect to read such a work that makes me cry and make me laugh.
Poincaré looked over,
"Jules..."
He took out his handkerchief and handed it over.
Verne wiped the corners of his eyes, and there was a slight moisture there.
He asked Lu Shi: "Professor Lu, how did you think of writing about the teacher?"
Lu Shi said: "The objects of Chinese sacrifices are: heaven, earth, monarch, relatives and teachers. This is the value orientation of respecting heaven and ancestors, filial piety and obedience to elders, loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, respecting teachers and valuing education. I think that every civilization, They all respect teachers and education.”
The others nodded.
No matter at home or abroad, from the Imperial University to the University of Paris, early colleges usually opened normal preparatory courses immediately after their establishment.
It can be seen how important teachers are in the education system.
Verne sighed: "Because there is no inheritance of memory, in the eyes of higher civilizations, it is impossible for humans to accumulate and transfer knowledge between each generation. However, relying on teachers, humans have continued civilization with extremely inefficient means. "
Lu Shi coughed slightly,
"Well, Mr. Verne, this efficiency is not necessarily low."
Verne was stunned,
"ah?"
Lu Shi pointed to the manuscript and said, "This is science fiction. The so-called 'higher civilization' may not exist."
Verne scratched his head awkwardly,
"I forgot. Your writing was so good and true that it led me to assume that the Carbon-Based Alliance is real."
Poincaré on the side intervened in the topic at the right time: "However, Professor Lu used the perspective of 'higher civilization' to provide us with a different way of thinking. At least, before this, I had never considered that the efficiency of human information transmission was very low. .”
Verne chuckled,
"I have imagined it. In my life, I imagined a world-wide communication network."
Poincaré said: "Yes, yes, you are amazing."
Verne glared at him, and then said: "Professor Lu's writing is indeed very good. Especially for the background selection, Nantes should not be chosen."
Lu Shi said softly "Huh?" and did not dare to continue.
Verne continued: "In The Country Teacher, the Earth is small, isolated, and backward compared to the Milky Way, just like China is now compared to other major powers in the world. This contrast is very strong and shocking."
Lu Shi suddenly realized,
"Well, that's what I thought...ahem...that's what I thought, that's right."
He felt as if his article was used in the college entrance examination.
And Verne was reading comprehension.
Verne added: "I have to say that "The Village Teacher" has a very high intention. Once this article is published, I don't know how many people will devote themselves to education and scientific research, and more writers will be attracted by the subject of science fiction." Attracted."
Poincaré nodded,
"As I said before, science fiction is not only about fantasy, but also about writing very deep things."
As he spoke, he leaned over and poked his friend in the waist.
"How about it?"
Verne raised his eyebrows,
"what you mean how?"
Poincaré forced out a bad smile and said, "Compared with yours, how does this piece of "The Country Teacher" compare to yours?"
Lu Shi quickly said: "Mr. Poincaré, you..."
Before he finished speaking, Verne interrupted: "Professor Lu, you have written many book reviews and are a literary critic. You should know that when writing reviews, you will inevitably compare them with previous works on the same subject. This is inevitable. .”
Bernard Shaw on the side winked at Lu Shi,
"Think about Dr. Doyle."
Lu Shi had nothing to say,
The "dancing little man" in Sherlock Holmes' new series "The Return" was pulled out by Lu Shi and whipped repeatedly.
Although there is an old saying that "nothing is better than literature", the comparison should still be made.
Verne said: "In terms of innovation and conception, I am afraid that none of my works can be compared with "The Country Teacher"."
Poincaré was a little surprised.
"Any one?"
Verne nodded solemnly and said, "Professor Lu's work not only has the imagination of science fiction, but also has realism. The two are perfectly combined."
Lu Shi opened his mouth, but in the end he still didn't speak modestly.
After all, Verne was a literary giant of the 19th century. To compare his works with "The Country Teacher", which was published in 2001, is indeed bullying.
From a science fiction perspective,
Verne's works are still on the earth, but "Country Teacher" has gone to outer space.
What's more, Verne only heard about a lot of physics knowledge, but never considered applying it in China.
Not to mention the intention,
Verne's works are mainly adventure, and "The Country Teacher" is a hymn to mankind.
After a hundred years of development of science fiction, if the successors are not rivals of their predecessors, then the entire literary world will be so sad.
Verne commented on himself: "Compared with Professor Lu's book, my book is one level behind."
Lu Shi: "..."
That's because someone else's electrician is awesome, and it has nothing to do with him.
Of course, Lu Shi did change a lot of content, but they were all minor revisions to make the story fit the background of the times. The real story framework remained completely unchanged.
Verne couldn't help but sigh: "It's so right to invite Professor Lu to come and communicate this time."
Bernard Shaw asked: "Mr. Verne, how are you going to publish this?"
Verne pondered,
“Let’s just publish a single volume.”
Short story published as a single volume?
The other people thought they heard wrongly.
Considering the number of words, no readers will pay for it.
Verne said: "Actually, after watching this movie, I seriously considered sponsoring a magazine called Science Fiction Weekly, which would only publish science fiction works. However, considering that there are too few science fiction writers now, I felt that it would not be possible. suitable."
When running a magazine, you also need to look at the soil.
In Europe today, poetry magazines are the most suitable for survival, followed by drama reviews.
In fact, it was not until 1926 that Hugo Gernsback founded the first true science fiction magazine, Amazing Stories, and became a pioneer in the science fiction genre.
Bernard Shaw said: "Mr. Verne, since you also know that science fiction magazines cannot be run, why do you still let Lu publish a single volume?"
In his opinion, this is simply giving someone away.
Poincaré on the side also said: "Jules, don't forget that the background of this film is China, which is not attractive in itself."
Verne narrowed his eyes,
"First, I will contact my publisher Herzel. Their strength in Paris is obvious to all. Second, I will use my reputation as a guarantee and work with universities to do my best to recommend this book."
These two points alone show Verne's sincerity.
Lu Shi said: "Mr. Verne, you don't have to..."
Verne raised his hand to indicate that he had not finished speaking, and continued: "The third point...hasn't Mr. Monet not left Paris yet? I would like to ask him to draw illustrations."
Lu Shi:? ? ?
Bernard Shaw:? ? ?
Poincaré:? ? ?
The three of them were stunned.
At this moment, a "dong--" sound suddenly came from the side.
Roland held his forehead and stood up.
"So thirsty..."
He subconsciously reached out to pick up the water glass and took a sip of the tea. Then he noticed something unusual about the four people in the room.
"Gentlemen, what are you doing?"
No one answered.
It was quiet for a while, then Poincaré suddenly spoke and said: "Jules, you are really a madman."
Roland was confused,
"Crazy? What crazy?"
Verne smiled softly and said: "Compared to me, Professor Lu who wrote "The Village Teacher" is the real madman."
With that said, he handed the manuscript to Roland.
Roland rubbed his eyes and started reading carefully.
Silence comes,
"..."
"..."
"..."
I don’t know how much time passed before Roland finished reading.
He couldn't help but mutter: "Madman!"
…
Dusk.
Montmartre.
Countless famous painters, including Van Gogh, settled here before becoming famous, so this is a gathering place for artists.
If tourists want to leave a memorable portrait, Montmartre is undoubtedly the best choice.
Climb slowly up the road,
There are European-style buildings on both sides, and occasionally there are clothing stores. The owner and tailor will lean out, greet customers with a smile, and introduce the newly launched underwear.
Paris is worthy of being a romantic city.
In other cities, underwear is still sold secretly, but here it can be worn on mannequins and placed in shop windows along the street.
At the end of the road, there will be a square paved with round cobblestones.
Many people dressed as painters sat there, with their works nailed on wooden boards for display, in order to attract tourists.
Among these painters, there was an old man with a beard who did not stand out.
He sat dozing behind the picture frame.
Just then, someone came from behind,
"gentlemen."
The old man's beard trembled,
He rubbed his eyes gently, then turned around, looked at the person in front of him, and said with some surprise: "Who are you?"
Of course the visitors were Lu Shi and his group.
Verne stepped forward,
"Mr. Monet, have you forgotten me?"
Monet frowned slightly,
He really couldn't remember who the person in front of him was.
The corners of Poincaré's mouth twitched, he tugged on Verne's sleeves, and whispered: "Jules, didn't you say you knew Mr. Monet? What's going on?"
Verne was also very depressed,
Of course he knew Monet.
He said: "Last year, Mr. Monet and I met many times at the World Expo, and we had a lot of fun talking and laughing."
Shen Te Meow "talks and laughs happily, and has a great time talking to each other."
Poincaré complained: "Then why don't people recognize you?"
Verne was also confused and stepped forward and said: "Mr. Monet, didn't we meet at the Paris World's Fair last year? We also discussed a lot about literature and art at that time. Have you forgotten?"
Speaking of the Paris World Expo, Monet couldn't help but fall into memories.
Starting from the summer of 1899, he began to create the "Water Lilies" series.
By 1900, 14 works were completed and exhibited at the Paris World Exposition, thus shocking the world.
Monet said: "Are you... Mr. Verne?"
Verne couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief,
If the other party really couldn't recognize him, it would be a huge loss of face.
He said: "Mr. Monet, I am looking for you this time to ask you for a manuscript. I hope you can illustrate a film."
After listening to this, Monet couldn’t laugh or cry.
"illustration?"
Verne nodded and said seriously: "It's an illustration."
Monet was completely speechless.
At this moment, he is the most popular painter in Europe and even the world. Some outsiders even label him as "the greatest painter in history".
Countless galleries and museums purchased his works, allowing his wealth to accumulate to more than 200,000 francs.
For an artist, this is an astonishing number.
Because "living" artists can become famous and make money, which itself goes against the laws of history.
Most painters are famous but poor.
Of course, it is impossible for Monet to say that he is a famous painter, and painting illustrations is an act of losing one's status.
He just waved his hand,
"Mr. Verne, you should know that my current focus is on the series "Water Lilies". It is a magnificent epic and the most brilliant 'Ninth Symphony' in my life. I am afraid I don't have the energy to illustrate it." creation."
This is not just an excuse.
In fact, after Monet became estranged from other Impressionist painters, he planned to create a series of paintings to complete his great work in life.
To this end, he also built a small garden in Giverny, where he lived and painted.
And this series of works is "Water Lilies".
He really didn't want to waste his energy on meaningless things.
Verne thought for a moment and said, "Mr. Monet, would you like to see that one first before making a decision?"
Monet shook his head,
"No, I still..."
Verne interrupted: "There are only more than 20,000 words, so I won't waste much time."
Monet was stunned for a long time, looking at Verne in front of him,
As a literary giant, Verne's status in the hearts of the people is no lower than that of Monet, or even worse.
After all, what Verne created was popular, and the threshold for appreciation was much lower than that of oil paintings, impressionists and the like.
Such a person's urgent plea made Monet interested,
He asked curiously: "What type?"
Verne took out the manuscript,
"Science fiction, called "Country Teacher"."
At the same time, Verne pushed Lu Shi in front of him and explained: "The author himself is also here."
(End of chapter)
