Clovis Dardentor
Encyclopedia
Partly a travel narrative, Clovis Dardentor is an 1896 fiction novel by French writer Jules Verne
. Compared to other Verne novels, it is a relatively unknown work.
Very common throughout Clovis Dardentor is Verne's usage of a comedic, slightly burlesque
tone in the narration and in the characters' dialogue
s (something which the narrator
confirms at a certain point of the novel).
The original illustrations were drawn by designer Léon Benett
.
A movie adaptation of Clovis Dardentor is currently underway through www.buyacredit.com. Annette Badland and Stephen Fry have already been cast in the film.
to Oran
, Algeria
, with the purpose of enlisting in the 5th regiment
of the Chausseurs D'Afrique.
On board the Argelès, the ship to Oran, they meet Clovis Dardentor, a wealthy industrialist, who is the central character of the novel. Jean and Marcel, whose desire to travel to Africa arises from their pursuit of financial independence, find out that Clovis —an unmarried man, with no family— has left no heirs to his fortune.
Yet Marcel, well-versed in the Law, knows that any person who were to save Clovis' life either from a fight, from drowning, or from a fire, would forcibly have to be adopted by Clovis. The cousins come to a plan: They will find a way to save Clovis' life, so that he will indeed be legally required to adopt them.
Ironically, it is Clovis who finally saves the cousins' lives: Marcel is saved from a fire, and Jean is saved from drowning.
Eventually, while Jean continues to look for the opportunity to save Clovis' life, Marcel falls in love with Louise Elissane, the prospective daughter-in-law of one of Clovis' acquaintainces, the unpleasant Desirandelle family. Louise becomes a key character in the novel, for it is she who saves Clovis Dardentor's life.
Fortunately for the cousins, in the end, Louise is adopted by Clovis, and marries Marcel.
and Annette Badland
Writer Lizzie Hopley
has written the screenplay for the movie.
Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea , A Journey to the Center of the Earth , and Around the World in Eighty Days...
. Compared to other Verne novels, it is a relatively unknown work.
Very common throughout Clovis Dardentor is Verne's usage of a comedic, slightly burlesque
Burlesque
Burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects...
tone in the narration and in the characters' dialogue
Dialogue
Dialogue is a literary and theatrical form consisting of a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people....
s (something which the narrator
Narrator
A narrator is, within any story , the fictional or non-fictional, personal or impersonal entity who tells the story to the audience. When the narrator is also a character within the story, he or she is sometimes known as the viewpoint character. The narrator is one of three entities responsible for...
confirms at a certain point of the novel).
The original illustrations were drawn by designer Léon Benett
Léon Benett
Léon Benett, was a French painter and illustrator. He was born in Orange, Vaucluse. He changed his name to "Benett" to differentiate his career in the administration of his work as a draftsman....
.
A movie adaptation of Clovis Dardentor is currently underway through www.buyacredit.com. Annette Badland and Stephen Fry have already been cast in the film.
Plot summary
The novel tells the story of two cousins, Jean Taconnat and Marcel Lornans, travelling from Cette, FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
to Oran
Oran
Oran is a major city on the northwestern Mediterranean coast of Algeria, and the second largest city of the country.It is the capital of the Oran Province . The city has a population of 759,645 , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 1,500,000, making it the second largest...
, Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
, with the purpose of enlisting in the 5th regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
of the Chausseurs D'Afrique.
On board the Argelès, the ship to Oran, they meet Clovis Dardentor, a wealthy industrialist, who is the central character of the novel. Jean and Marcel, whose desire to travel to Africa arises from their pursuit of financial independence, find out that Clovis —an unmarried man, with no family— has left no heirs to his fortune.
Yet Marcel, well-versed in the Law, knows that any person who were to save Clovis' life either from a fight, from drowning, or from a fire, would forcibly have to be adopted by Clovis. The cousins come to a plan: They will find a way to save Clovis' life, so that he will indeed be legally required to adopt them.
Ironically, it is Clovis who finally saves the cousins' lives: Marcel is saved from a fire, and Jean is saved from drowning.
Eventually, while Jean continues to look for the opportunity to save Clovis' life, Marcel falls in love with Louise Elissane, the prospective daughter-in-law of one of Clovis' acquaintainces, the unpleasant Desirandelle family. Louise becomes a key character in the novel, for it is she who saves Clovis Dardentor's life.
Fortunately for the cousins, in the end, Louise is adopted by Clovis, and marries Marcel.
Publication history
Clovis Dardentor was first published in France in 1896 and in 1897 the first British edition, fully illustrated, was published by Sampson Low, Marston, and Company. The book was not published in the U.S. until 2008 when the Choptank Press of St Michaels, Maryland re-published the Sampson Low version in a fully illustrated replica edition as a Lulu Press book.http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/docs/books/sherwood/Verne-COLLECTOR-1.htmFilm Adaptation
Three British film-makers are currently in the development stages of "Clovis Dardentor", a £2M adaptation of the book. The film's production is being funded by the general public through buyacredit.com and is expected to star Stephen FryStephen Fry
Stephen John Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter and film director, and a director of Norwich City Football Club. He first came to attention in the 1981 Cambridge Footlights Revue presentation "The Cellar Tapes", which also...
and Annette Badland
Annette Badland
Annette Badland is an English actress best known for her work in children's television.-Biography:Her training took place at East 15 Acting School, London...
Writer Lizzie Hopley
Lizzie Hopley
Lizzie Hopley is a British actor and writer.She appears in several audio plays based on the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who. Her first appearance was as the Eighth Doctor’s companion Gemma Griffin in Terror Firma. She also portrayed the sister of Davros in the I, Davros...
has written the screenplay for the movie.