In The Year 2889
Written by Jules Verne and Michel Verne
www.ink2quill.com

“In The Year 2889” was published, at least partially, in 1889 because it was probably started by Jules Verne and completed by his son Michel Verne. Just to give credit where credit is due Jules Verne along with the likes of Mary Shelley, H.G. Wells and a few others are the visionaries and parents of the sci-fi genre. However, Michel seems to give most if not all the credit to his father Jules. This is a masterpiece that is probably the first of its kind.

In The Year 2889 Goodreads webpage

“In The Year 2889” is a short story depicting life as Jules Verne imagined it in the year 2889 in all its marvel and wonder. This really is a story on how society has changed for the better with technological advancements spread out to all aspects and people of society. So many of the technological advances Jules Verne describes we have in one form or another today. The story focuses on a tycoon named Fritz Napoleon Smith, the descendant of the great George Washington Smith. Fritz is a very successful man who runs a newspaper called the Earth Chronicle that boasts an ever increasing number of subscriptions.

Technological advances have taken leaps and bounds from what the author had in his day and the people of year 2889 just take it all for granted. They have so many gadgets that make their lives comfortable and convenient. Keep in mind that in Jules Verne’s time they did not have computers, internet, tablets, smart phones, cars, planes etc. The Industrial Revolution started around the 1850s with inventions like the steam engine, machine use in factory production for business and electricity. The world of 2889 is a steampunk marvel with skyscrapers, highways with heavy traffic, subways, all types of power like solar, hydro and wind. Also there is widespread use of weather modification technology to keep people comfortable and a type of internet called telephony/ phonograph which people use to get the news the way we go online today. And the author also describes subscription services for people like what we have today. How visionary is that? Jules Verne really was a visionary.

Many of the technological advances in the year 2889 have been eclipsed by today’s standards but if you consider the beauty of this steampunk world it is great imagination and story building. This seems like a fun place to spend some time in, especially if you are a fan of the steampunk genre. Using the telephony instead of the internet would be a nice change for someone visiting that time and to be in a place that still holds journalism in high esteem would be wonderful. I feel we’ve lost something very valuable to our quality of life and culture with the death of journalism. The way the tycoon Fritz Napoleon Smith managed his empire on a daily basis reminded of the days of paper and films like “Citizen Kane” (Arguably the greatest film Hollywood ever made) when leaders of industry were more present and did not hide behind technology. This short story has such great worldbuilding.

Another interesting thing in the story is the use of large numbers. Back in the 1800s the numbers the authors uses would have been mind boggling. He describes modern towns to have “10,000,000 souls” which is beyond all fathoming for the people of the 1800s but very much a reality for us today. He also describes highways 300 feet (100 meters) wide and buildings 1000 feet tall (100 story buildings) which is what we have today. He does also mention tube systems, which are subways or trains, that travel 1000 miles/ hour. We don’t have that yet but it is a goal we might soon achieve. The point is that although most of these numbers and achievements seemed impossible to the person of yesterday we have achieved them today. In short, we dreamed it and then made it a reality and that is a wonderful thought for the entire human race. That is why visionaries in society are so important, beyond the entertainment realm.

It is a shame though that the person of year 2889 takes what they have for granted, that they are so entitled. I always feel a valuable part of us is lost in the people who take too much for granted. We must be grateful for what we have.

This really is a wonderful story that is a very fun read. I also think that it would translate well onto the screen in maybe a miniseries or film because of the world building and universal themes. It is the picture of a successful person in this future age as well as a vision of where the people from the time of the Industrial Revolution would be headed toward, give or take some technologies.

Now let me state the elephant in the room. The year of 2889 is a time of advancing technologies and unparalleled comfort for the individual but it is also a time pre-AI. Yes. This is still a time before AI has taken control over most of society. That is to say, people still run and control the wonderful technology they have. There is no struggle between the people of society and the AI algorithms. So in that respect this is a kind of golden age when people are the most free they will ever be. The people of this year 2889 have it way better than they could ever imagine.

Read this story. It’s so worth it.

John Ink2Quill

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