Analysis of Jules Verne’s Work from a Public Legal Point of View – With a focus on his novel set in Transylvania

Abstract

In this brief paper, Jules Verne’s work is examined from a perspective of public law, revealing that in his writings – through which he raised fundamental human rights issues – theory of the state and criminal law played a decisive role. Thus, his vision of an ideal world actually balances on the border between reality and imagination, and through his writings he also fought against colonization and slavery. This theme is explored in four of his works with Hungarian connections, including ‘Mátyás Sándor’; but toward the end of his life, his faith in the ideal of building an earthly paradise was somewhat shaken, and his writing style shifted toward crime fiction, as seen in works such as ‘The Castle in the Carpathians’. Nevertheless, the central message of his work still reached its intended audience, for through the popularization of the natural sciences, he effectively proclaimed the construction of a world of goodness to his vast readership. The true secret to his success lay not only in his respect for his (Celtic) ancestors and heritage, and his balanced family life, but also in his ability to blend his religious faith with his interest in the natural sciences throughout his life. This led him to write many outstanding works that present a vision of an ideal society to be realized in the near future. Thus, we can essentially say that through his works,  he laid the foundation for the ideal world, the creation of which is also the primary goal of the science of political theory.