About this episode

Ana Oancea discusses her book on the inventor novel in fin-de-siècle France and its implications on science, identity, and culture.

Dangerous Creations: The Inventor Novel in Fin-de-siècle France (U Toronto Press, 2025) presents a master narrative of the inventor in fin-de-siècle French literature by analyzing the works of Jules Verne, Albert Robida, Émile Zola, and Villiers de l’Isle-Adam. Their writings challenge the role of science in shaping French national identity and aim to transform contemporary understandings of science and technology. The book reveals how Verne, Robida, Zola, and de l’Isle-Adam reimagine the figure of the inventor, reshaping the literary standards of their time. Universally male in these narratives, the inventor serves as a flawed exemplar of national heroism during the Age of Empire – a period marked by significant external threats and internal strife – while also embodying unrestrained creativity. Ultimately, the inventor novel reflects broader French anxieties surrounding scientific progress, empire, and gender. Ana Oancea explores the transmedia and transnational legacy of the fin-de-siècle inventor novel through vignettes that highlight similarly themed narratives in contemporary popular culture. These sections engage with films, television series, graphic narratives, and video…

People in this episode

Guest: Ana Oancea

Topics covered

• inventor novel
• fin-de-siècle literature
• French national identity
• science and technology
• gender politics
• colonial aspirations

Keywords

• inventor
• French literature
• Jules Verne
• science
• national identity
• gender
• colonialism
• transmedia
• popular culture

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Delaware, U Toronto Press

Books & works: Dangerous Creations: The Inventor Novel in Fin-de-siècle France

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