French Tales of Mad Scientists 1

The mad scientist is a stereotypical, archetypal scientist who is often a cliché or commonplace in popular fiction. He can be absent-minded and harmless, or wicked and dangerous. French science fiction, in particular, features a remarkable number of novels and stories on this theme, enough to justify the three volumes that we intend to devote to this topic.

In this thematic collection we have gathered six remarkable stories by André Caroff, Georges Espitallier, Henri Falk, Arnould Galopin, Gustave Le Rouge and Jules Verne, published between 1874 and 1964, that encapsulate the basic archetypes of the mad scientist: he is obsessed with his research; he develops innovative technologies at the cutting edge of his eras knowledge, often out of sheer daring; he appears to be lacking in common sense; he likes to play God without realizing the consequences of his actions.

Each of the authors featured in this volume were privileged witnesses to prodigious scientific advances that were at the root of profound social transformations. The fears aroused by some of these, particularly in biology and chemistry, combined with the stubborn positivism of seeing science as the ultimate solution to all ills, crystallized into the figure of the mad scientist. The rich tradition of the French roman scientifique provides a striking illustration of the archetype inspired by the myths of Prometheus and Faust.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction by J.-M. & Randy Lofficier

Jules Verne: Dr. Oxs Experiment

Georges Espitallier: The Nickel Man

Arnould Galopin: The Man With the Blue Face

Gustave Le Rouge: The Sculptor of Human Flesh

Henri Falk: The Master Of The Three States

André Caroff: The Sinister Mme Atomos