Эссе Мелании Просянкиной, студентки 3 курса (группа 0452-05) направления 45.03.02 "Лингвистика", профиль «Перевод и межкультурная коммуникация» Факультета русской филологии и иностранных языков Института гуманитарных наук и языковых коммуникаций ФГБОУ ВО «Псковский государственный университет».

Nowadays many people take technologies for granted. It is easy to do so: we live in the world of science, where gadgets and artificial intelligence thrive, and any information possible is ready to be found within just a click. With an emerging of so-called «digital natives» the lack of curiosity appeared: why bother oneself with learning new things if everything you would ever need is in one`s hands? It wasn't always like this. The world used to be a mysterious place for the human kind. Many had tried to solve its secrets, and many did through constant questioning and wondering. So did the father of modern-days science fiction, the most translated French author, a prophet, as many refer to him, Jules Verne.

There is a legend that in 1839, at the age of 11, Verne secretly got a job as a cabin boy with the intention of going to India. In the evening, the ship stopped in Bombay, where Verne's father arrived to pick up his son and make him promise to travel "only in his imagination." Since those times, Jules had discovered that one does not have to be a scientist or a traveler to be a man of a brilliant mind: he decided to devote his life to the world of literature. His works are known due to his predictions and “inventions”. One of the most influential novels is “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas”.

The novel was released in 1869-1870, and it had an immediate success. It tells the story of three men who go to sea in search of a giant whale. They are captured by Captain Nemo abord a giant electric submarine – the Nautilus. The submarine had comfortable compartments with rooms of fine arts and, according to Captain Nemo's words, it had the shape of a cigar. Its length was 70 meters. As the main character, Professor Aronnax, learns more about the Nautilus, the marvels Captain Nemo has seen and he becomes less willing to escape from the submarine. He begins to idolize Captain Nemo and the life of pure exploration that he initially seems to be leading.

It needs reminding that in the second half of the XIX century no things of such power and vastness were known to people. Verne had a chance to examine such a wonder during the second world`s fair in Paris, where a submarine propelled by mechanical power was presented. However, it didn`t have the speed of Nautilus, which Verne had described as around 80 kilometers per hour. To compare, Plongeur, which had inspired the author, had the speed of maximum 9 kilometers. Of course, electricity was another uncommon mystery driving Verne to enhance the features of the submarine. In the book Captain Nemo describes electricity as "a powerful agent, obedient, rapid, easy, which conforms to every use, and reigns supreme on board my vessel.” Verne's influence extends beyond literature and film into the world of science and technology, where he inspired generations of scientists, inventors, and explorers. In 1954 the United States Navy launched the world's first nuclear-powered submarine, named for Nautilus.

To conclude, Jules Verne had created and forecasted much more, than a submarine, but till modern days the bottom of oceans are not fully understood by people. May the works of this prominent author encourage your inquisitiveness and inspire for later discoveries.