Written in 1873, ‘The Fur Country’ is part of a series of fifty-four novels under the title
Voyages Extraodinaires written by the French novelist, poet and playwright, Jules Verne, best known for his adventure stories. Verne’s aim was to portray, describe and document all the contemporary scientific knowledge that was available at the time and present it in an entertaining and comprehensive manner so that the common man could appreciate it.
The Hudson’s Bay Company is one of the earliest corporations in the world and the oldest commercial organisation in North America. It began as a fur trading company in 1670 and today owns a variety of retail corporations selling a diverse range of goods.
In ‘The Fur Country’, the plot describes how a team of Hudson’s Bay Company members travel through the Northwest Territory of Canada with the aim of establishing a mission on the Arctic Circle. The members are a mixed bunch. One of the ladies, Paulina Barnett, seeks adventure, while a meteorologist Thomas Black hopes to view a spectacular solar eclipse scheduled to occur during their travel. Set in 1859, the story’s protagonist, Lt. Jasper Hobson is enchanted by the rich flora and fauna he and his group encounter here. However, things take a sudden and unexpected turn. Volcanic activity triggers off an earthquake, which results in a bizarre occurrence. The natural laws of physics seem altered, as their geographical position seems to have changed by several degrees. The party soon realises to its horror that they are marooned on an iceberg…
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