Godfrey Morgan

This article is about the adventure novel. For the philanthropist, see Godfrey Morgan, 1st Viscount Tredegar.

Godfrey Morgan: A Californian Mystery
Original illustration of Jules Verne's L'École des Robinsons
Author(s)	Jules Verne
Original title	L'École des Robinsons
Illustrator	Léon Benett
Country	France
Language	French
Series	The Extraordinary Voyages #22
Genre(s)	Adventure novel
Publisher	Pierre-Jules Hetzel
Publication date	1882
Published in English	1883
Media type	Print (Hardback)
ISBN	N/A
Preceded by	Eight Hundred Leagues on the Amazon
Followed by	The Green Ray

Godfrey Morgan: A Californian Mystery (French: L'École des Robinsons), also published as Godfrey Morgan, School for Robinsons, and School for Crusoes, is an adventure novel by French writer Jules Verne first published in 1882.^[1] It tells of a young adventurer, Godfrey Morgan, and his deportment instructor, Professor T. Artelett, who embark on a round-the-world ocean voyage. Their ship is wrecked and they are cast away on a remote island, where they rescue and befriend an African slave, Carefinotu.

The novel is a robinsonade—a play on Daniel Defoe's 1719 novel Robinson Crusoe.

Plot summary

Godfrey, an idle twenty-two-year-old, lives with his uncle, the wealthy Lord William W. Kolderup. Prior to marrying the young and pretty Phina, he asked to undertake a sea voyage of two years. Acceding to his desire, his uncle sends him around the world on board the Dream, commanded by Captain Turcott, with his mentor, teacher, and dance instructor, Professor T. Artelett aka "Tartlet". Unfortunately, the ship sinks a few miles from an island where Godfrey will have to learn to survive, to organize his life, face the savages, and overcome other obstacles—together with Tartlet, the only other survivor of the sinking Dream. Faced with this, the jaded young man discovers the value of effort and gains poise and courage.

Film adaptation

The novel was adapted for a 1981 USA/Spain co-production by director Juan Piquer Simón, titled Jules Verne's Mystery on Monster Island (Spanish: Misterio en Isla de los Monstruos), and starring Peter Cushing and Terrence Stamp, Ian Sera, and David Hatton in cameo, but significant, roles.^[2] Monsters were prominently included as an element in the film, but were absent from the novel. In 2007 the film was released on DVD as part of a double feature.^[3]

Connection to The Mysterious Island

Despite a similar sounding name to the English language title of the film, there is no connection to the better known Verne novel, The Mysterious Island. Despite this, some reviewers claim it to be, and then proceed to criticize the film's story for not following that book's plot.^[4][5]

Notes

1. ^ Nash, Andrew (2001-11-27). École des Robinsons (L') - 1882. Retrieved on 2009-08-13.
2. ^ Renzi, Thomas C. (1998). Jules Verne on film: a filmography of the cinematic adaptations of his works, 1902 through 1997 (illustrated ed.). McFarland. pp. 230. ISBN 0786404507.  pp 167–169.
3. ^ FoxStore.com Gorilla at Large / Mystery at [sic] Monster Island Double Feature. Retrieved on 2009-08-13.
4. ^ Moria.co.nz "Monster Island is ostensibly based on Jules Verne’s Mysterious Island (1875), although it gives the impression that none of the filmmakers have actually read the Verne story." Retrieved on 2009-06-12.
5. ^ Answers.com "Spanish director Juan Piquer Simon returned to the author with this substandard retelling of Mysterious Island." Retrieved on 2009-06-12.

External links

• Godfrey Morgan at Project Gutenberg (English)
• École des Robinsons (L') - 1882, summary and cover images
• Jules Verne's Mystery on Monster Island at the Internet Movie Database