Description:Jules Verne's reputation undergoes a much-needed rehabilitation in the hands of Timothy Unwin, who reexamines the author's work, from his earliest writings to his later and only recently discovered manuscripts. Verne was, Unwin argues, a master of the self-conscious novel, his work a pastiche of science discourse, fictional and non-fictional writings, and flamboyant, theatrical narrative. Unwin makes a compelling case for Verne as a master of the nineteenth-century experimental novel, in the company of Gustave Flaubert and other canonical French writers. The text will be a wonderful addition to the shelves of those interested in science fiction, experimental writing, and critical theory.