cultural-pessimism

The chapter 'Poverty' is not a traditional narrative chapter but part of an introduction and contextual analysis of Jules Verne's 'Paris in the Twentieth Century.' It explores Verne's pessimistic vision of the future, contrasting it with Victor Hugo's optimism, and highlights the social, technological, and cultural transformations anticipated by Verne, including the rise of materialism, decline of poetry and literature, and the mechanization of society. The text situates Verne's protagonist Michel Dufrénoy as a symbol of artistic anachronism and critiques the educational and social systems that prioritize industrial and scientific progress over humanistic values.