For which reasons read today, and take pleasure to read, this anecdotal story, Charcot himself tell us maliciously in the preamble that he no pretension literary? One hundred year after his edition , and seventy years after the death of his famous authors, The
french to South pole of Jean Bastiste Charcot could to be the one of our great book in adventure. The “ Dairy of antarcita french
expedition, 1903-1905” offer a concentrated of one rare density of the scientifical state of the epoch end of century, and one of most amazing and the most romantic story of travel to symbolist era. This book is building in three parts. The “Dairy”, pure masterpiece literary. He is presented of one solid Introduction which give all the historical elements to context of expedition, then the long description. When Charcot, in the preamble, declare that the expedition is essentialy scientific, it signifate that there are otherelse behind this text, and that the essential is definitively elsewhere. Cartography the
unknown is the objective of french : the science is eaten of mystery, like in the roman of Jules Verne. But, here, the author live his travel in the lanscpape of reality. He go to the real
source of the unknown. This source, it’s the white continent, the land unknown of Autrialia as speak Buffon, this part of land is equal to sixth to unkown continent as the Nemo Captain become master a March 21 1868.Charcot undertake the first french expedition in the antartic seas, refinding in that a spirit of discover let to abandon since the austral expidition of Dumont d’Urville in 1838-1840. It’s the first wintering in the austral ices, five years only after the belge Gerlache of Gomery, author of first wintering never realised. The story of travel narrate as much a expidition “essentialy scientific” that a interior and metaphisical adventure. Jean Bastiste is born the 15th Jully 1867 to Neuilly-sur-Seine. His
father, Jean-Martin Charcot, the famous psychiatrist, is professor to the Salpétrière “Psychiatric hospital. The youth of Jean Bastiste is pleasant, between the brightly high society who enter in the familial properties and the sportive live intensy of one young gentleman – oar, rudby, yachting. Obstinate child, he’ll hope to be sailor and discover the world, to his manner. His father hope that his son become doctor ; Charcot will be medecin. But when his father died in 1893, Charcot inherate of one hugely fortune, his dreams can to be realised. The 16 September 1936, Charcot on board of ship named “Why not” will meet his destiny to North Weast of the Island.