Robur: machinery, rivalry and captivity
Nineteenth-century Philadelphia, the Weldon Institute and the lands seen from the Albatross. The novel follows a dispute between supporters of balloons and the inventor of a heavier-than-air machine.
Signs before the machine
Strange sounds, lights and flags produce a succession of theories. Newspapers spread the mystery. At the institute, the position of a propeller becomes a matter of prestige. Robur’s arrival brings the scientific quarrel into contact with the events discussed in the press.
Compare two explanations from chapter I with Robur’s appearance in chapters III–IV. Record the evidence behind each theory and what the club scene allows you to verify.
The commander chooses the route
The three captives discover a machine whose commander controls every movement. The account of its propellers establishes technical capability; the passengers’ situation establishes confinement. Robur’s answers about their destination make his authority tangible.
Find a statement in which Robur treats the prisoners as guests. Compare it with an action controlling where they may go. Use both passages to describe his power aboard the craft.
The world below the deck
The Albatross carries its passengers across continents and oceans. Speed turns cities and populations into brief sights from above. In Dahomey, the craft’s firepower enters the action. Examine both the event and the narrator’s choice of words for the people involved.
Choose one description of a landscape and one description of people. Identify adjectives and comparisons, then explain how the distance from the deck shapes each description.
Escape and the final encounter
The stop on the island allows the captives to act. The narrative follows the severed cable, the explosion and the renewed dispute in Philadelphia. At the final encounter between the machines, Robur again determines the fate of his opponents while retaining his technical secret.
Compare Robur’s power during the abduction and the final rescue. Explain what changes in his actions and what remains under his control, citing a passage from each scene.