The Survivors of the Chancellor

What It's About

Told as the diary of J. R. Kazallon, an Englishman returning home from Charleston, South Carolina, this is the story of the ill-fated ship Chancellor. What begins as an ordinary Atlantic crossing turns to disaster when a fire breaks out deep in the cargo hold. As the passengers and crew fight to keep the flames at bay, tensions rise between the increasingly erratic captain and his first mate, and old certainties about class, civility, and command start to break down. When the ship can no longer be saved, the survivors are forced onto a raft, at the mercy of the ocean, dwindling supplies, and each other.

Key Concepts

The novel is Verne's only tale devoted entirely to a maritime disaster, and it strips his usual scientific optimism down to a bleaker study of human nature under extreme pressure. As hunger, thirst and exposure take their toll, the story examines how quickly the trappings of civilised behaviour can fall away, and the moral compromises people are driven to when survival is at stake. It has been suggested that Verne drew inspiration for the raft scenes from Géricault's famous painting The Raft of the Medusa, itself based on a real shipwreck.

About the Author

Jules Verne (1828–1905) was a French novelist widely regarded as one of the founding figures of science fiction, known for combining adventure storytelling with an interest in geography, technology and the natural sciences.

About This Edition

This is an 1875 translation by Ellen Frewer.