Ini: Ein Roman aus dem ein und zwanzigsten Jahrhundert

WORKING

Voss, Julius von. Ini: Ein Roman aus dem ein und zwanzigsten Jahrhundert (Ini: A Novel from the Twenty-first Century). Berlin: Karl Friedrich Amelang, 1810. Project Gutenberg.[1] Available as Google Book.[2] English translation by Dwight R. Decker. Northlake, IL: Vesper Press, 2021.

John J. Pierce notes that "Voss somehow overlooked the industrial revolution – there are no steamships or railways (which were already in development), nor any hint of electricity, as in Daniel Falk’s earlier satire Elektropolis (1802)" — and not very long after in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein: Or, The Modern Prometheus (3 vols., starting 1818); there is, though, "A telegraph system [...] throughout all of Europe," either optical[3] — semaphores are mentioned in the text — or with some electrical connection (Decker trans., First Book p. 15); but carrier pigeons seem more important (loc. cit. & passim). Chemistry is well developed (Second Book, p. 19, & passim).

Background: Benjamin Franklin's lightning experiment: 1752, Leyden jars: 1746, Alessandro Volta's description of the electric battery: 1800.[4] Experimental "electrochemical telegraph": 1804/1809;[5] Samuel Morse's "recording electric telegraph": 1837.  

So we have in Ini an interesting data point for what we might think "in the air" (as an old expression has it) but which did not interest an author trying to present a plausible future for his story.

Pierce notes that Voss did present such technological advances as

a telephone-like system, but without wires: voices can be transmitted over a system of pipes, with mechanical amplifiers at frequent intervals. Military dispatches can be shot in cannon balls by a series of cannons. Beyond such long-range communications, there are artificial eyeballs for the blind, and artificial ears for the deaf. There are music boxes that simulate human voices and even orchestras to bring concerts to every community […]." (Pierce p. 59)

Voss presents a generally positive future but an imperfect one, including warfare among competing empires "fought with weapons like airships that firebomb surface warships, naval artillery with incendiary shells, submarine troops that attack naval vessels with mines, and even poison gas and artificial plagues" (Pierce, pp. 59-60) — so see for the motif of future war.[6]

RDE, Initial Compiler, with thanks to J.J. Pierce, 14May20, 26May20, 12Sep21