The Count of Chanteleine was published in 1864 in sixteen installments in the periodical of varied topics, Musée des familles. When Jules Verne tried to publish it as a single volume in 1879, he was unable to do so due to disagreements with his editor, a staunch republican, during the Third Republic, which was characterized by a strong anticlerical stance. Thus, the novel remained hidden—better said, self-censored by the editors—for 107 years and finally saw the light of day in 1971.
Verne does not seek to surprise the reader, nor does he present new contraptions; he simply wants to recount historical events, such as the cruel persecution—the genocide—that the Catholics of the Vendée suffered during the years of the “Reign of Terror” of the French Revolution. It is a historical novel: the events and names are real, but it focuses on fictional characters to show that the good were truly good and the bad truly bad. These characters act decisively and do not get lost in disquisitions; they do what they consider necessary to defend the Catholic tradition.
Curiously, a Jules Verne who, at the end of his life, defended anarchist socialism, considered the Catholic faith fundamental for maintaining the cohesion of society and the proper conduct of its citizens.