Tintin Forums

As I was listening to the radio play of Prisoners of the Sun, I was struck by a thought (it happens some times)!

I subscribe firmly to the opinion, unlike those who protest that Tintin is "not much of a reporter because he is rarely seen to report", that the books are in fact the result of his on-going journalism.

We know that these "reports" are available in the Tintiniverse (that version of reality in which the adventures occur), because the books crop up in the stories themselves.

However, at the end of Prisoners, Tintin swears to the Inca that he will never reveal the location of the Temple...!

Yet if he published the report, in the Tintiniverse, is that not tantamount to breaking his promise?

While he may not specify the exact location, given that the eclipse is taking place, and that geographical features such as the terrain, the waterfall the river etc. are shown, together with data in the flora and fauna, and the approximate duration of the journey - isn't he getting a little close to blowing the gaffe?

All these details would allow an observant student to retrace Tintin's steps, surely? Unless of course the details shown in the book have been deliberately altered by Tintin, to mislead those unwise enough to try and emulate his journey?

So - did Tintin break his promise to the Inca, or did the book never get published in the Tintiniverse?
Is it shown anywhere else in the series? Did he perhaps mislead us, and misreport something?

These questions need to be asked!!

It's a very difficult trek to the temple, lots of obstacles against our heros - and the only way that we're witness to of arriving at the temple is to dive through a waterfall - not the safest of activites. And Tintin's very loose with details relating to the time or duration of the journey - "a little later", "days go by", "one morning" - seems like he doesn't want us to know how long it takes !

It's also interesting to note that the Temple is never actually seen in the book, apart from a small part of the exterior when Tintin and Haddock are led out to the pyre - so even if we were to come across the temple, we might not know it was anything more than an old ruin ...

I don't recall any reference to the Incan adventure in later books, which corresponds with your idea that the book wasn't published in the Tintiniverse. Very intriguing ...

jock123
We know that these "reports" are available in the Tintiniverse (that version of reality in which the adventures occur), because the books crop up in the stories themselves.

Admitting Tintin is a real reporter throughout the Tintinverse makes him even odder, for it means his is capable of ...duplicating (!) himself permanently via a supposed invisible (!) clone of himself taking pictures of him, on top of it with an invisible camera...


So - did Tintin break his promise to the Inca, or did the book never get published in the Tintiniverse? Is it shown anywhere else in the series? Did he perhaps mis-lead us, and misreport something? These questions need to be asked!!

In 2003 a book named 'Mais ou est donc le temple du soleil?'
( http://www.objectiftintin.com/whatsnew_Tintin_460.lasso )
written by scientists explained that according to the date and time of the solar eclipse, the Temple is actually set somewhere in ...Amazonia, indicating that this building's location is 'multiple', just like the site of the Unicorn's wreck, that Calculus even thought to be "more to the west"...
Which one is the most 'avatar-like'?

Admitting Tintin is a real reporter throughout the Tintinverse makes him even odder, for it means his is capable of ...duplicating (!) himself permanently via a supposed invisible (!) clone of himself taking pictures of him, on top of it with an invisible camera...

Does he not just draw himself, like a pictorial autobiography ?

Richard
Does he not just draw himself, like a pictorial autobiography ?

Anyhow, this is a matter of reflection...

This is an interesting idea, since if we assume that Tintin is a real reporter, then the question is raised as to whether his adventures are supposed to be considered as drawings or photographs. If they're photographs, then that means he either a) has a photographer accompany him on his adventures or b) re-enacts the adventures, like in a film studio.

Conversely, if they're drawings, then he's a very talented artist, who could produce a series of books that could sell millions and have a loyal worldwide fanbase ...

Very interesting point there Jock, to be fair he doesn't reveal the exact location but a total eclipse does indeed have a fairly thin line of totality of about 100 miles. Knowing the exact time, etc. It wouldn't be difficult to work out the position.

However there also the 7 explorers who would also know the position of the temple. For all we know Tintin may have falsified his reports, etc to fool would be explorers.

However the further point of whether Tintin draws himself I thought it obvious that Herge is the one that draws Tintin's adventures based on the reports that Tintin sends back to the editor (who in the beginning of Petit V was Herge) on a weekly basis.

Rik

Ah, so Hergé draws the adventures based on Tintin's lengthy correspondence - which, as we witnessed in Soviets is excessively long - and that explains the length of them ; Tintin describes in minute detail what happens to him, so that Hergé can produce the most accurate portrayal of his exploits.

Richard

Be they pictures taken by an invisible twin photographer during action or during its re-play, there is duplication...
Be they drawings of our real world, the least one can say is the drawer often strangely distorted it, implying duplicity...
Aren't both duplication and duplicity quite proper to intrigue worldwide readers?
Quite a wide matter of reflection, indeed...

jockosjungle

...to be fair he doesn't reveal the exact location but a total eclipse does indeed have a fairly thin line of totality of about 100 miles. Knowing the exact time, etc. It wouldn't be difficult to work out the position

Which is somewhere in Amazonia.I'll check it for you in the above-mentioned book.

[Combined two consecutive posts - jock123]

yamilah
Be they pictures taken by an invisible twin photographer during action or during its re-play, there is duplication...

Notwithstanding the fact that the first frame on the first page of Soviets guarantees that all the images are genuine photographs taken by Tintin and Snowy, the process of setting up a camera to take pictures automatically, from which the Tintiniverse Hergé draws the books, would be easy, and remove the need for doppelganger/ duplicate/ invisible twin/ clone shennanigans. It would also explain why we rarely see a camera - it is always out of shot...!
This is a method employed by Peter Parker to take photos of Spider-Man in his capacity as a photographer, so it obviously works!

yamilah
Be they drawings of our real world, the least one can say is the drawer often strangely distorted it, implying duplicity...
I don't think that just because something is a picture implies distortion, duplicity, deceit, dissembling or anything else - sometimes a picture is just a picture...