
The plot follows Master Zacharius, an aging clockmaker in late Medieval Geneva who believes he has mastered time itself. But when his clocks mysteriously begin to fail, he spirals into obsession and despair. A sinister figure named Pittonaccio offers him a way to regain his power — at the cost of his daughter Gérande’s hand in marriage.
Verne wrote the story in 1854, before he was a famous author, and it was published in a magazine. In 1874, the story was included in a slightly edited version in his short story collection Doctor Ox. Superficially it is very unlike the science fiction and adventure stories that would later make Verne famous. However, some of the themes re-appear in his more famous novels. Zacharius is a technological genius who lets himself be corrupted by pride and can be seen as a forerunner of Captain Nemo.
The story was inspired by the Faust legend, by Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and especially by E. T. A. Hoffmann's The Sandman (1816). Verne was an admirer of Hoffmann. Just like The Sandman Master Zacharius is a forerunner of the Clock Punk genre.
In 1961 the story was adapted to a tv play, The Terrible Clockman, starring Shirley Temple. The same year, Alfred Hitchcock Presents featured an uncredited adaptation of the same story.
Tropes in "Master Zacharius":
- A God Am I: Zacharius believes that, by mastering time, he becomes like God.
- Body Horror: Pittonaccio is a monstrous, bony creature - half human, half clock.
- Deal with the Devil: Pittonaccio functions as a devil figure, tempting Zacharius with a pact - regain mastery over time if he will give up Gérande.
- Evil Counterpart: Pittonaccio is essentially Zacharius’s dark mirror, embodying what the clockmaker could become if he gives in completely.
- Either/Or Title: The full title is Master Zacharius, or the clockmaker who lost his soul. In the original French Maître Zacharius ou l'horloger qui avait perdu son âme, tradition genevoise.
- Haunted Castle: The setting of the story's climax is the castle of Andermatt. Rumor has it the devil lives there.
- Homage: To E. T. A. Hoffmann's The Sandman (1816).
- Hope Spot: Zacharius seems to recant his ways when he agrees to go to mass. However, he keeps standing obstinately during all of it and at the end the clock in the clocktower, one of his most famous works, breaks down.
- Mad Scientist: Zacharius is less “mad scientist” in the modern sci-fi sense than a craftsman consumed by hubris. His belief that he has conquered time by perfecting the clock mechanism pushes him toward delusion.
- Pride Before a Fall: The entire story is a cautionary tale about hubris. Zacharius considers himself equal to God because he can control time. This arrogance brings about his downfall.
- Soul Jar: Zacharius's soul resides in the clocks he made. When they all stop working, his life force ebbs away.
- The Watchmaker: Zacharius is the best of his generation. It's believed he made a deal with the devil because of the quality of his watches alone. Needless to say, he's Swiss.
