Summary:
The classic novel by Jules Verne follows Mr. Phileas Fogg of London, a man who is known by all as the most punctual and mechanical man anyone could meet, as he breaks his comfortable mold to satisfy a bet. Fogg is the type of man who rises every day at the exact same time, follows the exact same schedule, and lays his head down in the same fashion day in and day out, only to do it all again tomorrow. His only job is to be so punctual, one could set a watch by him. But on October 2nd, just before seven in the evening, Mr. Fogg lays down a plan of how a traveler could manage a trip around the world in just eighty days. His friends mock the idea, and Fogg takes it on himself to make a wager with each one of them. He will be the man to travel the world in those eighty days, and he will find them again on December 21st at 8:45pm. The novel follows Fogg's adventures and misadventures as he circumvents the world with his trusty servant, Passepartout.
Thoughts:
Wholly enjoyable, even today. Yes, it's been one hundred and thirty-eight years since the publishing of this novel, which celebrated its anniversary just three weeks ago. But while transportation has taken great leaps forward, the idea still stands. In 1872, when Phileas Fogg takes on this laborious journey, he has steamers and trains at his disposal, and little else. The airplane hasn't been invented yet, let alone commercial air flight like we see today. (The first successful powered flight at all, which happened in a glider, came along two years after Fogg's journey, and a year after the book was released. The Wrights didn't show up until the turn of the century.) The closest to that was a hot air balloon, which is hardly a way to sail around the world. And even if all of the transportation issues can be disposed of now, it's still a fun way to see the world, through the eyes of a man from the nineteenth century, with 19th century problems, like having to ride an elephant part of the way, having to save a young woman from certain death, and recovering his servant who got himself kidnapped by Sioux natives in Nebraska. We can tell that Mr. Verne was interested in the delicate intricacies of time and travel and the ways of the world at that time.
This novel is a wonderful way to expand one's mind, and take a trip back in time to the days when we didn't even know the word "airplane," let alone how useful they would turn out to be. If you're interested in expanding your literary knowledge, and getting a little culture in you, read a little Jules Verne. It's not a classic for nothing, after all!
Book 6 of 50
Pages: 245
Genre: General fiction, classics, historical fiction
Grade: A
Would I Recommend?: Absolutely. Jules Verne spins a yarn like no one in this century.
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