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A review by lectrixnoctis
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Jules Gabriel Verne was born in Nantes, France, as the eldest of five children on February 8, 1828. Despite always having a particular interest in literature, he followed his father's footsteps and went to study law in Paris. However, he became involved in an artistic circle and began to write. Up until his death on March 24, 1905, Jules Verne has written over 60 books.
"Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the sea," tells the story of a French marine biologist Pierre Aronnax, his manservant Conseil and Canadian harpooner Ned Land. They are thrown overboard when the monster attacks after joining the hunt for a mysterious sea monster. They find themselves as prisoners of Captain Nemo on the board of the Nautilus, a technologically advanced submarine that was mistaken as the sea monster due to its whale shape. The three companions find themself on the adventure of their lifetime and get to experience the vast and endless beautiful world under the sea.
We follow the point of view of Dr Aronnax, which is highly modelled after Verne himself. Not only do these two share their interest in science. In the first French edition of the novel, Arnnoax illustration was based on Verne himself. The story is parted into two parts. The first one has 24 chapters, and the second part contains 23 chapters. The first-person narrators mostly misread the situation and are therefore unreliable. However, the accurate descriptions of, for example, the sea or the Nautilus are very detailed and lengthy.
One thing that caught my interested the most was Captain Nemo. Like his name, he remains an utter mystery, and we never get to know him and his motives of hatred. The only notable things the reader learns about Nemo is his adoration for the sea and his submarine, which is a prison and also a safe haven for all its passengers. Furthermore, Nemo is a well-read man who enjoys literature, history and even music, and he is stuck in the past despite the technology around him.
Although Verne never got to see the first submarine, he did a beautiful job describing the Nautilus and what humankind could create. Moreover, Verne touches on how humans impact the world environment by mentioning sunken ships and their treasures.
Like many classics, this book does not have any representation of any other than white men. This book has only had four main characters, and all of these are men. When the Nautilus spend some time on the shore of an island, they were attacked by native people called "Savages" in this context. The natives were described as wild and inhuman.
This novel of Jules Verne is one of his most successful works. It is packed with adventure, political commentary mentioning the European Revolution in 1848, and a scientific utopia. Due to its adventurous nature, this book captured me despite its academically and sometimes dry writing style. However, I do not think that this book is for everybody. If you get bored by reading hundreds of temperatures and navigation data, this book will not be enjoyable.
"Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the sea," tells the story of a French marine biologist Pierre Aronnax, his manservant Conseil and Canadian harpooner Ned Land. They are thrown overboard when the monster attacks after joining the hunt for a mysterious sea monster. They find themselves as prisoners of Captain Nemo on the board of the Nautilus, a technologically advanced submarine that was mistaken as the sea monster due to its whale shape. The three companions find themself on the adventure of their lifetime and get to experience the vast and endless beautiful world under the sea.
We follow the point of view of Dr Aronnax, which is highly modelled after Verne himself. Not only do these two share their interest in science. In the first French edition of the novel, Arnnoax illustration was based on Verne himself. The story is parted into two parts. The first one has 24 chapters, and the second part contains 23 chapters. The first-person narrators mostly misread the situation and are therefore unreliable. However, the accurate descriptions of, for example, the sea or the Nautilus are very detailed and lengthy.
One thing that caught my interested the most was Captain Nemo. Like his name, he remains an utter mystery, and we never get to know him and his motives of hatred. The only notable things the reader learns about Nemo is his adoration for the sea and his submarine, which is a prison and also a safe haven for all its passengers. Furthermore, Nemo is a well-read man who enjoys literature, history and even music, and he is stuck in the past despite the technology around him.
Although Verne never got to see the first submarine, he did a beautiful job describing the Nautilus and what humankind could create. Moreover, Verne touches on how humans impact the world environment by mentioning sunken ships and their treasures.
Like many classics, this book does not have any representation of any other than white men. This book has only had four main characters, and all of these are men. When the Nautilus spend some time on the shore of an island, they were attacked by native people called "Savages" in this context. The natives were described as wild and inhuman.
This novel of Jules Verne is one of his most successful works. It is packed with adventure, political commentary mentioning the European Revolution in 1848, and a scientific utopia. Due to its adventurous nature, this book captured me despite its academically and sometimes dry writing style. However, I do not think that this book is for everybody. If you get bored by reading hundreds of temperatures and navigation data, this book will not be enjoyable.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Racism
Minor: Blood
Classism