Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne

Source of book: I own this, but borrowed an audiobook from the library for our trip.

This is the second audiobook by Jules Verne we have listened to together. Previous Verne books reviewed are:

Around the World in 80 Days (audiobook)

The Mysterious Island

It has been quite a few years since I first read this book. It must have been in my teens, probably late teens, as I purchased my copy of the book some time after I got my own room at age 16. It is kind of weird to re-read a book after that long of a gap, because one may well remember the outline of the plot, but forget some details that were not as memorable then as they are now.

The plot of the book is pretty straightforward. The eccentric and impetuous professor Lidenbrock drags his reluctant and timorous nephew Axel to Iceland to seek a passage to the center of the earth, based on a cryptic (and encrypted) note he discovers in an old book. This note purports to be from a fictional Icelandic alchemist, who claims he had been to the center of the earth - and gave directions to the path.

When they arrive in Iceland, Lidenbrock procures the services of Hans, a reticent and stoic hunter, to guide them to the entrance. Hans is convinced to accompany them further. Provided he gets paid at the end of each week.

After they enter the crater, they must find their way down the path, encountering various obstacles and dangers. Eventually, they reach a vast underground sea, which they sail across on an improvised raft, before a catastrophe results in their being returned to the surface thousands of miles from their starting point.

This book was written in 1868, a time in which a great many discoveries were being made. Verne is commonly considered to have established the genre of Science Fiction - although credit for the first Science Fiction novel really should go to Mary Shelley, for Frankenstein. A mere five years prior to Journey to the Center of the Earth, the geologist Charles Lyell had published his second revolutionary work, Geological Evidences of the Antiquity of Man. This built on his work, Principles of Geology, which had established that the earth was very old indeed, and not a mere 6000 years old. The later book brought together three ideas that had revolutionized the study of science in the preceding decades. First was the discovery of past ice ages (hat tip to Louis Agassiz), Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection, and questions about how long mankind had existed. Lyell had previously been skeptical of both ice ages and an ancient origin of humans, but in the second book reversed his opinion, based on the wealth of scientific evidence that had accumulated in the decades since.

Both of Lyell’s books appear to have strongly influenced Journey to the Center of the Earth. On the one hand, Verne disputes the idea that the center of the earth is hot and molten. (This idea has proven to be true, making Verne wrong, in a surprisingly rare misstep.) On the other, the journey is just as much through time as it is through inner space. Early on, the travelers traverse rock layers filled with fossils, placed roughly in the order of the geological column. Later on, they encounter extinct flora and fauna by the underground sea. A modern scientist might wonder how these creatures largely escaped the forces of evolution, but we’ll cut Verne some slack here. After all, he was writing not too long after The Origin of the Species and a few years before The Descent of Man. This was all fairly new, and Verne explores the ideas with a sense of wonder, rather than a true devotion to accuracy.

In that sense, that is Verne’s best skill: asking “what if?” and following the ideas that came to him through the course of an adventure.

The general consensus (which I believe is correct) is that Verne’s best works are 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Around the World in 80 Days. Both of these books have the most coherent plots, and the most memorable characters. My wife prefers the latter, and there are solid reasons for loving that book. As one significant factor, it is the rare Verne novel that has a female character who is more than a passing reference. On the other hand, it is the most “realistic” book, one which indulges little if at all in an imagination of the future.

Journey to the Center of the Earth, on the other hand, is full of classic Verne speculations on science, particularly electricity and geology.

Where the book loses momentum, though, is at the end. It seems as if Verne got tired of writing the book, couldn’t figure out how to end it, so he rather suddenly engages a deux ex machina of the natural sort to complete things. The reader may be forgiven for feeling left suddenly at the end without a sufficient explanation.

The other disappointing things I noticed from this reading were Verne’s casual sexism (which isn’t always as noticeable due to the lack of females), and the whininess of Axel, who narrates the book. Verne generally chooses his narrator to be a foil to the true protagonist, usually the bold scientist. In some cases, such as Passepartout, this person is a memorable character in his own right. Axel is a bit disappointing in that he is memorable mostly for worrying and complaining, rather than for more pleasant traits.

I should also mention that a common issue with Verne novels is the poor quality of early translations in many cases. Since these are in public domain, and already well known, they have tended to endure, despite the slipshod work. One can only hope that more of these books will be given a truly excellent translation which is more faithful to the original.

In any case, despite these faults, Journey to the Center of the Earth is one of Verne’s most memorable books, full of adventure and imagination.

Note on real life places and people:

The book in which the note is found is a real work by Snorri Sturluson - a real life Icelandic historian and poet. He is one of the sources we have for the Norse civilizations of the past, as he wrote down many of the legends for future generations. He was also notable for idea that the “gods” were originally real people, who became mythical later as time passed. At the time (the 1600s), this was a bit revolutionary in his own culture, and he got a bit of grief from the political sorts for it. Some things never change.

The volcano which the explorers enter is also a real place. I couldn’t determine whether Verne actually visited it, but he must have at least had a detailed description to rely on, because the portions of the book set in Iceland fit well with the actual facts of the places described. In any event, the Snæfellsjökull is really quite lovely, as this picture attests.

Snæfellsjökull

Photo by Axel Kristinsson  (used under the Creative Commons license)

Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne

Source of book: We listened to this on audiobook - but I also own a hardback.

As my kids have gotten older, we have taken to listening to audiobooks on our longer vacation drives. I haven’t written about most of them, but I did mention Thank You, Jeeves, which we listened to about a year ago.

(For the record, my kids are particularly fond of everything Beverly Cleary. We have also listened to the delightfully subversive Matilda by Roald Dahl, and a couple of the Mrs. Pigglewiggle books.)

This time, my wife selected Jules Verne for the long book for the drive. I discovered Verne early in life, and had read this and most of his easily available books before the end of high school. I discussed the one I missed until later, The Mysterious Island, here.

This particular book may well be Verne’s most popular, although 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is still widely known, if not necessarily read. Most people, if they were honest, would probably admit that they saw the Disney movie, and left it at that.

Which is really too bad. Part of the fun of Jules Verne is reading how he tries to describe technology using 19th Century language. Particularly since he is describing stuff that hasn’t been invented - but turns out to be very close to how he describes it.

In some ways, Around the World in 80 Days is less of a Science Fiction novel than a straight up adventure. There was nothing futuristic about steam ships or railroads when he wrote it. There were several recent developments which made the idea possible, not the least of which was the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in the United States. On the other hand, Verne explores another intriguing idea, even if it is merely implicit. Phileas Fogg is a representative of a recurring type in Verne’s novels: the man of science, completely objective, and devoid of the bias of emotion. (At least on the surface.) Perhaps he might be looked on as a proto-Spock.

Since the plot is reasonably well known, I won’t summarize it. If you aren’t familiar with it, please don’t go rent a movie version. Find the book! It is a rip roaring yarn, full of twists and turns, and full of imagination.

A few things particularly struck me this time through.

First, by coincidence, we came to the part where the adventurers are riding the Transcontinental Railroad over the Sierra Nevada mountains of California just as we were making the descent from Truckee to Reno. We could see the actual tracks they would have traveled from our car. Pretty cool. Although Verne only visited the United States once, and never traveled west of Niagara Falls, he accurately described the route. (It is also interesting that the United States is a common setting of many of his books.) 

 The Railroad near the California and Nevada state line, by the Truckee River.

Second, Verne’s stereotypes of the English and the Americans are pretty funny. Verne, of course, was French, like Fogg’s servant, Passepartout, from whose point of view the story is essentially told. There are several Englishmen in the story. Fogg, of course, who represents the punctual, exact, emotionless idea of the stoic Englishman. Fix, the dogged British detective. The Colonel stationed in India. These are well known stereotypes, of course.

The American ones are more outlandish, from the description of the election brawl to the hothead that is determined to duel Fogg, to the painful (if common for the time) portrayal of Native Americans as stupid savages.

The final one I must admit truly surprised me. When I last read this, I was pretty young, and wasn’t equipped to notice when authors defied the taboos of their time.

Verne almost completely avoided writing female characters. Most of his books are completely devoid of them. However, in this one book, he creates one, and she is more memorable than I recalled.

For those who haven’t read the book, Fogg and Passepartout, with the help of their military acquaintance, rescue a beautiful young Indian woman as she is about to be burned to death in her husband’s funeral pyre. So far, so good. A damsel in distress, rescued by strong and noble men.

It is later in the story that things get more interesting. Aouda may be a beautiful and “exotic” woman, but she is no shrinking violet. During the rough weather at sea, it is she, and not the violently ill Fix who remains on deck. She is soon calculating schedules and assisting in keeping things moving alongside Passepartout. Considering when this was written, this was already pushing the boundary a bit.

An illustration from the novel "Around the World in Eighty Days" by Jules Verne painted by Alphonse de Neuville and/or Léon Benett 1872

It is after that Verne goes beyond the standard Victorian plot. A couple of decades after Around the World In 80 Days was written, the English novelist, H. Rider Haggard (the inspiration in large part for the Indiana Jones books) also wrote of “exotic” and powerful women. The demi-goddess-like Ayesha is one, but Foulata (from King Solomon’s Mines) more closely resembles Aouda. Haggard, though he writes of these possible interracial romances, he chickens out at the last, and kills off the women before crossing that line.

Verne has no such hangups. [Spoiler alert] Not only do Fogg and Aouda get married, she proposes to him! Such French scandalousness, I suppose. The timing is interesting too. She proposes when both of them believe he has lost his bet and therefore his fortune. When it is discovered that he has actually won, and therefore isn’t penniless, she offers to release him from his promise. Rather than think (as most in that time would) that he would be lowering himself by marrying her, he remains smitten (as does she), and by all accounts it is a happy match.

I highly recommend Verne’s novels. This one is a good place to start, but I do encourage that one read the others as well.

Despite the fact that the book started a little slowly, my kids really got into the story. The back seats were, shall we say, very quiet, for hours during the trip. My eldest daughter said she was surprised that they got married in the end. All of them found Passepartout’s endearing foibles to be amusing. So read Verne to your kids as well.

The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne

Date originally posted on Facebook: January 28, 2011

Source of book: I own this.

I am slowly republishing my early Facebook reviews on my blog. Here is one from early 2011. 

 

Photograph by Félix Nadar, c. 1878

Although Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is considered the first Science Fiction novel, the author to truly popularize the genre was Jules Verne. Whereas Shelley approached modern technology with anxiety, Verne largely celebrated it. Verne’s scientists are larger than life, work mostly for the good of others, and have few reservations about technology. One might almost say that the scientist takes the role once accorded to the gods of mythology.

Verne was unusually prescient when it came to the scientific aspects of his books. Verne accurately predicted numerous technologies before they were realized, such as submarines, rockets, and even scuba diving. What is striking is not so much the imagination (which is impressive in itself) but the accuracy of detail when it came to the actual functions and challenges of the technology. The realism is startling when considered in light of the limited scientific knowledge of the time.

The Mysterious Island may be described as a Robinson Crusoe for a later age. Five persons steal a balloon to escape from besieged Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War; are caught by a massive storm, and are finally deposited on an uninhabited island in the South Pacific. Cyrus the engineer; Gideon the journalist; Pencroft the sailor; Neb, the engineer’s servant; and Herbert, the sailor’s young assistant; must find a way to survive with their wits and a minimum of possessions. In Crusoe’s case, he has the wreck and all it contains to start his civilization. For the protagonists of this story, all they have is their clothes, a watch, a grain of wheat, a dog, eventually the remains of the balloon fabric, and the extraordinary knowledge of Cyrus the engineer. The others each have their own areas of knowledge which will contribute to their survival.

An additional contrast with Defoe’s book is that Crusoe considers himself to be saved and sustained by Divine intervention. Indeed, Crusoe’s devotion is a central part of the narrative. Despite this, Crusoe largely survives by his wits and hard work. His survival of the wreck and eventual deliverance from the island, though, are the only clear miracles. The rest is accomplished by Crusoe’s hard work and ingenuity.

In Verne’s tale, this is partially inverted. There are a few token references to the divine, but the characters seem to feel as if they are truly alone and cast upon their own wits. Oddly enough, key turns of the plot depend on the mysterious intervention of an unknown benefactor. The deux ex machina, if you will. Who is helping them at key moments? This mystery is not revealed until the end, but the answer involves a character from another of Verne’s novels.

Verne’s books are generally more plot driven than character driven. Despite this emphasis, two of his characters have become among the most famous in all of literature. Phineas Fogg from Around the World in 80 Days, and Captain Nemo from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea are familiar to many of us, whether from the movies or abridged editions for children. These two characters contain the elements common to all of Verne’s heroes. The archetype of the confident, brilliant, forceful, and above all, scientific hero is truly Verne’s invention. Nemo is perhaps best loved because he is flawed: many of Verne’s creations appear too good to be true at times.

In this book, Cyrus the engineer takes on this role. He truly is what most of us would desire in a leader. He is brilliant but not arrogant, strong but not domineering, and confident but not reckless. This is also why Pencroft the sailor seems more human and endearing. Similarly, Ned and Passepartout are the best characters in their respective books.

Another interesting facet of Verne’s writing is that he, more than any writer, has no need or interest for female characters. The Mysterious Island has exactly zero, as does 20,000 Leagues. I was particularly struck by the fact that these five men, all alone on an island for three years, never seem to miss female company. “The island supplies all our needs,” each says in his turn. This isn’t completely abnormal for the time and genre, but was a bit odd.

Verne can tell a compelling tale. He balances scientific discussion with plot pacing in a way that keeps the reader from feeling either bogged down in details or rushed through important developments. This story, like all science fiction, is best enjoyed by a reader willing to immerse him or herself in the world the author has created. Verne in this book creates a world that is a microcosm of the science of its era. Its strongest point is the joy of the creation of a society, even a civilization, out of the raw materials of the island. Its pleasure is therefore what we feel when we labor to bring order out of chaos, to bring comfort out of our efforts: in a word, to Create.