Around the World in Eighty Days

Around the World in Eighty Days
Name	Around the World in Eighty Days
Author	Jules Verne
Illustrator	Alphonse de Neuville and Léon Benett
Country	France
Language	French
Series	Voyages extraordinaires
Genre	Adventure novel
Publisher	Pierre-Jules Hetzel
Release date	1872
Media type	Print (serial, hardcover, paperback)
Preceded by	A Floating City
Followed by	The Survivors of the Chancellor

Around the World in Eighty Days is a classic adventure novel by the pioneering French author Jules Verne. First serialized in 1872, the story follows the imperturbable English gentleman Phileas Fogg and his resourceful French valet Jean Passepartout as they attempt to circumnavigate the globe in eighty days to win a wager. The novel is a celebrated entry in Verne's seminal series, the Voyages extraordinaires, and brilliantly captures the spirit of technological optimism and global interconnection of the late 19th century. Its thrilling narrative, combined with meticulous geographical and temporal detail, has cemented its status as a foundational work of world literature.

Plot summary

The narrative commences at the Reform Club in London, where the precise and wealthy Phileas Fogg enters into a £20,000 wager with his fellow club members, asserting he can travel around the world in eighty days. Accompanied by his newly hired valet Jean Passepartout, Fogg departs immediately, embarking on a meticulously scheduled journey. Their route takes them via railway and steamship across Europe, the Suez Canal, India, Hong Kong, Japan, the United States, and back to England. A central complication arises when they are pursued by the detective Fix, who mistakenly believes Fogg is the culprit behind a major Bank of England robbery. The journey is fraught with obstacles, including a rescue of the Indian princess Aouda from a sati ritual, a missed connection in Hong Kong, a dramatic crossing of the American frontier by rail, and the commandeering of a steamship. Believing he has lost the wager by mere minutes upon his return to London, Fogg discovers he has gained a day by traveling eastward across the International Date Line, allowing him to win the bet and secure his fortune.

Characters

The novel's central protagonist is the impeccably rational and unflappable Englishman Phileas Fogg, whose life is governed by mathematical precision. His loyal and physically adept French manservant, Jean Passepartout, provides both comic relief and crucial assistance, his varied past as a street performer proving invaluable. The dogged, if often bumbling, Scotland Yard detective Fix serves as the primary antagonist, following Fogg across continents in a misguided attempt to arrest him. Aouda, a young Parsi woman rescued by Fogg and Passepartout in India, becomes an integral part of the traveling party and ultimately Fogg's wife. Supporting characters include Fogg's fellow members at the Reform Club, such as Andrew Stuart and Gauthier Ralph, and various figures encountered during the global trek, like the Parsee guide and the American engineer Colonel Stamp Proctor.

Publication history

The novel was first serialized in the Parisian newspaper Le Temps from November to December 1872. It was subsequently published in book form on January 30, 1873, by Verne's longtime publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel as part of the immensely popular Voyages extraordinaires series. The original edition featured illustrations by the noted artists Alphonse de Neuville and Léon Benett. The work was quickly translated into English, with the first George Makepeace Towle translation appearing in 1873. Its publication coincided with a period of intense public fascination with global travel and technological advancement, fueled by events like the opening of the Suez Canal and the expansion of British imperial railway networks, which contributed significantly to its immediate and lasting success.

Adaptations

The novel has inspired a vast number of adaptations across nearly every medium. The most famous early adaptation was the 1874 stage play by Verne himself and Adolphe d'Ennery, which enjoyed a long run in Paris. In film, notable versions include the 1956 Academy Award-winning epic directed by Michael Anderson and starring David Niven as Fogg, and the 2004 version featuring Jackie Chan as Passepartout. For television, a highly acclaimed 1989 miniseries starred Pierce Brosnan and Peter Ustinov. The story has also been the basis for numerous board games, video games, and theatrical productions, including a 2021 stage musical. Its premise has been frequently parodied and reimagined, influencing works like the BBC series The Great Race and the animated film Around the World in 80 Days.

Themes and analysis

A central theme is the tension between the rigid, clockwork order of the Industrial Revolution and the unpredictable chaos of human experience and the natural world. Fogg's meticulous schedule is constantly challenged by unforeseen events, from monsoons to Sioux attacks. The novel also explores British imperialism and Victorian attitudes, depicting a world where steamship lines and rail transport seamlessly connect distant colonies like India and Hong Kong to the metropole. The character of Fix represents institutional skepticism and the limits of law, while Passepartout embodies practical ingenuity. Furthermore, the narrative celebrates technological progress, treating new inventions like the transcontinental railroad and the steam engine as agents shrinking the globe, a concept that fascinated Verne and his contemporaries during the Belle Époque.

Reception and legacy

Upon its release, Around the World in Eighty Days was met with widespread public acclaim and commercial success, solidifying Jules Verne's international reputation as a master of adventure and scientific romance. Critics praised its inventive plot, pacing, and engaging depiction of global locales. The novel's legacy is profound; it popularized the concept of circumnavigation as a race against time and inspired real-world adventurers, including journalist Nellie Bly, who famously emulated the journey in 1889. It remains one of Verne's most-read and most-adapted works, continuously in print for over a century and a half. The story endures as a cultural touchstone, its title a common phrase symbolizing global travel and human ambition, and it holds a seminal place in the development of both science fiction and the adventure novel genres.

Category:1872 novels Category:French adventure novels Category:Novels by Jules Verne