Around the World in Eighty Days

US, first edition.

Around the World in Eighty Days is a novel written by Jules Verne. It was first published in French as a serial completed on 1872-12-21. It is the 11th book in the Extraordinary Voyages series, reading not just as a novel, but as a travelogue.

In the book an extremely punctual and quite wealthy British eccentric named Phileas Fogg, tells his acquaintances that, now that industrial advancements in travel have been completed, a person could travel around the world in 80 days provided they planed their route with precision. His acquaintances scoff at such an unbelievably short time reminding him that any number of things could go wrong on such a long journey, but Fogg is so resolute, he makes a huge wager and leaves immediately. However, just before he leaves town a huge amount of money is stolen from a bank, and law enforcement are convinced Fogg is the thief who is fleeing the country, so they remain hot on his trail.

The book was so successful, that 16 years after its publication, journalist Nellie Bly actually traveled the route set out in the book and completed it in only 72 days, meeting Verne at the end. Several others followed in her footsteps since. One thing I found interesting is how most reprinted covers feature a hot air balloon, as do many adaptions, but they've never used in the book, and only briefly mentioned as being too risky to use.

Personal

Due to the popularity of the novel, many adaptions have been made, so I had been aware of the the story since I was a child. However, having no love for European literature, I never bothered to actually read the book. However, after finishing the video game adaption of Tweety's High-Flying Adventure, my interest in the story was once again piqued, and I felt I owed it to myself to finally read the novel. I finished it on 2022-07-05.

Status

I don't own this book, but I've listened to an audiobook read by Jim Dale.

Review

Good

• I like how early in the novel Phileas Fogg is suspected to be a criminal, and the suspicion continues through the entire novel.
• The book has a lot of details about the geography and culture of far away lands that most readers would never see.
• The scene in the Reform Club where all the members are waiting around for Fogg to not show up, and the reader already knows he lost, but then he does show up, is very enjoyable.
• Jim Dale is a fantastic audiobook reader.

Bad

• While I tend to like eccentric characters, Phileas Fogg is annoying. His unflinching belief that careful planning can somehow control weather, mechanical failure, civil unrest, and the like is just obnoxious. Also, as far a heroes go, I have a hard time rooting for a rich white man who mistreats his employees.
• As far as foils go, Detective Fix is quite boring.
• After you learn that Fogg lost, it isn't exactly heartbreaking. He's not going to be tortured or executed, he's just not going to have his undeserved inherited wealth. His great "loss" is that he won't be able to afford servants and will have to get a job. In fact, if he hadn't squandered his riches along the journey, he would have still been rich even if he lost. So, really, it's entirely his own fault that he's become destitute.

Ugly

• There is a lot of racism. Even those who aren't British insist that the British colonization of India and the Americas is a wonderful good, not just because they're bringing technology to land of the "savages," but also because they're stamping out their barbaric non-Christian beliefs. The depictions of native Americans are especially horrifying. There are plenty of jabs at the French as well — much of which can be seen as self-deprecation since Verne himself is French — but I'm still sure a lot of other French people wouldn't appreciate them.
• The book is also a sausage fest with only a single female character named in the book. And, even when the "heroes" interfere with a native religious ritual to rescue the attractive young woman who was to become a human sacrifice, the author can't have them save a native, but a woman "properly" raised by the British. The author had to do this because Aouda later becomes a reward for Fogg by falling in love with him, not because he's interesting or romantic, but because he spends a lot of money on her. It wouldn't be appropriate for a rich Englishman to marry an Indian "savage," but a colonized woman is perfectly exotic.
• Adding onto the bigotry, Western drugs like alcohol and tobacco are depicted as the delight of gentlemen, but Eastern drugs like hashish and opium are highly addictive chemicals of the devil!

Media

Covers

• 

  France - Hardcover - 1873 - First edition.

• 

  USA - Hardcover - 1874 - First edition.

Adaptions

• Tweety's High-Flying Adventure

Links