Review of 'Around the World in 80 Days'
Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne
Wealthy English gentleman Phileas Fogg has his life run according to a strict timetable with much of his time spent at the Reform Club in London. Having just fired his valet for bringing his shaving water at the incorrect temperature he hires a replacement, Frenchman Jean Passepartout. One evening at the club he has a disagreement with club members about the ability to circumnavigate the ever-connected world of the late 19th century within a limited amount of time, say, 80 days. The others do not believe it is possible and soon bet the insistent Fogg that he cannot complete the journey in the time allowed. Thus sets the scene for the remainder of the book as Fogg accompanied by Passepartout use various means of transport to complete their journey before the 80 days are up. Along the way they will encounter unfinished railways, maidens in distress, and attacks by the native inhabitants, but can they do it?
This is most definitely a book of the era in which it was written with a good amount of prejudice (including some fairly derogatory language) but not without a healthy dose of irony such as the idea that with the wonders they pass through Fogg insists on reading and planning for the next stage rather than enjoying the journey itself. The suggestion here is that this is typical for such Englishman. Passepartout, on the other hand, is our window into Fogg but also the world in which they travel through. It is he who explains the wonders and beauty of the scenery while Fogg is but a blank page with no more understanding of his character at the end then at the beginning. Yes, there is sequence where he rescues a maiden from the “savage” natives of India and other scenes where the travelling party murder savages that are bent on attacking them but this approach is presented very much as the normal state of affairs with little attempt to see things from the other perspective, indeed, it does not even seem to be presented with irony by the author. It is just presented with an air of adventure and commonplace rather than the horror that the scenes now cause readers to experience.
The book is quite easy to read with simple characters having little in the way of real emotions. Even Fogg eventually proposing to Aouda is treated very “mater of fact” rather than any sort of semblance of love or, frankly, emotion. In any case, at the end of the novel we are back where we started, in London, with no one's personality changed in any way. So, as a travelogue of the age and tale of adventure, it is great, with lots of surprises along the way but do not expect any moral theme in the story. But, perhaps, it is all the better for it.
Rating: “A bit better than average”
Review Date: 2025-06-08
Genre: Fantasy
Publication Date: 1872