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20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
The adventures of Captain Nemo and his captives and crew on his submarine, the Nautilus. Classics Illustrated tells this wonderful tale in colorful comic strip form, providing an excellent introduction for younger readers. Also includes theme discussions and study questions.
48 pages, Paperback
Published September 1, 2015
About the author
Jules Verne
6,192 books10.9k followersNovels of French writer Jules Gabriel Verne, considered the founder of modern science fiction, include
Journey to the Center of the Earth
(1864) and
Around the World in Eighty Days
(1873).
This author who pioneered the genre. People best know him for Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870).
Verne wrote about space, air, and underwater travel before people invented navigable aircraft and practical submarines and devised any means of spacecraft. He ranks behind Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie as the second most translated author of all time. People made his prominent films. People often refer to Verne alongside Herbert George Wells as the "father of science fiction."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jules_V...
This author who pioneered the genre. People best know him for Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870).
Verne wrote about space, air, and underwater travel before people invented navigable aircraft and practical submarines and devised any means of spacecraft. He ranks behind Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie as the second most translated author of all time. People made his prominent films. People often refer to Verne alongside Herbert George Wells as the "father of science fiction."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jules_V...
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 27, 2021
Disclaimer: This is a very stream-of-consciousness approach to writing this review. I am writing this entry with the hopes of asking questions I cannot necessarily answer and pointing out things I observed that I do not necessarily have the words to explain further. Either way, this was a good novel. I think I just really enjoy science fiction.
What a read! I would say this book compares to a Neon Genesis Evangelion-level depiction of the barriers we put up against others and ourselves in coping with our pain and trauma. Notably so, this book also re-introduced me to reading in the same way Eva re-introduced me to watching and consuming anime.
A friend asked me who I thought was the most complex character in 20,000 Leagues. I had just lamented my frustrations with the one-dimensionality of Conseil, Arronax, Ned Land, and even Captain Nemo. I did not feel the satisfaction I felt in the portrayal of the relationships between the characters. However, I was soon illuminated that the focus of this book was never intended to be on the interpersonal relationships of the characters, rather on the relationship of the characters and the ocean. It makes sense. This is a science fiction novel written during the height of 19th century romanticism and nationalism. Furthermore, Verne draws strong connections between how humanity can project their own behaviors onto the technology they create and the nature they seek to learn from. Captain Nemo's hatred coinciding with a strong hurricane near the American Coast was not a coincidence. Consequentially, the ocean is the most complex character in Vernes' work. The various flora and fauna, the paradoxical nature of tranquility and storm, all these depictions add layers to how man understands nature and uses technology. One can use coral in so many different ways to describe beauty, grief, and beauty in grief. A tempest alone can represent anger, or righteous vengeance. Humanity is multifaceted, and Vernes offers a beautiful illustration into how the beauty and danger of the ocean can represent us as complicated individuals.
As I write this, I am left asking myself these questions. What is my own relationship with nature? What is my ocean? What insecurities, struggles, and fears do I project onto my experience of life? What barriers do I put up, and fight to break down, that shelter me into my own version of the Nautilus? How do the walls I put up affect those around me? It's a novel to introspect. It's also a novel with hauntingly beautiful phrases like, "a human ant-heap overtaken by the sea," (from A Hecatomb) and, "clots of blood had formed... like the dregs of wine" (from The Coral Kingdom). If Vernes can do anything, he can make me feel angst, disgust, fear, and grief. I'm still haunted by Arronax descriping the death of a crewmate by saying that he, "tried to learn the secret of his life from the last words that escaped his lips." If you read any excerpts or chapters from this book, I recommend The Coral Kingdom, The Grecian Archipelago, and A Hecatomb. Those chapters were chilling, and excellent examples of writing that I hope to create some day.
Look, I'm learning to analyze literature again and there's way too much in this book that I could ever fit in a Good Reads review. I hope to revisit this book and its genre once more to further dive into its imagery and mood. However, I would like to leave this review (more so, journal entry about what I felt) with a quote from its conclusion: "May the judge disappear, and the philosopher continue the peaceful exploration of the sea!"
What a read! I would say this book compares to a Neon Genesis Evangelion-level depiction of the barriers we put up against others and ourselves in coping with our pain and trauma. Notably so, this book also re-introduced me to reading in the same way Eva re-introduced me to watching and consuming anime.
A friend asked me who I thought was the most complex character in 20,000 Leagues. I had just lamented my frustrations with the one-dimensionality of Conseil, Arronax, Ned Land, and even Captain Nemo. I did not feel the satisfaction I felt in the portrayal of the relationships between the characters. However, I was soon illuminated that the focus of this book was never intended to be on the interpersonal relationships of the characters, rather on the relationship of the characters and the ocean. It makes sense. This is a science fiction novel written during the height of 19th century romanticism and nationalism. Furthermore, Verne draws strong connections between how humanity can project their own behaviors onto the technology they create and the nature they seek to learn from. Captain Nemo's hatred coinciding with a strong hurricane near the American Coast was not a coincidence. Consequentially, the ocean is the most complex character in Vernes' work. The various flora and fauna, the paradoxical nature of tranquility and storm, all these depictions add layers to how man understands nature and uses technology. One can use coral in so many different ways to describe beauty, grief, and beauty in grief. A tempest alone can represent anger, or righteous vengeance. Humanity is multifaceted, and Vernes offers a beautiful illustration into how the beauty and danger of the ocean can represent us as complicated individuals.
As I write this, I am left asking myself these questions. What is my own relationship with nature? What is my ocean? What insecurities, struggles, and fears do I project onto my experience of life? What barriers do I put up, and fight to break down, that shelter me into my own version of the Nautilus? How do the walls I put up affect those around me? It's a novel to introspect. It's also a novel with hauntingly beautiful phrases like, "a human ant-heap overtaken by the sea," (from A Hecatomb) and, "clots of blood had formed... like the dregs of wine" (from The Coral Kingdom). If Vernes can do anything, he can make me feel angst, disgust, fear, and grief. I'm still haunted by Arronax descriping the death of a crewmate by saying that he, "tried to learn the secret of his life from the last words that escaped his lips." If you read any excerpts or chapters from this book, I recommend The Coral Kingdom, The Grecian Archipelago, and A Hecatomb. Those chapters were chilling, and excellent examples of writing that I hope to create some day.
Look, I'm learning to analyze literature again and there's way too much in this book that I could ever fit in a Good Reads review. I hope to revisit this book and its genre once more to further dive into its imagery and mood. However, I would like to leave this review (more so, journal entry about what I felt) with a quote from its conclusion: "May the judge disappear, and the philosopher continue the peaceful exploration of the sea!"
Displaying 1 of 1 review