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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
No
Loved everything about it. Just put the book away and never came back to it.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Cool to read the original - I'm so used to remakes/references but it was fun and well written (although very Victorian). I can see why it has been updated in remakes - the original has a lot of travel sections that I'm sure would have been more exciting 150 years ago than they are to a modern eye. I was surprised how much of a boring ass Fogg was, and how at times incompetent Passepartout was - particularly in his dealings with the detective Fix.
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
An indisputable classic, a well-plotted work, and a product of the contemporary European mindset.
This book is, fundamentally, comedic - the contrast between the temperamental Passepartout, the driven Fix, and the inscrutably calm Fogg, supplemented by colorful local characters where necessary, adds a lot of humor to what would otherwise by a dry travel journal.
Another source of much humor is the gulf between Verne and us, which ended up amusingly recontextualizing random lines, every time to my delight. Verne, writing for an audience much unlike us, assumes his readers are familiar with 'the cart of Juggernaut' while also feeling the need to explain what a banana is. At other times, a hundred and fifty years of history assert themselves, as with Verne's description of Singapore as a small, parklike island rather than the bustling metropolis it is today.
Like all works from the 19th century, the book is rough by modern standards of technical beauty. Major conflicts get glossed over or resolved offscreen, and the main character's good fortune exceeds what modern audiences are likely to accept. However, the book ends on a very strong, innovative, and well-foreshadowed note, making up for the occasional grating plotline.
By far the most uncomfortable part of the book lies in its treatment of the many peoples that its protagonists encounter. It's not as racist as could be, and most notably one of the characters is a smart, courageous (pale-skinned, western-educated) indian woman, but from time to time the narration will blindside modern readers by attributing this or that innocuous trait to an innate national character, by referring to native indians and americans as 'savages', or by describing british colonialism as an unambiguously good thing.
Still, Around the World in 80 Days has only become more worth reading in the many years since it was written. The story at its heart is entertaining and remarkably tense - but the chance to glimpse the 19th-century worldview is where the true meat exists now.
This book is, fundamentally, comedic - the contrast between the temperamental Passepartout, the driven Fix, and the inscrutably calm Fogg, supplemented by colorful local characters where necessary, adds a lot of humor to what would otherwise by a dry travel journal.
Another source of much humor is the gulf between Verne and us, which ended up amusingly recontextualizing random lines, every time to my delight. Verne, writing for an audience much unlike us, assumes his readers are familiar with 'the cart of Juggernaut' while also feeling the need to explain what a banana is. At other times, a hundred and fifty years of history assert themselves, as with Verne's description of Singapore as a small, parklike island rather than the bustling metropolis it is today.
Like all works from the 19th century, the book is rough by modern standards of technical beauty. Major conflicts get glossed over or resolved offscreen, and the main character's good fortune exceeds what modern audiences are likely to accept. However, the book ends on a very strong, innovative, and well-foreshadowed note, making up for the occasional grating plotline.
By far the most uncomfortable part of the book lies in its treatment of the many peoples that its protagonists encounter. It's not as racist as could be, and most notably one of the characters is a smart, courageous (pale-skinned, western-educated) indian woman, but from time to time the narration will blindside modern readers by attributing this or that innocuous trait to an innate national character, by referring to native indians and americans as 'savages', or by describing british colonialism as an unambiguously good thing.
Still, Around the World in 80 Days has only become more worth reading in the many years since it was written. The story at its heart is entertaining and remarkably tense - but the chance to glimpse the 19th-century worldview is where the true meat exists now.
I found this an interesting book, but it was kind of a beating to read. It read more like a historical text rather than a piece of fiction. At points the geographical and historical information overwhelmed the characters and the story itself.