Around the World in Eighty Days

 

Book, 1873

 

Premise - The extraordinarily organized and punctual Phileas Fogg makes a 20,000 pound bet with the Reform Club that he can journey around the globe in 80 days. Back in the 19th century before planes, 80 days was the absolutely bare minimum needed to travel given no hiccups or delays. Phileas, along with servant Passepartout, encounter many said hiccups and delays, and find ingenious ways to counter them to race the clock.

Review - This is a science fiction concept that did not age well. Think of other voyages by Jules Verne - Journey to the Centre of the Earth is still a wild concept, and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, maybe? (I don't know how much a "league" is but it sounds pretty deep to me). But in current times, if it took you 80 days to travel around the globe people would wonder what took you so long. Actually, they'd say that about 8 days. A round trip must be 30ish hours of flying?

 

And just taking a plane around the globe without stopping would not be cheating, in Phileas's mind. Because it's incredible clear that he is not doing this to enjoy the experience of travel. A humorously unrelatable aspect of his character, he takes zero interest in sightseeing or experiencing the various cultures - it's all about just getting back on time. Naturally, given the circumstances, he does find himself experiencing different cultures by default. By the end of the novel, he even ends up falling in love, something he could not ever have planned for despite all of his calculations. That's a more interesting character journey than the geographical one.

It's difficult for me to balance the incredible wit, situational humor, and hilarious characterizations alongside the book's blatant racism. The concepts of experiencing "savage" cultures, leaving behind "civilization" in favor of the "exotic," are deeply embedded in racist stereotypes. Multiple plot points in the novel involve escaping savage Native Americans or Indians (like from actual India), as they brutally murder people. Even characterizations that were not about race or color, were still built heavily on nationalist stereotypes (the angry American gunslinger, the carefree yet idiotic Frenchman, and the logical Englishman who has zero emotions yet is still regarded as a noble hero). The Indian woman, who is saved by Phileas Fogg, falls in love with him and assimilates into British culture with pride. The story cannot function without its racism and nationalism, and therefore is impossible to separate from it. Worse still, perhaps, to think that Jules Verne himself never experienced these cultures himself. He was not a traveler.  

By sheer entertainment value, it's magical. How many obstacles can you throw in one's way, and how many ingenious methods of overcoming then can an author conjure? As I mentioned, the level of situational humor is unbeatable. There are a whole host of misunderstandings, miscalculations, and corresponding miracles and luck. The order in which the story is told also adds to its humor - sometimes something will be told out of order and then there will be a whole hilarious chapter dedicated to "here's what you missed..." so that all the pieces fit together. I'm highly impressed with the writing talent. (86/100)

Quote - “But what then? What had he really gained by all this trouble? What had he brought back from this long and weary journey?
Nothing, you say? Perhaps so; nothing but a charming woman, who, strange as it may appear, made him the happiest of men!
Truly, would you not for less than that make the tour around the world?”

What to read for - The characters are too funny. Passepartout was a favorite for ending up in such ridiculous situations.

If you liked this book, I'd recommend watching the reality TV show Amazing Race!

Written by Jules Verne

Published by Pierre-Jules Hetzel