Around the World in Eighty Days-Jules Verne

Jules Verne

   Jules Verne, the Father of Science fictions

   Jules Gabriel Verne was a French poet, novelist and play writer. He is best known for his adventure novels and his profound influence on the literary type of science fiction.

   Jules Verne was born in the seaport of Nantes, French in 8th February, 1828.  Jules Verne was trained to follow in his father's footsteps as a lawyer, but quit the profession early in life to write for magazines and the stage. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the Voyages Extra-ordinaries, a widely popular series of exactly researched adventure novels including Around the World in Eighty Days, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, A Trip to the Moon, The Mysterious Island and much more.

   Jules Verne is generally considered a major literary author in France and most of Europe, where he has had a wide influence on the literary activist and the way of thinking. His name is markedly different in English region, where he has often been labeled a writer of different fiction or children’s books, not least because of the highly edited and altered translations in which his novels are often reprinted.

   Around the World in Eighty Days is one of the world famous novels. Before Jules Verne no one can imagine that the whole world can be travel in eighty days. That time lot of critics considered this novel as a bogus-boo. But after his dead the world realized that it is possible with the help of modern inventions like airplanes and high speedy ships.
 

                  Around the World in Eighty Days - Part 1

                            By- Jules Verne

Around the World in Eighty Days

    
   In the year 1872 and remarkable wager is about to be made. On the 2nd October Phileas Fogg left home at 11.0 am and want to his club. He had lunch and dinner, and then moved to the drawing room, all at the usual times. The same times, in fact, as every other day. Phileas Fogg was a very regular, precise and orderly man. Later he was playing cards with his usual five partners.

   Their conversation was about a recent robbery. The Bank of England had lost 55,000 pounds. Some of the players thought the robber would escape. Others thought that a reward offered would encourage detectives to capture him. After all they had a fairly good description of a “gentleman” seen at the Bank.  

“The odds are in favor of the thief. After all the world is big enough.”, someone remarked.

“It used to be”, Phileas Frogg said quietly. “The earth can be covered much quicker now than a hundred years ago.”

“You have a funny way of saying the earth has shrunk. Because you can now go around it in three months!”, came the comment.

“Eighty days according to the Morning Chronicle.”, stated Fogg.

“Possibly, but not allowing for bad weather and mishaps.”


“I will wager 20,000 pounds,” said Fogg. “I will tour the world in eighty days. Will the five of you accept the bet at 4,000 pounds each?”

“We accept.”, they chorused.

“Good. I will be at the boat-train at 8.45 pm,” continues Fogg.

“As today is Wednesday 2nd October, I must be back here at 8.45 pm on Saturday 21th December.”

   On arriving home at 7.50 am, he called his new manservant. Jean Passepartout had been appointed exactly one minute (11.29 am) before Phileas Fogg left for the club. 

“I have to tell you, Passepartout, we are going around the world. Pack very little, we will buy things on the way.”

   Passepartout left Mr. Fogg in a daze-what had happened?

   He had only taken his job because of Mr. Fogg’s regular daily habits. Soon they were ready to go. Phileas Fogg carried a guidebook including timetables, needed for their trip. He put 20,000 pounds in bank notes into his bag. Mr. Fogg told Passepartout to be careful with this bag. They then took a handsome cab to the station. On arrival at the Charing Cross Station, Mr. Fogg saw his five colleagues from the Reform Club.
 
“Gentleman,” he said, “I am leaving. My passport will be stamped as I travel. This will be proof of my journey.” At 8.45 pm a whistle sounded and the adventure began. Soon after leaving, Passepartout gasped, “I have left the gas on in my room.”
 
“Well,” said Phileas Fogg coldly, “it’s burning at your expense.”
 
   News of the wager spread throughout the land. Some people and newspapers supported Phileas Fogg. Others (the majority) did not-the journey was impossible. But any support for him soon faded.

Around the World in Eighty Days

   On 9th October a telegram was received at Scotland Yard in London. It told of Detective Inspector Fix, at Suez in pursuit of a bank robber. He named Phileas Fogg as his suspect. It requested an arrest warrant. The effect of this telegram was considerable. The People remembered Mr. Fogg’s sudden departure.  They thought that his journey and wager had been invented-he was trying to throw the police off the scent.
   Could the detective be wrong? Inspector Fix was a very excited policeman. He was excited by the reward. Sure in his mind that the bank robber would try to escape away from British controlled countries. The description of the robber happened to closely resemble Phileas Fogg. Mr. Fix was in the British Consulate when Fogg and Passepartout took their passports to be stamped at Suez. The consul tried to persuade the inspector that Mr. Fogg seemed perfectly honest, but he would not listen.

   Not knowing the Inspeector’s suspicions Mr. Fogg returned to the iron steamboat “Mongolia”. His notebook listed details of their journey. London-Paris-Turin-Brindisi and arrived Suez 9th October.
 
   It also showed times of arrival and dates up to 21st October. Mr. Fix tried to befriend Passepartout while he was out shopping. Why had they left London in such a hurry? Where were they going? Innocently, Passepartout repeated what he knew about the wager. He also told of the money they carried with them.
 
   Excited again, the Inspector was determined to trail Fogg. He sent the telegram mentioned earlier. He was hoping an arrest warrant would be at the next stop-Bombay. On the Red Sea Phileas Fogg as ever played cards – his passion. He ate-never appeared seasick, whatever the weather. Stopping at the Port of Aden they stocked up with fuel, then into the Indian Ocean. Here they found favorable conditions. “Mongolia” arrived at Bombay two days early.

   At Bombay the journey was to continue by rail on the Great Indian Peninsular Railway. The next train, to Calcutta, left in three and a half hours. So Mr. Fix, the detective who had also been aboard “Mongolia”, rushed off.  He went to see if his arrest warrant had arrived from London. He was disappointed. The policeman thought Mr. Fogg would stay in Bombay anyway. Passepartout knew otherwise. He had his instructions from Mr. Fogg. He began to think that the bet could be serious –and did not doubt him at all.
 
   Mr. Phileas Fogg went to the passport office.  After buying some new clothes Passepartout went wandering. Unfortunately for him and Mr. Fogg he did not know that Christians are forbidden in certain Indian places of worship. And that even the faithful must remove their shoes before entering.  Without wishing anyone harm he entered such a place of worship. As he looked around he was suddenly thrown to the ground. Three furious priests tore off his shoes and socks. Using all his strength, he got free. Running at full speed he made for the doorway and escaped. Without shoes, socks and his parcel he got to the station. Passepartout did not see Inspector Mr. Fix. As he told Mr. Fogg of his adventure, Mr. Fix was close enough to hear. The policeman thought hard. He could arrange for Fogg and Passepartout to be charged with desecration – that would slow them down until the arrest warrant arrived. He did not get into the train behind Mr. Fogg, but went back to the police station instead. He would catch them up!





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