Around the World in 80 Books discussion

Start discussion here for Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne.

Summary (From The Literature Network)

This story is about the adventures of Captain Nemo and his crew aboard the submarine, Nautilus. One day ships start sinking, particularly ones dealing with war. Survivors think it is a big whale. A harpoon ship goes out to kill it, but finds out that the whale is actually the Nautilus. The most interesting part of this book was probably the Nautilus itself. It is shaped to look like a fish, with a large metal fin on top used to ram and sink the ships. The camouflage of the boat being shaped like a whale works, up until the part where the Nautilus takes on a few passengers from one of the sinking ships. Another intriguing part of this book was Captain Nemo. He is the kind of character that you neither like nor dislike. I say this, because of some of Nemo’s actions. Captain Nemo hates war, and throughout the book, he uses his submarine to destroy all kinds of war related ships. You would like him for trying to put an end to war, but dislike his method (destroying ships and killing innocent lives).

Discussion Questions (from Book Coasters)

1. What piece of now-obvious science was the most amusing? The apology for using a technical term like “manhole”? The note that otters differ from seals in the prominence of their ears? Something else?

2. What piece of scientific error was the most intriguing? Sperm whales being valueless? A tunnel connecting the Red Sea and the Mediterranean?

3. It takes four chapters for the protagonist to discover that the whale is a submarine. You, as the reader, have probably been tipped off by the cover art. Is this a problem?

4. Is the chapter that discusses how the Nautilus works fascinating, as it precedes the real world development of most of the predicted technologies, or is it an impediment to the plot, or both?

5. Why do cover art depictions of the Nautilus so rarely reflect Verne’s own description?

6. Is Nemo a terrorist?

7. Does the book have a plot, or is it just an excuse to string together set pieces?

8. Does the ending make sense? Why does the Nautilus goes to such a dangerous place? Is it a sign of Nemo’s mental instability?

9. If you had the Nautilus, what would you have done differently to Nemo?

I had seen film versions of this in the past, but for some reason, had never gotten around to actually READING any Verne. I should have ages ago, what a fun sea yarn! Definitely some disturbing elements, but the science and pseudo-science and science-fiction were fascinating to ponder, considering the science of the time and what eventually came to be. And the imagery of the sea creatures.... even Verne couldn't imagine some of the bizarre stuff we now know is down there!

I thought the plot was interesting, but all the "scientific" digressions made the book way too long.