20000 Leagues Under the Sea - Jules Verne (Review)

Chapter 1 - A Shifting Reef

The year 1866 was marked by a bizarre incident, an unexplained and unexplainable phenomenon, which -without a doubt- no one has forgotten.

Content warning: incredibly minor spoilers

Of the more recent books I have read, 20000 Leagues Under the Sea (Vingt milles lieues sous les mers) by Jules Verne. I have long held a love of science fiction and fantasy and a sweet spot for 19th century literature, which had, until recently, suffered from a startling lack of reading any Verne. Reviews of this book are startlingly mixed, owing primarily to its translation into multiple languages from the original French, but I want to tell you why I love this book so much.

Let us start with the author. Verne was born in Nantes, France, which is a major port at the mouth of the Loire river. His father was an attorney, and his mother was related to a merchant family of Scottish descent. From a young age, he was sent away to boarding and Catholic school, where he was exposed to subjects like literature, history, Latin, Greek, and theology. Later, he was enrolled in the Lycée Royal for rhetoric and philosophy. It was at this point, he began writing works in the style of Victor Hugo, and despite early success, his father pushed him into studying law in Paris. While in Paris, he witness the events following the Revolution of 1848 and the ascension of Napoleon, which inspired his famous anti-war sentiments. Using his father's social influence, he also attended literary salons where he came into contact with people like Alexandre Dumas and Jules Seveste. He also met Pierre-Michel-François Chevalier ("Pitre-Chevalier") who published the first of his short stories. While Verne found little success as a lawyer, he used his education to find dazzling success as a writer. Eventually, he moved to Amiens where he met his wife and found work as a broker, leaving him financially secure enough to write.

The plot of the book itself follows the French naturalist and marine biologist Pierre Arronax, a curator of the Museum of Natural History in Paris, who had been tasked with overseeing a traveling exhibit through the United States. He is accompanied by his manservant, Conseil (literally French for 'advice/council'), and later the Quebecois-descended Canadian harpooner Ned Land when he is hired to identify, track down, and hunt a mysterious giant creature sinking merchant and naval ships all over the world. This is until they are tossed overboard in an encounter with this creature and 'recued' by the mysterious Captain Nemo aboard the Nautilus, an electric submersible of wonderous proportion, and taken against their will on a globe-trotting adventure.

Let us start with the main cast. It can be said that the majority of the characters themselves can be two-dimensional. Arronax is focused almost entirely on philosophy and scientific endeavor, Land is a stereotypical free-spirit and proponent of liberty in all its forms, and Conseil has a 'null' personality except for his taxonomic cataloguing, occasional comedic quips, and unwavering devotion to 'Monsieur'. Where the characters come to shine is solely in their interactions with each other. I would personally read this book again for the comedic interludes between Arronax, Conseil, and Land. The three engage in mutual sarcasm and friendly 'razzing' on a constant basis and it is always amusing. Also, the conversations between Arronax and Nemo are always deep and thought-provoking. Indeed, the only time you learn about the enigma that is Nemo is during these interludes that always leave you wondering and wanting more.

The setting itself is a marvel as well. You can plainly see Verne's acumen regarding naval engineering and marine science, as well as European naval history and Greco-Roman mythology. Verne constantly references historical events, famous navigators, and bizarre naval incidents. Also, the presence of Atlantis in the Atlantic showcases his knowledge of ancient literature and even the name Captain Nemo alludes to the Odyssey, when Odysseus gave himself the guise 'Nobody' to the cyclops Polyphemus.

A second thing I noticed reviewers hated about the book that I did not necessarily mind was the exhaustive lists of the marine floral and faunal taxa. It is true, these lists take up nearly a quarter of the story, but you have to remember that the narrator, Arronax, is supposed to be a marine biologist. I thought the detail was a nice touch. Moreover, I found it feasible to skim through those sections without losing any of the overall plot. In my opinion, these lists are counterbalanced by the scenes in which we find the main characters all looking out of the windows of the Nautilus or walking on the sea floor. Verne uses such vivid imagery at these moments that the seascapes emerge through the 'theater of the mind'. In these moments, I like to think of Verne's audiences before the advent of things like modern submersibles and television programs like those of Jacques Cousteau. Those readers would have found Verne's seascapes just as awe-inspiring and alien as we find the worlds of Star Trek and Star Wars today.

Another thing that becomes evident in the text is his literary influence from the school of French Romanticism. As previously stated, Verne was inspired heavily by Hugo, a notable romanticist. His publisher, Pierre-Jules Hetzel, also published the works of not only Hugo himself, but other romanticist authors like the renowned George Sand. While 20000 Leagues is not overtly a romanticist work, there are a couple hints that it was at least influenced by the school. One is the characters. French Romance literature is noted for focusing on themes rather than characters, and characters will often have clearly defined personalities that fit particular themes, ideals, and philosophies. As such, they seem incredibly two-dimensional but make the most sense as ensembles. The second is most noticeable in the character of Captain Nemo. One overarching archetype in French Romanticism is the mal du siècle, or a sort of melancholy or depression that comes from living in the time one lives. Nemo is an incredibly melancholic character, heavily burdened by the woes of his past and the rise of imperial powers. The archetype of the mal du siècle fits him well in this respect.

A final thing that I loved about this book was something that is sometimes not translated well into English versions: political commentary. In the middle of the adventure, Arronax and his friends discover that Nemo and his crew have not entirely severed ties with the land, and that they gather up the treasures of the sea -shipwrecks, pearls, minerals, etc.- and donates them to people being oppressed, such as in India and Crete. It is revealed that Nemo was (minor spoiler) an Indian prince deposed by the British Raj, who used his genius to build the Nautilus in secret and escape persecution after the death of his family (end of spoiler). This particular aspect of the book was indeed inspired by true events, namely the Polish January Uprising against the Russian Empire. In the original draft of the book Nemo was supposed to be Polish, but Hetzel asked Verne to change his ethnicity since the Russian Empire was a tentative ally of France at the time. It is unfortunate that his aspect of the work gets lost in some English translations, as many translations prior to the last few decades often leave out entire scenes and chapters or just do not translate them adequately.

As a final note about translations, it is crucial that if you wish to read this book in any language other than French, find a recent reputable translation. Some English translations tend to use racist language not present in the original work. In the original, the worst word used is sauvage or 'savage/primitive', but this is explainable because this work was written before the advent of modern philosophical movements that recognized the pejorative sense of the word. In some older translations dating back to the end of the 19th century, much more derogatory language was often used. And, as previously stated, English and American translators often left out scenes with political context and sometimes did not even translate entire paragraphs accurately. Consequently, as a matter of importance, please use a more recent translation if you cannot read French.

In conclusion, I do highly recommend that you read 20000 Leagues Under the Sea (in French if you can read it) as it is a landmark piece of science fiction that anyone interested in the genre should read.