Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea

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Ships around the world are being terrorized by a beast that punctures their vessels. Naturalist Pierre Arronax is on a mission to discover and destroy the mysterious beast, but he and two other shipmates are thrown overboard. The three soon find themselves clinging to a submarine, and at the mercy of Captain Nemo. Nemo's submarine, the Nautilus, is a technological marvel, allowing for the first time, exploration of the deep sea. But what is Nemo's mission? Will he allow Arronax and his friends to return to land?

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea was read by Steven Hauck
Steven made his professional acting debut more than twenty years ago as Lysander in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Since then he has appeared in over 100 stage productions across the United States and Europe. You may recognize Steven's voice from last season's Paddle-to-the-Sea and Where The Red Fern Grows.

What do you think?

Author Jules Verne masterfully combined science and invention with great characters and action adventure. Ask about the book and people remember the scene with the giant octopus...or when the Nautilus was trapped by the walls of an ice barrier...underwater hunting expeditions...oh, the pictures it creates in your mind! Which is scene is your favorite? Why?

Captain Nemo is a complex character. Do you like him? Admire him? Despise him? State your reasons why.

Nemo has been called a forefather of the modern superhero. What do you think? Does he remind you of a superhero? In what way?

Why is the novel called Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea?

Professor Arronax is a naturalist. In what ways does he act like a scientist? In what ways does he not? Is he open-minded? Give examples to support your opinion.

What do you think of Conseil, Arronax's manservant? He seems willing to sacrifice his own life for the Professor's. Why? Does his character symbolize anything specific?

At the time Verne wrote the book, the political climate in his country, France, was changing. The French were feeling threatened by the rise of well-armed, nationalistic states in Europe, and socialist views were on the rise. Do you see this reflected in any of the characters? Which?

How much freedom did the Nautilus provide? Arronax and his crew could travel deep below the sea and witness an environment never before seen. But at the same time, Captain Nemo dictated where they traveled and how they spent their time. Can something be freeing and constraining at the same time? Explain your answer.

Author Jules Verne shares his love for the marine world in this book. Did you learn something new about ocean life? What did you learn? Did anything surprise you?

What do you think is the message the author wants you to take away from this book? Do you think there's another important message to consider as well?

Fun & Adventure Beyond the Book

Author Jules Verne is considered one of the fathers of science fiction. (H.G. Wells is the other.) Verne's genius was that he combined his passion for the natural world and current technology with imaginative and adventurous storylines. There are a number of websites devoted to Verne. You can start with an overview, then go a bit deeper with an online encyclopedia, then move to a site maintained by a Verne scholar. After that, if you're really intrigued, consider checking out the Jules Verne Society.

Lots of people incorrectly think Verne predicted the invention of the submarine. British inventor Robert Fulton unveiled the first submarine, named the Nautilus (yes, the same name Verne gave his submarine) at the end of the 18th Century in Paris. Want proof? Here's a timeline on the history of the submarine. Verne took the idea and let his imagination run with it, creating his version of the Nautilus. Verne's description was at times vague, inspiring a number of fans to explore how Nemo might have built the Nautilus. This website explores how Verne's submarine could have looked and operated — it's inspired and captivated a number of fans. The creative folks at Disney created their version of the Nautilus for a 1954 movie version of the book and then turned it into an amusement park ride. You can check out both on this fan's website devoted to the movie version of the Nautilus.

So Verne may not have invented the submarine, but he did imagine a number of machines and inventions that came to be years later, including space travel, the aqua lung and the electrical engine. It's interesting to see which of Verne's predictions came true!

At the beginning of the book, Professor Arronax was thinking the beast was a giant cetacean, otherwise known as a whale. You can learn more about cetaceans (which includes whales, porpoises and dolphins) at the American Cetacean Society's website.

Camel's Hump Radio Technical Director Chris Albertine loved reading Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. One of his favorite parts involved—you guessed it—the giant octopus! Here's a website where you can learn more about the real giant octopus.

Did Verne name the book based on how deep the Nautilus dove under the sea, or for how far the Nautilus traveled under the sea? Twenty thousand leagues equals how many miles? You figure it out! Here's a hint.

Until Captain Nemo came along, Arronax, Conseil and Land were treading water trying to survive a shipwreck. Check out these tips on how to best survive a shipwreck — as well as how to avoid one!

The famous underwater explorer Jacques Cousteau once said he considered Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea his Bible. Captain Cousteau is known to millions because of his hugely popular television series, "The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau," and his many documentaries. Although Cousteau passed away in 1997, his work continues with the Captain Cousteau Society. Their website has great underwater photography, games and information about current underwater explorations.

Imagine spending your time exploring the oceans. Sound good? Then perhaps you should consider a career in marine science! Here are two links to give you more information on potential careers and what life is like as a marine biologist. .



If You Like This Book, Check Out...

Grace Greene, from the Vermont Department of Libraries, says if you liked Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, you'll probably enjoy these books as well:

Other titles by Jules Verne:

Around the World in 80 Days. Morrow, 1988.
In 1872 Phileas Fogg wins a bet by traveling around the world in seventy-nine days, twenty-three hours, and fifty-seven minutes.

Journey to the Center of the Earth. Dutton, 1965.
Explorers make an expedition into a crater which leads to the center of the earth and to some incredible discoveries.

Companion titles:

Du Bois, William P. Twenty-one Balloons. Viking, 1947.
Relates the incredible adventures of Professor William Waterman Sherman who in 1883 sets off in a balloon across the Pacific, survives the volcanic eruption of Krakatoa, and is eventually picked up in the Atlantic.

Earle, Sylvia. Dive!: My Adventures in the Deep Frontier. National Geographic, 1999.
The author relates some of her adventures studying and exploring the world's oceans, including tracking whales, living in an underwater laboratory, and helping to design a deep water submarine.

Lawrence, Iain. The Smugglers. Delacorte, 1999.
In eighteenth-century England, after his father buys a schooner called the Dragon, sixteen-year-old John sets out to sail it from Kent to London and becomes involved in a dangerous smuggling scheme.

Zindel, Paul. Loch: A Novel. HarperCollins, 1994.
Fifteen-year-old Loch and his younger sister join their father on a scientific expedition searching for enormous prehistoric creatures sighted in a Vermont lake, but it soon becomes obvious that the expedition's leaders aren't interested in preserving the creatures.