Around The World In Eighty Days (2004) - Plot & Excerpts
NOTE: I "read" the audiobook version of this, narrated by the fabulous Jim Dale. I think this definitely added interest to the story, which did begin a bit dull, but ended splendidly! Dale is REMARKABLE at the characterization and voices and I think this tale is especially well suited to being read aloud by someone who can do all the accents! ;-> This version also sometimes plays music in the background, suited to the setting/culture and that was a nice touch and helped set the right tone.4.5 STARSEXTENDED REVIEW: I really didn't know what to expect with this tale, yet I felt "surprised" somehow so I guess I had some expectations. I suppose the biggest surprise for me was the character of Phineas Fogg--somehow, I expected that a man who would endeavor to go around the world in eighty days must somehow be quite swashbuckling, adventurous, young-and-brazen, idyllic or simply filled with an unbelievable portion of wanderlust. Mr. Fogg is none of these things. He is "calm" and "impassive" and "indefatigable"--he accepts the bet to go around the world in eighty days as a matter of honor, and for the sake of the challenge. Until that point, his life was like clock-work, an eccentric and aristocratic unattached gentleman who went to his Young Reform Club regularly and whose chief joy in life seemed to be the playing of whist. I found it rather difficult to really "like" Mr. Fogg, and yet, as the story progressed, I found myself filled with a deeper and deeper sense of admiration for him--a glow of, if not quite affection, than certainly deep esteem. His calm in any sort of catastrophe makes him the sort of friend one would wish for in any circumstance, and his sense of honor is truly endearing. And, yet, could Mr. Fogg be a bank-robber...!?Verene pairs Mr. Fogg with a much more excitable fellow (a Frenchman, no less!), his servant Passepartout. Here we get lots of humor, and also lots of humanity! But whatever help he may be, Passepartout also creates several snags for Mr. Fogg on the journey; can he redeem himself?Doggedly trailing Mr. Fogg is the stalwart Inspector Fix who needs to keep him in sight long enough for an arrest warrant to make its way from London. (You see, Fogg matches the description of a bank robber and his sudden departure from London seems suspicious...) While it would be all too easy to pin Mr. Fix as the "bad guy" out to thwart our (supposed) hero, Verne does a marvelous job of simply making him a dutiful gentleman out to uphold the law and ensure that justice is served. However, one also rather hopes that he will hold off on capture until Fogg makes it around the world!!!The book is rarely "exciting" but it is definitely suspenseful! It's fascinating to see Verene's portrayal of the world in 1872. It is not quite so bombastically ethnocentric as one might expect. Also, it was absolutely amazing to realize how much has changed in little over 130 years!!! Especially shocking was how "timeless" London seemed--really, it seemed that even today gentlemen might go to their favorite hang-outs and play games... Yet the differences in other parts of the world (including the US) are remarkable and, at times, appalling (that is, how much has been lost in terms of native culture, for example).READ ON ONLY IF YOU WANT SOME **********SPOILERS***************** ON PLACES THEY VISITI'm eager to discuss these points with those who have read this:*********SPOILERS ON PLACES THEY VISIT: I was amazed that, with all their colonization and imperialism, the British sought to preserve the dignity of the Hindu temples. Hooray! And, yet, it seemed that many aspects of the religion were still widely misunderstood with little interest in diving deeper. The vilification of the Kali worshipers was troubling, although so were their actions! I thought that Verne showed a deep sensitivity in the passage where he discusses the train pushing through the villages of some of the Indians, speculating on their thoughts as they witnessed all this technology and Western-ism infiltrating their lives. And yet, I think a true sense of British superiority reigns throughout.I felt an especial delight in the passages on San Francisco and the train trip from there. Being a resident of the Gold Country outside of Sacramento, it was really fun to hear such small towns as Auburn and Colfax mentioned in the same novel that has so many exotic locations--really, for one to go around the world, taking a train through Auburn is rather remarkable! I also smiled my way through the descriptions of Sacramento (which most residents would hardly call remarkable in beauty these days!) "The wide streets, handsome wharfs, splendid hotels, squares and churches." Ah, sounded lovely back then!The entire segment on Utah and Mormonism was absolutely fascinating! My husband's family is Mormon so I have a bit of insight and much of what Verne related seemed accurate, although I couldn't help but think that he viewed Mormonism as a sort of curiosity, something of interest to be studied and marveled over. And yet, he gave them fair voice, especially in terms of how they had been so persecuted and were seeking a place to make their own. I also thought it was quite delightful to hear about a Brit's views on the Americans. Such phrases as "the generally carefree attitude of the Americans" were a treat! It seemed that Americans were much more reckless and free than Brits, though whether this was a good thing is never really stated! ;->It was hard to believe that thousands of bison still wandered the American plains--the train had to stop for three hours to let a herd of about 10,000 migrating bison cross the tracks!!! Also, the Native Americans were still a huge force (or "threat") and before the train left San Francisco, passengers were advised to purchase guns and ammo in case the train were attached on the prairie!!! Ah, how much we have lost...PLOT SPOILERS IN TERMS OF CHARACTERS/OUTCOMES--READ ONLY IF YOU'VE ALREADY READ THE BOOK.....Was Passepartout a help or hindrance? I think that, with the exeption of his cluelessness in the Hindu temple, he was overwhelmingly a help especially for being thrown into the situation so suddenly. His bravery in rescuing Mrs. Aouda and stopping the Souix attack are marvelous! Yet, was he wrong to withhold Fix's purpose from Fogg? He called it his biggest mistake and felt terribly responsible for the outcome. It did seem rather silly in retrospect that he did not tell Fogg, especially when Fogg was so helpful to Fix! But, that is just my view and I think he redeemed himself!Finally, I was quite shocked that not only do Mrs. Aouda (a Parsi!) and Fogg (a London gentleman) marry, but that SHE asks HIM!!!! I found this remarkably progressive!!! Granted, she looked almost European and had received an English education, but still a bi-cultural/bi-racial marriage, especially to a proud Englishman, seemed so surprising to me, given the era. Moreover, that a WOMAN should propose to a MAN and be accepted!?!?! Remarkably refreshing, if you ask me! :-)
Verdict: A sweet and iconic circumnavigation tale, though I can't help but think it's lost something through time and translation.Lets just get this out of the way; there is no balloon. I don't know if this is one of those common fallacies that proper book people are aware of, but I was caught completely out. There must be a balloon, I kept telling myself as the chapters marched on, why else would it be on the crisps? http://www.phileasfogg.com/ Nevertheless, the crisps (and pop culture in general) are all complicit in a dirty lie and I fell for it hook line and sandbag. Even after finishing the entire balloonless book I still couldn't accept it, theorizing perhaps that I had got my hands on some sort of bootleg knockoff of the original. Eventually Google revealed the truth of the matter (I am completely at a loss as to how humanity functioned prior to the internet search engine) and now I feel rather embarrassed. Please tell me, book people of the net, should I have known about this? Do enlighten me in the comments.Meanwhile, let's get to the review. (Incidentally, I hasten to assure you that this book doesn't lose any stars over its distinct lack of balloons. It's not like I'm some hard core hot air enthusiast.) I'll say this about Around the World in 80 Days; it does what it says on the label. Phileas Fogg is an Englishman whose stiff upper lip is only matched in vigour by his debilitating OCD. For motives that are still not entirely clear to me he suddenly declares his intention to go around the world in 80 days. For even vaguer reasons he wagers £20,000 against his failure; he'll lose his fortune if he can't make it and gain nothing if he wins. Finally, and rather dishonestly, he drags his newly hired French servant along with him, despite the poor man declaring in the interview he really just wants to settle down into comfortable routine. Then, with dwindling fortune and growing entourage, they go around the world in 80 days.I dunno, I suppose the conceit really loses something when you've never known a world without commercial airlines or space travel, for that matter. I floundered in trying to find the point to this book. We've already covered the vague motivation so lets move on to the detached journey. Fogg, by his own imposition, is not a traveller, he is a tangent describing the circumference of the globe. Also he is unflappable. I defy you to flap this man. Finally he has, as we say in the business, 'stupid money.' So that's kinda how we go, transiting from point to point with an emotionless man who can buy his way out of whatever delay is thrown at him. Other characters are neatly supplied to fill out the drama. There's Fix, a sort of watered-down Javert intent of bringing Fogg to presumed justice to play antagonist. Aouda the Indian Princess joins the improbable gang as an improbable love interest. Most of the work goes to Passaporte, the valet, who has to be comic relief, voice all normal anxieties (money, delays, freeloading detectives, etc) save the day whenever cash won't do the trick and then constantly deride himself for costing Fogg time and money cause that's what servants do. Quite frankly I think he should have got the girl. After all he's the one who actually saved her life. Unfortunately for Passaporte, servants are only allowed to marry Indian Princesses when genies are involved. The entourage might add some human emotion, but they all also suffer from the curse of vague motivation. Despite flimsy circumstantial evidence Fix believes Fogg's guilt beyond all shadows of all doubts. Despite being retained under false pretences and dragged on a lunatic mission Passaporte adores Fogg with the devotion of a thousand puppies. Poor Aouda never had a chance. As the only woman in the story she had to be offered up as prize to the main character to appease the phallocratic gods of literature.As I write this review I keep talking myself in and out of liking this book. Let's even the balance with some good points. I liked the snapshots of the British empire at it's height; the descriptions of India, Singapore and Hong Kong under British rule with little British houses and gardens and no need for passports. (Incidentally, I have no time for any critics who might deride Verne's descriptions of native peoples. Chinese people smoked opium. Japanese women with blackened teeth are not attractive. Sioux Indians are f*cking scary. End of. Moving on...) While I was never particularly worried that Phileas wouldn't make his journey in the allotted time (it just isn't that sort of book) the various solutions to delays, though always centred around the basic premise of 'I will give you wads of sterling' get increasingly creative and I quite enjoyed the finale of grand theft ocean steamer. The book in general improved as it went along.Its not that it got any more exciting or realistic, but I think I rather made my peace with it and enjoyed it for what it was. Maybe it's the effect of a French author, but there's a certain poetic element about Fogg and his journey; his esoteric nature combined with the strange feat of going all the way around our little floating ball of rock and coming right back to where you started. It's a lyrical conceit, both theoretically detached and very physically possible. It gives the whole adventure a fable-ish feel and the conclusion, though perfectly scientifically valid, still has the feel of magic.Finally, I cannot truly dislike any book which features two things; London and ships. They were certainly present in Around the World in 80 Days and I was finally won over to Fogg on that final leg with the steamer from New York. Not that it made any sense based on what we know of his life and character but nevertheless, I cannot dislike a man who knows his way around boat. If you know what I mean. The balance is therefore tipped into three star territory. Jury is still out on Verne, moving on to Journey to the Centre of the Earth...If you liked this;Then I have no idea how you will feel about the 2004 movie with which it shares a title and little else. I found it splendid just because you so rarely get to see Jackie Chan team up with Alan Partridge and share a jacuzzi with the governor of California. To be fair, Jackie alone was enough for me to give it a go. As it turns out, the casting was inspired. He makes quite a convincing Passaporte. Still, won't blame you if you decide to give this a miss. It requires an acquired affinity.Title: Around the World in 80 Days by Jules VerneWhen: June 2012Why: Wanted to confirm my suspicion that Jackie Chan didn’t feature in the originalRating: 3
What do You think about Around The World In Eighty Days (2004)?
Noch ein Verne-Verlag? Warum nicht?!Bin doch angenehm überrascht. Diese Version von „In 80 Tagen …“ ist bei Weitem die beste digitale Version, die ich kennen: Neue Deutsche Rechtschreibung und dennoch die alte Erstübersetzung, vernünftig aufbereitete Zeichnungen mit kleinen Untertitelungen und – vor allem Hunderte von erklärenden Fußnoten: zu britischen Politikern, Künstlern oder Konchrezepten, zu Ortschaften oder Religionen. Wirklich, eine prima Arbeit. (Auch wenn ich natürlich die Geschichte schon fast auswendig kenne!)
—Birgit Kleine-benne
I finished Around the World in 80 Days today and it was even better than I remembered from my childhood. Admittedly, the version I had read as a child was the Great Illustrated Classics edition that was, unfortunately, abridged. I felt that a reading of the unabridged classic was long overdue. Shockingly enough, I still remembered the ending 20 years later.Just the task Phileas Fogg faces in traveling the world in 80 days (in the 19th century) and the obstacles that pop up to delay his travels would make for a fabulous story, but the element of a cat-and-mouse chase really puts this book over the top! I highly recommend it for anyone who loves grand adventure stories. I can see why Jules Verne is touted as one of the finest French authors. He is deserving of all accolades!
—Charity
Really neat story. It was a fun view into life about a century ago.My only nit with it was with the particular audio book I heard: an annoying afterward that publisher felt he had to append. In it, he explained to us how Mr. Verne's views of other cultures are simply not acceptable to modern people such as ourselves, and although he has transgressed and used stereotypes of different cultures the book still has some value.I found it unfair and unnecessary. Verne's depiction of different cultures includes stereotypes, of course, but he goes out of his way to present a variety of individuals in each culture. Some are good, some are bad. Some fit the stereotypes, and some don't. In other words, he describes the world as he saw it. I don't need someone to explain to me that the book still has some value.
—Mark
