Book Review:20000 leagues under the sea
Frenchman Jules Verne--revered in some circles as the father of science fiction and futurism--gave the world the remarkable 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea in the year 1869.His long-lived, adventurous and exciting tale of submarines,undersea exploration and a classic anti-hero focuses initially on a strange mystery engulfing the"modern"world of the West.
Specifically the civilized world of 1866 is squeezed in the frightening grip of a“mysterious and inexplicable phenomenon.”Seafaring vessels belonging to various global powers have encountered“an enormous thing,”“a long object,spindle-shaped,occasionally phosphorescent and infinitely larger and more rapid in its movements than a whale.”
Some believe this animal is a Kraken or other ancient sea serpent,one perhaps a miraculous 200 feet in length.But regardless of its origin or exact dimensions,the beast is crowned the terror of the high seas for its anti-social behavior.That behavior consists of wrecking,sinking and scuttling man's best ships.
20,000 Leagues Under The Sea is told entirely in the first person voice, a format which encourages an affinity for the characters (and a kind of breathless pace,at points...)Accordingly,in the book's second chapter ("Pro and Con"),the reader is introduced to our stalwart narrator:Parisian,Pierre Aronnax,an assistant professor at the Museum of Natural History in France.A great student of the ocean and ocean life,Aronnax believes the notorious sea monster (which has been sinking ships of all nationalities…)is actually a colossal narwhal or other heretofore unseen deep sea creature.
With his loyal servant–the phlegmatic Conseil–in tow, Aronnax boards the frigate Abraham Lincoln captained by Commander Farragut.Their mission:to“purge” the sea monster from the oceans,so it can no longer prove a threat to mankind.The Abraham Lincoln soon departs Brooklyn for the“dark waters”of the Atlantic and a strange rendezvous with destiny.