JourneytotheCentreoftheEarthTheplotcanbequicklysummarised:ProfessorLidenbrockandhisnephewAxeldiscoveradocumentinatwelfth-centuryIcelandicbookwhich,whendeciphered,recordstheclaimofacertainArneSaknussemmtohavegonedownintothecarterofSnFfellsandreachedthecentreoftheEarth.Lidenbrockdecidestotrythisforhimselfand,draggingAxelawayfromhisfiancéeGräuben,travelstoReykjavikandacrossIceland.WiththehelpofthestoicalHans,theyfindthecraterandtraveldownthroughthegeologicallayersofthepast,experiencingvariousadventures.Alongwaydown,theydiscoverahugecavercontainingalargesea-plusvariousbiologicalspecimens,somedeadandsomeverymuchalive.Aftertryingtocrossthesea,theydiscoverapathdownagain,markedwithSaknussemm’srunicinitials.Butitisnowblocked.Theyattempttoblowuptheobstacle,whileshelteringontheraft,butinsteadcarrypartoftheseawiththemdownintothebowelsoftheEarth.Theythenstartrisingagain;andendupridingavolcaniceruption,whichthrowsthemoutontheslopesofStromboli.JourneytotheCentreoftheEarthprefiguresmanyoftheideasofTwentyThousandLeaguesundertheSeas,AroundtheWorldinEightyDays,andFromtheEarthtotheMoon.Themoodislight-hearted-althoughhardlyoptimistic,foritcontainstragic,obsessiveandsometimesmorbidelements.Thereisevenalove-element,ofsorts.Inthisnovel,morethanelsewhere,Verneseemstolethimselfgo,whileatthesametimedrawinginspirationfrommanydifferentsources.Butbeforeexaminingthese,itisusefultolookatVerne’slifeandtheExtraordinaryJourneysasawhole.Jules-GabrielVernewasbornin1828,onanislandincentralNantesinwesternFrance.Hisfatherhadasuccessfullawpractice,andwroteoccasionalamateurverses.Hismother’smaidennamewasAllottedelaFule,derivedfromaScottishAllottwhohademigratedinthefifteenthcenturytojoinLouisXI’sScottishGuardofarchersandeventuallybeenennobled.TherehavebeenoveradozenbiographiesofVerne,mostnotablybyhisnieceMargueriteAllottedelaFuleandhisgrandsonJeanJules-Verne.Theformer,however,isembellished；andeventhelatterisamixtureoffamilylegendsandmanuscriptsourcesoftenreadilyaccessible,includingover1,000lettersfromVernetohisparentsandpublisher.Aboutadozeninterviewsarealsoknowntoexist,mostlywithBritishandAmericanjournalists,plusabriefautobiographicalpiece,‘MemoriesofChildhoodandYouth’.LastlythereisBackwardsintoBritain,alightlyfictionalisedaccountofhisvisittoEnglandandScotlandin1859withhisfriendHignard.AnodoubtapocryphalstoryhasJulesrunningawaytoseaattheageof11tofetchcoralontheCoralieforhiscousinCaroline.Herrejectionofhim,severalyearslater,certainlyseemstohaveleftitsmarkonhim.Butotherwisehisschooldayswereunexceptional-apartfromapassionformessingaboutonmakeshiftraftsontheRiverLoirewithhisbrotherPaul.In1847JulesarrivedinParistostudylaw.Forthenexttenyears,helivedinasuccessionofsinglerooms,sometimeswithbarelyenoughtoeat.Hedevotedhimselfduringthisperiodtowritingplays,atwhichhewasmoderatelysuccessful:ofthetotalofapproximatelytwenty-nine,sevenhadbeenperformedorpublishedby1863,atleastoneofthemwiththehelpofDumaspPre.In1856hemetHonorinedeViane,awidowwithtwodaughters,andmarriedherafewmonthslater.ThejourneytoBritain(hisfirstoutsideFrance)hadamajorimpactonhim,especiallyEdinburghandtheHighlands.Althoughhisvisitwascarefullywrittenup(makingitthefirstbookVernecompleted),VoyageenAngleterreetenEcossewasrejectedbyHetzel-andlayhiddenuntil1989,whenitwaspublishedandhailedasabrilliantpieceoftravelwriting,andavitaldocumentforunderstandingVerne...
