Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas
A science fiction adventure novel by French writer Jules Verne.
Jules Verne’s *Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas* (original French title: *Vingt Mille Lieues sous les mers*) is a science fiction adventure novel. It first appeared in serial form between March 1869 and June 1870 in Pierre-Jules Hetzel’s French fortnightly magazine, the *Magasin d’éducation et de récréation*. A deluxe octavo edition from Hetzel in November 1871 featured 111 illustrations by Alphonse de Neuville and Édouard Riou. The novel was widely praised upon release and continues to be highly regarded, standing as one of the great adventure stories and a key work by Verne, alongside *Around the World in Eighty Days*, *Journey to the Center of the Earth*, and *Michael Strogoff*. Its portrayal of Captain Nemo’s submarine, the *Nautilus*, is considered remarkably forward-looking, accurately predicting many features of modern submarines, which in the 1860s were still quite basic. Verne drew inspiration from a model of the French submarine *Plongeur* that he saw at the 1867 Exposition Universelle.
The title refers to the total distance traveled beneath the seas, not the depth reached: 20,000 metric leagues (80,000 kilometers, over 40,000 nautical miles) is nearly twice the Earth’s circumference.
The main characters are Professor Pierre Aronnax, a French natural scientist who also narrates the story; Conseil, Aronnax’s devoted Flemish servant who is skilled in biological classification; Ned Land, a Canadian harpooner described as having “no equal in his dangerous trade”; and Captain Nemo, the designer and commander of the *Nautilus*.
The plot begins in 1866, when ships from various nations spot a mysterious sea creature, believed to be a giant narwhal. The U.S. government organizes an expedition in New York City to find and destroy it. Professor Aronnax, a French marine biologist and the narrator, is in the city and receives a last-minute invitation to join the mission. Also aboard are the Canadian harpooner Ned Land and Aronnax’s loyal servant, Conseil. The expedition departs Brooklyn on the U.S. Navy frigate *Abraham Lincoln*, commanded by Admiral Farragut. After sailing south around Cape Horn into the Pacific, the frigate finds and attacks the monster off Japan after five months, damaging its own rudder. Aronnax and Land are thrown overboard, and Conseil jumps in after them. They survive by climbing onto the “monster,” which turns out to be a futur
- Title
- Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas
- Author
- Jules Verne
- Original language
- French
- Genre
- Science fiction adventure novel
- First serialisation
- March 1869 to June 1870
- First book edition
- November 1871
- Publisher
- Pierre-Jules Hetzel
Lore & Background
The title refers to the distance travelled under the various seas, not the depth: 20,000 metric leagues (80,000 km, over 40,000 nautical miles) amounts to nearly twice the circumference of the Earth. Principal characters include Professor Pierre Aronnax, a French natural scientist who also serves as the narrator; Conseil, Aronnax's Flemish servant; Ned Land, a Canadian harpooner; and Captain Nemo, the designer and captain of Nautilus. The plot begins in 1866 when ships sight a mysterious sea monster, speculated to be a gigantic narwhal. The United States federal government assembles an expedition in New York City to find and destroy the monster. Professor Aronnax receives a last-minute invitation to join, along with Ned Land and Conseil. The expedition leaves Brooklyn aboard the United States Navy frigate Abraham Lincoln, captained by Admiral Farragut. After a five-month search ending off Japan, the frigate attacks the monster, which damages the ship's rudder. Aronnax, Land, and Conseil survive by climbing onto the 'monster,' which is actually a futuristic submarine. They are taken aboard by Captain Nemo, who explains that his submarine is electrically powered and that they must remain on board permanently.
Reader's Guide
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas is regarded as one of the premier adventure novels and one of Verne's greatest works. Its depiction of Captain Nemo's submarine, Nautilus, is regarded as ahead of its time, accurately describing many features of modern submarines, which in the 1860s were comparatively primitive vessels. Verne was inspired by a model of the French submarine Plongeur, which he saw at the Exposition Universelle in 1867. The novel has an under-the-counter political vision, hinted at in the character and background of Captain Nemo. Nemo repeatedly champions the world's persecuted and downtrodden, providing financial support to rebels resisting Ottoman rule during the Cretan Revolt of 1866–1869 and rescuing an Indian pearl-hunter from a shark attack. The novel also anticipated the ecology movement and influenced French avant-garde imagery. The first English translation, by Reverend Lewis Page Mercier in 1872, cut nearly a quarter of Verne's French text and committed hundreds of translation errors, including uniformly mistranslating the French scaphandre as 'cork-jacket.' Some distortions may have been perpetrated for political reasons, such as omitting portraits of freedom fighters on the wall of Nemo's stateroom.
Did You Know?
- The title refers to the distance travelled under the seas, not the depth: 20,000 metric leagues (80,000 km) is nearly twice the circumference of the Earth.
- Verne was inspired by a model of the French submarine Plongeur, which he saw at the Exposition Universelle in 1867.
- The first English translation, by Reverend Lewis Page Mercier in 1872, cut nearly a quarter of Verne's French text and committed hundreds of translation errors.
- The novel's diving gear combines two existing systems: the surface-supplied hardhat suit and a self-contained apparatus designed by Benoit Rouquayrol and Auguste Denayrouze in 1865.
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