名著 | 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne《海底两万里》

BOOK DETAILS

• Author: Jules Verne
• Illustrator: Stephen Armes
• Genre: Science Fiction
• Topics: Adventures, History, Ocean Creatures, Science and Nature, Wild Animals
• Book type: Fiction
• Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
• Publication date: October 15, 1996
• Publisher's recommended age(s): 9 - 17
• Number of pages: 432
• Last updated: June 19, 2019

WHAT'S THE STORY?

Just after the American Civil War, French biologist Pierre Aronnax, accompanied by his faithful assistant Conseil, embark on a voyage in search of a mysterious creature that's been attacking ships around the world. In due course the creature proves to be a submarine, and he, Conseil, and French-Canadian harpooner Ned Land are taken captive by its master, the mysterious Captain Nemo. For many months the trio, prisoners aboard the Nautilus, behold undersea wonders from one end of the globe to another, while learning very little about what dark force drives their captor.

A mysterious beast is attacking ships the world over. The famous oceanographer, Pierre Aronnax, thinks that the beast is a gargantuan narwhale. You know, a marine animal with a freaking sword on its head. No big deal.

So, Aronnax is invited on a special mission by the U.S. Secretary of the Navy to board the USS Abraham Lincoln and begin hunting for this sea creature. After weeks of searching, the ship finally encounters the beast, but it's simply no match for it.

Aronnax is thrown overboard when the monster rams the ship, which leads his servant Conseil to go in after him. The two struggle to get back onboard the Lincoln, only to end up on the deck of some other vessel.

All is not well on the new ship. A bunch of men throw Aronnax, Conseil, and Ned Land, a Canadian harpooner, into a cell below deck. Soon after, they are visited by their crazy cap'n, who reveals that he can speak all of the languages that they speak—French, German, English, and Latin—even though he pretended not to at first. Weirdo.

So we know very little about this guy who calls himself Captain Nemo, but he says already knows who Aronnax and his men are… which is super creepy, considering this whole story takes place in those pre-Facebook days. How did he know?! Anyway, Nemo tells the guys that he has "broken with humanity" and lives a secret life under the sea. Spiffy, huh?

Not really. Nemo's break with normal people means that our three main dudes can never go back on land. Nemo says they'll have freedom onboard his vessel, the Nautilus, except for the fact that he might lock them up again at any time… which doesn't sound much like freedom to us.

Nemo then announces that he will be taking the Aronnax, Conseil, and Ned on a voyage through all the world's seas. And boy do they voyage. They hunt in the underwater forests of Crespo Island and visit Vanikoro, the site of two famous shipwrecks.

One of their expeditions gets interrupted by cannibals. They travel through the Indian Ocean and visit a bed of pearls, where Nemo saves a pearl diver from a shark, and then has to be saved himself—by Ned.

Next, the crew visits some wrecked Spanish galleons carrying tons of gold, where Nemo solves his cash flow problems. Nemo even takes Aronnax on an expedition to see the lost city of Atlantis before setting a course for the South Pole. After some struggling, Nemo miraculously manages to plant his own flag on the Pole. (Sort of like what Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin would later do on the moon.)

And adventure, adventure, adventure, blah, blah, blah. Finally, while sailing north of England, Nemo himself becomes the target of revenge; he's attacked by an unknown ship. Aronnax is horrified when Nemo sinks this ship in order to get back at those people who Nemo says took away his family and his country.

Lastly, the Nautilus drifts aimlessly until it encounters… dun dun dun… the Maelstrom. Don't worry, it's just a gigantic deadly vortex of water. As the Nautilus is being pulled into this vortex, Aronnax, Ned, and Conseil manage to jump ship. They wake up in a cabin on a remote Norwegian island.

There, our first-person narrator Aronnax finishes recounting his wild and wacky voyage. But he hardly answers all of our questions. Or even most of them. He still doesn't know Nemo's home country or general backstory—or if he even survived the Maelstrom.

But, in trying to look on the bright side of life, Aronnax hopes that Nemo survived. And if Nemo did survive, he hopes that Nemo will be a changed man. Aronnax likes to imagine that Nemo will leave behind his vengeful ways and, you know, smile more.

IS IT ANY GOOD?

Science-minded kids may love Professor Aronnax's tendency to describe every fish and plant he sees wherever he goes, and trivia-minded ones may love some of the historical tales on the side. Others may wish Verne would just get on with the story. One of the pioneering works of science fiction, 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA, first published in 1870, is downright uncanny in the accuracy with which it predicted much technology to come, from submarines to electricity. With many versions in book and movie form over the years (including the 1954 Disney classic), it's become a cultural icon, as has its mysterious Captain Nemo; consider which version may be right for your kids.

TALK TO YOUR KIDS ABOUT ...

• Families can talk about how Verne, writing just a few years after the Civil War, was able to predict future technology so accurately.

• From what you've seen of Captain Nemo, what do you think of him? What do you think is the dark secret in his past, and do you think it justifies the way he lives?

• If, like Professor Aronnax, you had the opportunity to make a great voyage of discovery but at the price of your freedom, would you go for it?

• Do you like Verne's long descriptions of the exotic fish and sea plants, or would you rather just watch a nature video?

Parents need to know that next to Agatha Christie, Jules Verne is the most translated author of all time, and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1870) is probably his most popular work -- which means you have versions galore to choose from, depending on your kid's age, interest level, and sensitivities, from full-length annotated versions to entry-level books that focus on the basic story. This unabridged version, translated from the French by Anthony Bonner, preserves Verne's 19th-century tendency to show off his knowledge on all subjects, so expect every plot development to be cause for a lecture on history or science. It also includes some violent scenes, especially of shipwrecks and their drowned victims, as well as a dramatic attack against a ship and its crew by a group of giant squid, which costs a crew member his life; another dies after an incident that isn't described. There's a good deal of violence against animals and butchery of sea creatures, as well. Mysterious Captain Nemo is driven by the need for revenge, but his motives are never fully explained.