"Guns? What for? Do not mountaineers attack the bear with a dagger in their hand? And is steel not surer than lead? Here is a strong blade, put it in your belt and we start."
"Gentlemen, there are two ways of dying in the circumstances in which we are placed.' (This inexplicable person had the air of a mathematical professor lecturing his pupils.) 'The first is to be crushed; the second is to die of suffocation. I do not speak of the possibility of dying of hunger, for the supply of provisions in the Nautilus will certainly last longer than we shall. Let us then calculate our chances."First one aspect of this book should be made clear; I may be a particularly dense person but before reading it, I always assumed that 20,000 leagues under the sea referred to a vertical direction and some adventure which occurred at very great depths. This no doubt is the evidence of my inexperience with the sea, since 20,000 leagues is an incredible depth (impossible on this planet). Actually, it is a journey of 20,000 leagues which occurs mostly under the sea (in a submarine). If this misunderstanding was not your experience, have pity on me and don't ridicule me too badly.
As for the book, I would have to say it is an enjoyable read. Captain Nemo may be one of my favorite characters in literature, definitely of all Jules Verne's characters. His name is taken from the Latin for nobody, and his disillusionment with the world has become archetypal. At moments he seems to be the hero of the dispossessed, a man Robin Hood sort of breed who is exacting vengeance from the oppressors for the sake of the oppressed. One might be inclined to say that Nemo is too perfect, too much the Robin Hood to remain a man, but I would disagree with this statement. He has his dark sides too, far more than you might guess. Nemo has a side which reminds one of the "Jealous God" of Jeremiah and Isaiah.
The book's narrative structure is straightforward and Verne does a very good job of giving you things to keep reading for. There are points however where it seems that the journey is merely a series of points which Verne inserts to highlight and construct the story; almost as if he had a vision of the Nemo's character and did not have an accompanying vision of a vehicle to present it. If there is anything which holds the book back from being amazing, it is definitely this somewhat weak plot.
And of course one must touch on, if only lightly so as not to ruin the surprises Verne has to offer, the somewhat dissatisfying nature of the book's resolution. I have heard people say that the ending was anticlimactic and that it frustrated them, but without giving too much away, I would venture to say that it could not have been any other way. So do not be frustrated by an ending which does not fit your wonderful and expansive Hollywood ideas of special effects secrets. Remember when closing the book for the last time, Nemo could never fully step out of the shadows lest you realize how falsely constructed he really is. 7/10
