Introduction


Jules Verne
When he was young, Jules Verne studied to be a lawyer, but he loved the theater and spent his time writing. When his family found out, they cut off his funding. For a time Verne even tried working as a stockbroker, but eventually he started to make a living at what he was born to do—creating genre-defining fiction. From 1863 until his death in 1905, he published more than a book a year. Many of them were adventure stories that incorporated his ideas of changing technology, such as Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870), Around the World in Eighty Days (1873), and Five Weeks in a Balloon (1883). Although he had a limited reputation outside of France for many years due to poor translations, Verne is now considered one of the fathers of science fiction.

Essential Facts

  1. In 1886, Verne’s 25-year-old nephew shot him in the leg, leaving Verne with a permanent limp.
  2. The 1954 movie version of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea won an Oscar for special effects, and the 1957 film of Around the World in Eighty Days won an Academy Award for best picture.
  3. When he was a child, Verne ran away to go to sea—but he was caught and sent home.
  4. Verne’s son Michel was a scandal to the family, so much so that he was sent to France’s Mettray Penal Colony. At the time, Mettray was considered an advanced, liberal reformatory, but the discipline and punishment were very harsh compared to today’s standards. Needless to say, Verne and his son never fully reconciled.
  5. Verne’s novels were deeply researched, and he helped establish the reputation of the emerging genre of science fiction through his many scientific and technological predictions: he wrote about submarines, skyscrapers, and space travel before they existed.
 

Recommended Resources

  1. Jules Verne - Dictionary of World Biography: The 19th Century
  2. Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature
  3. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea eText
  4. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea Study Guide (quickNotes)

All Resources

Display as: Categories, List
  1. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Movie Learning Guides
  2. 20,000 Leagues under the Sea: Videohound Movie Retriever
  3. Around the World in 80 Days: Videohound Movie Retriever
  4. Around the World in Eighty Days Character Analysis
  5. Around the World in Eighty Days Lesson Plan
  6. Around the World in Eighty Days Study Guide (quickNotes)
  7. Around the World in Eighty Days Summary - Jules Verne
  8. Five Weeks in a Balloon: Videohound Movie Retriever
  9. From the Earth to the Moon Review - Jules Verne
  10. From the Earth to the Moon: Videohound Movie Retriever
  11. Journey to the Center of the Earth Character Analysis
  12. Journey to the Center of the Earth Review - Jules Verne
  13. Journey to the Center of the Earth Summary - Jules Verne
  14. Journey to the Center of the Earth: Videohound Movie Retriever
  15. Jules Verne - Dictionary of World Biography: The 19th Century
  16. Jules Verne Summary - Franz Born
  17. Jules Verne Summary - Jean Jules-Verne
  18. Mysterious Island: Videohound Movie Retriever
  19. On the Comet: Videohound Movie Retriever
  20. Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature
  21. The Begum's Fortune Study Guide (quickNotes)
  22. The Jules Verne Steam Balloon Review - Guy Davenport
  23. The Mysterious Island Character Analysis
  24. The Mysterious Island Review - Jules Verne
  25. The Mysterious Island Summary - Jules Verne
  26. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea Character Analysis
  27. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea eText
  28. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea Review - Jules Verne
  29. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea Review - Jules Verne
  30. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea Study Guide (quickNotes)
  31. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea Summary - Jules Verne
  32. Verne, Jules: The Oxford Companion to English Literature