by Minh Tran

Created on: August 12, 2008

I read "Journey to the centre of the earth" mainly because its author is Verne, as I am a big fan of his other works like "Twenty thousand leagues under the sea" and "The children of Captain Grant" (a.k.a "In search for the castaway"). While it does not deviate from Verne's usual style, it is nevertheless another type of adventure, befitting the spirit of his collaboration with the publisher Hetzel "to sum up all the geographical, geological, physical as well as astronomical knowledge amassed by the modern science, and to rewrite the history of the world".

Like "Twenty thousand leagues under the sea", "Journey to the centre of the earth" is narrated in first person, and the narrator is also an unwilling participant of the adventure into the unknown at first but gradually becomes engrossed in it. The travelling team also consists of three members with similar set of personalities: one "normal" but slightly neurotic who is also the narrator, one impatient and short-tempered, and one taciturn and calm is all situations. There are some parallels in the relationship of Axel (the narrator) and his professor uncle Lindenbrock and the interaction between Professor Aronax and Captain Nemo: the feeling of alienation and perhaps fear for the eccentricities of a genius, the admiration for the overflowing talent, a touch of the feeling of inferiority, and moments of submission. But naturally, the dynamics and environment are different. The genius is on the same side with the narrator (they are related, plus the latter is adopted by the former), and they interact more frequently as well as more diversely than Aronax and Nemo. On the scientific side, "Journey to the centre of the earth" is less grounded on facts and inclines more on fantasy. Besides the tunnel which is longer than any path into the earth known to the science of reality, there is a world parallel to ours underground which is the domain of prehistoric creatures that we only see in the form of fossils. I have the impression that for this work, Verne let his imagination fly a bit more freely. That may make the story good but somehow lessens the feeling of reality (it may also be because I was older hence more skeptical when I read this book compared to when I read "Twenty thousand leagues under the sea").

The storytelling of the "Journey to the centre of the earth" is typical of Verne: witty, easy to sympathize with, sometimes thrilling and sometimes moving. The three main characters are interesting although with the exception of Axel, their temperaments and daringness are rather inhuman. They are likable nonetheless, and Professor Lindenbrock is my favourite character because I can see him in some professors in real life that I know and like. The stages of the journey are arranged logically and the beginning is certainly memorable when the Professor discovered and struggled with the coded message, which sparked the sudden adventure. The morality matter in this story is less complex than in "Twenty thousand leagues under the sea" or "The children of Captain Grant", but the characters give off the same aura of uprightness and nobility of conduct. As usual, loyalty in companionship is praised. What is rather special to this book is the strong accent on the passion for discovery of the unknown. The joy of scientists is reflected here where the characters temporarily cast aside the normal world, including a large amount of human contact, to set out on a (somewhat crazy) quest to further their knowledge.

"Journey to the centre of the earth" is a good read which I will recommend for those who like fantasy/science fiction.

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