AboutJean-Michel Margot Expertise I answer any question about JULES VERNE, the French novelist (1828-1905). As worldwide recognized JULES VERNE specialist, I`m able to answer any question about his life and his works, among them the most appreciated in the United States is Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. Other well known titles are: Around the World in Eighty Days, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Five Weeks in a Balloon, Michael Strogoff, Mysterious Island.
Experience Collecting, reading and publishing. I own the most comprehensive reference material collection about JULES VERNE in America.
Organizations Societe Jules Verne, Paris (France)
Centre de Documentation Jules Verne, Amiens (France)
Club Jules Verne, Pazin (Croatia)
North American Jules Verne Society
Jules Verne Genotschaap (Netherlands)
Publications My publications are referenced in almost all modern and contemporary books by and about Jules Verne.
Education/Credentials Swiss maturity in Latin and Greek
Master in Geology of the University of Neuchatel (Switzerland)
Question I need some help writing an essay comparing the theme of exploration in "Around the World in Eighty Days" and "Journey to the Center of the Earth". I have read both novels but i can not find 3 valid points to argue, any ideas?
Thanks a lot! Mark
Answer Comparing the theme of exploration is very imprecise, is it exploration in space... or time? Is it a real exploration or a symbolic exploration? Travel on top of the earth, travel inside of the earth. Both novels are initiatory novels, where the hero (with two companions - what is the relationship of every companion with the hero?) has to face many difficulties before closing the circle in coming back where the story began, and get the women who was waiting for him in one case, and who was discovered during the initiatory jouney in the other case. Try to explore also the proper names: what do the names (their writing and their sound) of Fogg, Fix and Passpartout on one side and Lidenbrock, Axel and Hans on the other side say to you?
I hope you have used the Bill Butcher translation to read the two novels. Every other translation is unreliable and you would mostly study the translator's writing and not Verne's.
If you put together a first draft, I'm willing to help you to improve it and, if it reaches an interesting level to publish it in the Newsletter of the North American Jules Verne Society.
