Jules Verne

A Journey into the Center of the Earth "Annotated" Jules Verne

Axel, the enthusiastic and excitable nephew of the illustrious professor and mineralogist Otto Lidenbrock, narrates the tale of the journey to the center of the Earth. On May 24, 1863, Lidenbrock consults a recently-acquired runic manuscript of the 12th century and discovers an encrypted message from 16th-century Icelandic alchemist Arne Saknussemm. Lidenbrock is excited, and believes that Saknussemm wants to share a scientific discovery. The professor wants to decipher the message but has trouble doing so. Luckily, Axel manages to decrypt the document. Arne Saknussemm reports that the traveler who climbs up on the crater of Snæfells volcano can get into the center of the Earth; he apparently undertook this journey himself. Axel knows that his uncle will want to make a similar attempt and decides not to tell him of the find, but eventually gives in. Lidenbrock immediately starts planning the journey and tells his nephew to come along as well. Axel is reluctant until his fiancée Grauben, his uncle's ward, tells him that he ought to make the excursion. Lidenbrock and Axel leave Hamburg and travel to Iceland. In Reykjavik they hire a guide named Hans, a placid and stoic man of large size. The three of them climb the volcano crater and find a slope downward. They manage to penetrate the depths of the Earth. When they reach a crossroads, Lidenbrock first chooses the wrong route; this initial path is a dead end and they are forced to turn back. Meanwhile, their supply of water runs out and it seems that the expedition is doomed to fail. Throughout this stage, Axel is exceedingly anxious and pessimistic. He is intrigued, though, that he and his fellow adventurers seem to be venturing back into the prehistoric past in terms of geology.