A classic science fiction novel by Jules Verne about a professor and his nephew who explore the volcanic tubes of the earth and encounter prehistoric creatures. Learn about the plot, the publication, the influence and the adaptations of this adventure story. A Journey to the Centre of the Earth, novel by prolific French author Jules Verne, published in 1864. It is the second book in his popular series Voyages extraordinaires (1863–1910), which contains novels that combine scientific facts with adventure fiction and laid the groundwork for science fiction.See full list on britannica.comAxel Lidenbrock, the teenage narrator of the story, lives in Hamburg, Germany, with his uncle, Professor Otto Lidenbrock, an impetuous and single-minded professor of geology. The story, set in May 1863, opens as the latter rushes home to show Axel his latest acquisition: a runic manuscript by the renowned Icelandic historian Snorri Sturluson. They find hidden within its pages a separate note which, when translated into Latin and read backward, appears to be the Icelandic alchemist Arne Saknussemm’s record of a passage leading to the centre of the Earth in a crater of Snaefell, a dormant volcano in Iceland. The crater containing the passage, however, is only revealed by shadows at noon during the last few days of June, just a month away. Otto rushes off to the area, dragging a very reluctant, pessimistic, and skeptical Axel with him.Britannica QuizFamous Novels, Last Lines QuizThey eventually reach Reykjavík, where they hire the Icelandic eider hunter Hans Bjelke to guide them on the long journey to the volcano. After an arduous climb to Snaefell’s summit, the trio locates the correct crater, and they descend and find the passage. When they reach a fork, Otto chooses the eastern tunnel, but after three days they enter a cavern in which the history of the Carboniferous Period is visible, and Otto realizes that he was mistaken. They return and head down the other tunnel. The adventurers exhaust their water supplies, but Hans locates a subterranean river, and they follow that thereafter. One day Axel takes a wrong turn and gets lost, but eventually an acoustic phenomenon allows him to speak to Otto and Hans, and he is able to rejoin them.The trio finds a vast lake or sea, and along the shore they encounter a forest of giant mushrooms and lycophytes. On the ground are mastodon bones. Hans builds a raft of partially petrified wood, and the three men set sail, hoping to cross the sea. They catch fish of extinct species, and, after several days of sailing, they come across an ichthyosaur and a plesiosaur fighting. Later they are caught in an electrical storm that lasts for days. At one point a fireball strikes the raft, but the storm at last drives the vessel ashore. However, the compass indicates that they have returned to the shore from which they had set out.As Hans repairs the raft, Otto and Axel explore the area. They find shells and bones of long-extinct animals and also discover a human skull. Soon they come across a fossilized human. As they continue, they spot a herd of mastodons, and suddenly they see a giant man shepherding the beasts. They flee back to the shore, where they find a marking indicating Saknussemm’s path. They follow it but find themselves blocked by a large rock, which they blow up with gunpowder, after first returning to the raft to put themselves at a safe distance from the explosion. With the barrier removed, the explorers are carried past it on a torrent for hours, and then they find themselves being pushed upward. Two months after entering the underground world, the men are carried by a volcanic eruption to the surface of Stromboli Island, off the coast of Italy.See full list on britannica.comAn understanding of the time in which Verne was writing sheds light on the story line. Theories that the Earth was hollow were bandied about in Europe in the 19th century, and there was also public interest in the growing sciences of geology, paleontology, and evolution at the time. A Journey to the Centre of the Earth was enormously popular, and numerous, mostly bad, English translations appeared quickly. The most notable among the several film and television adaptations was Henry Levin’s Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959).Exclusive academic rate for students! Save 67% on Britannica Premium.See full list on britannica.com Get all the key plot points of Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth on one page. From the creators of SparkNotes. · A classic science fiction novel about a professor and his nephew who explore the depths of the Earth with a mysterious manuscript. Read online or download for free in various formats from Project Gutenberg. Journey to the Center of the Earth is one of Jules Verne’s most thrilling and imaginative novels—an adventure that blends science, mystery, danger, and the wonder of the unknown. When Professor Otto Lidenbrock discovers an ancient manuscript describing a route to Earth’s core, he sets out with his nephew Axel and their steadfast guide Hans on a daring descent into extinct volcanic ... A classic science fiction adventure novel about a professor and his nephew who explore a subterranean world. Read ratings, reviews, and quotes from the book, or join the discussion on Goodreads. What is a journey to the center of the Earth by Jules Verne?"A Journey to the Centre of the Earth" by Jules Verne is a science fiction novel first published in 1864. Professor Otto Lidenbrock, an eccentric German scientist, discovers a cryptic message suggesting a path to Earth's center through an Icelandic volcano.What does a journey to the center of the Earth mean?Journey to the Center of the Earth (French: Voyage au centre de la Terre), also translated with the variant titles A Journey to the Centre of the Earth and A Journey into the Interior of the Earth, is a classic science fiction novel written by French novelist Jules Verne.Who wrote Journey to the center of the Earth?Journey to the Center of the EarthA scene from Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959), directed by Henry Levin. An understanding of the time in which Verne was writing sheds light on the story line.Is a journey to the center of the Earth a good movie?A Journey to the Centre of the Earth was enormously popular, and numerous, mostly bad, English translations appeared quickly. The most notable among the several film and television adaptations was Henry Levin ’s Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959). AI-generated answers from Britannica articles. Journey to a prehistoric world at the center of the Earth in this science fiction classic by Jules Verne—now with an arresting new look!When Axel’s uncle, Professor Liedenbrock, finds a coded journal describing a path into the center of the Earth, Axel hopes he’ll never be able to decipher it—because once the professor sets his mind to something, he’ll insist on carrying it out no ... Get all the key plot points of Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth on one page. From the creators of SparkNotes. · A classic science fiction novel about a professor and his nephew who explore the depths of the Earth with a mysterious manuscript. Read online or download for free in various formats from Project Gutenberg. Journey to the Center of the Earth is one of Jules Verne’s most thrilling and imaginative novels—an adventure that blends science, mystery, danger, and the wonder of the unknown. When Professor Otto Lidenbrock discovers an ancient manuscript describing a route to Earth’s core, he sets out with his nephew Axel and their steadfast guide Hans on a daring descent into extinct volcanic ... A classic science fiction adventure novel about a professor and his nephew who explore a subterranean world. Read ratings, reviews, and quotes from the book, or join the discussion on Goodreads. What is a journey to the center of the Earth by Jules Verne?"A Journey to the Centre of the Earth" by Jules Verne is a science fiction novel first published in 1864. Professor Otto Lidenbrock, an eccentric German scientist, discovers a cryptic message suggesting a path to Earth's center through an Icelandic volcano.What does a journey to the center of the Earth mean?Journey to the Center of the Earth (French: Voyage au centre de la Terre), also translated with the variant titles A Journey to the Centre of the Earth and A Journey into the Interior of the Earth, is a classic science fiction novel written by French novelist Jules Verne.Who wrote Journey to the center of the Earth?Journey to the Center of the EarthA scene from Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959), directed by Henry Levin. An understanding of the time in which Verne was writing sheds light on the story line.Is a journey to the center of the Earth a good movie?A Journey to the Centre of the Earth was enormously popular, and numerous, mostly bad, English translations appeared quickly. The most notable among the several film and television adaptations was Henry Levin ’s Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959). AI-generated answers from Britannica articles. Journey to a prehistoric world at the center of the Earth in this science fiction classic by Jules Verne—now with an arresting new look!When Axel’s uncle, Professor Liedenbrock, finds a coded journal describing a path into the center of the Earth, Axel hopes he’ll never be able to decipher it—because once the professor sets his mind to something, he’ll insist on carrying it out no ... Journey to the Center of the Earth is one of Jules Verne’s most thrilling and imaginative novels—an adventure that blends science, mystery, danger, and the wonder of the unknown. When Professor Otto Lidenbrock discovers an ancient manuscript describing a route to Earth’s core, he sets out with his nephew Axel and their steadfast guide Hans on a daring descent into extinct volcanic ... A classic science fiction adventure novel about a professor and his nephew who explore a subterranean world. Read ratings, reviews, and quotes from the book, or join the discussion on Goodreads. Journey to a prehistoric world at the center of the Earth in this science fiction classic by Jules Verne—now with an arresting new look!When Axel’s uncle, Professor Liedenbrock, finds a coded journal describing a path into the center of the Earth, Axel hopes he’ll never be able to decipher it—because once the professor sets his mind to something, he’ll insist on carrying it out no ...
