In this article we will turn to the most famous work of J. Verne and consider its brief content. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea is a classic novel written in the genre of science fiction. It was originally published in parts as it was written. So, the first part came out in March 1869, and the last - in June 1870.
The title of the book does not refer to the depth of the ship, but to the distance it went under water. This is explained by the fact that 20 thousand leagues comprise about 9 diameters of the globe, or 110,000 km.
Summary: “Twenty thousand leagues under the sea” (Jules Verne). Part 1. Chapters 1–6
The work takes place in the 2nd half of the 19th century. At this time, sailors began to notice a strange object in the oceans that was even larger than whales in size and speed. At first, journalists, and then scientists, became interested in a strange phenomenon. After much discussion, the object was considered an unexplored animal. They made the assumption that this is a giant narwhal.
But scientific interest quickly gave way to practical, when collisions with an unknown animal led to damage to the ships. After that, they decided to send an expedition whose task was to find and destroy the sea monster. For this, the US Navy allocated the military sailing-steam frigate Abraham Lincoln.
Captain Nemo. Chapters 7–13
The search went on for a long time. And when the monster was discovered, the frigate received serious damage. Describes the further fate of several people with the “Abraham Lincoln” book. Even a brief summary (“Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea”) gives an idea of ​​how sometimes a long and dangerous adventure can easily begin. After the collision, Professor Aronax, Consel, his servant and harpooner Ned find themselves in the water, and then board the unknown ship, which was mistaken for an unexplored animal.
The owner of the ship introduced himself as captain Nemo and announced that they were aboard his Nautilus submarine. He and several of his comrades broke with human society and retired to the ocean, where they could live freely.
Secretly Nemo built a submarine that allowed a group of people to exist autonomously. Nemo cannot let his captives go, as they will reveal the secret of Nautilus. So the heroes have to stay on board a strange ship. Nemo also invites Professor Aronax to take part in the study of the deep sea.
Travel on the Nautilus. Chapters 14–24
The work covers a large time period, which is confirmed by its brief content. “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea” is a novel whose actions develop over a long time. So, 7 months have passed since the capture of the heroes. During this time, they manage to travel around the world, visit the islands of New Guinea, fight sharks in the Indian Ocean, visit the flooded Atlantis.
Part 2. Chapters 1–20
"Nautilus" manages to overcome the ice of the South Pole, thereby opening it.
Gradually, the heroes find out that the Nautilus team, despite being isolated from the world, is in the know about what is happening. And the captain himself not only travels, but also tries to execute his revenge.
Denouement. Chapters 21–23
Could it give an idea of ​​the characters of the heroes of the work, its summary? “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea” is a novel about rebellious people who do not want to put up with what is happening. Prisoners are increasingly starting to think about running away. But getting out of an underwater prison is not so simple. And there is no way to find an assistant among the crew - the sailors speak only their own language and practically do not communicate with the prisoners.
But Ned succeeds in finding out that the Nautilus is near land. At this time, Nemo weakens control and falls into a kind of depression. The captives manage to capture the boat and escape from the ship. Along the way, they fall into a powerful whirlpool. Aronax and his companions miraculously manage to escape and get to the Norwegian coast. In the last chapter, the professor reflects on the fate of Captain Nemo.
Thus, we can make a general idea of ​​the novel by studying the summary presented here. “Twenty thousand leagues under the sea” (its chapters are described above), however, is one of the works worthy of reading in its entirety. At one time, the novel was very popular and remains loved by many today.