It is with pleasure mingled a dull apprehension that I plunged back some time ago in this Jules Verne classic. But soon my worries are gone! From the first lines, actually. How not to get carried away by such a delicious prose?
The ironic portrait we Verne's Phileas Fogg brush in the first chapter sets the tone for the entire novel. Removed a tone, dynamic, lively, in tune with the story that is told. But at the same time tinged tone of great composure, like the hero of this fantastic ride to the glory of the Speed and Progress.
Of course, Phileas Fogg is a cliché, some would say, as Passepartout, but if Verne use in emulation of national stereotypes, is not it also the second degree, to mock nicely?
What shines through in this story, it is his unwavering faith in man and in his ability to control his earthly destiny. Fogg is only the incarnation voluntarily caricature of this Faith. His way "mathematical" jumping from a train in a boat and a boat in a diligence to complete in 80 days around the Earth, foolish bet for the time, shows its deep conviction that men and Machine can coexist harmoniously.
Theory that will reveal his dark side in "The Human Beast", published seventeen years later. In Verne's optimism contrasts with the skepticism of Zola.
But who cares! Beyond the "sports" performance Fogg and Passepartout, beyond the philosophical implications of their odyssey religieuses--or even if this great adventure novel remains as enjoyable to read today, while it is possible to circumnavigate the globe in less than a day, it is because he is infinitely entertaining and doubles as a suspense in the final scene a grand apotheosis.
This is certainly one of the greatest achievements of Jules Verne. If not the largest.
