Around the World in 80 Days (Le Tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours) is an adventure novel by Jules Verne (1828-1905) in 1873. The book by Verne, already the author of some of the most famous adventure novels for children (such as Journey to the Center of the Earth, 1864; From the Earth to the Moon, 1865; Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, 1869-1870), later included in his Extraordinary Journeys, is inspired by a feat actually accomplished in 1870 by the American George Francis Train and tells the story of two men, Phileas Fogg, a typical English gentleman, and Passepartout, his French valet, who are engaged in a wager to circumnavigate the globe in eighty days.
“In this book, the “mysterious” East and the “wild” West still emanate the glow of an itinerary in the marvelous, but the narrative is a very modern machine, with the path already decided, inscribed in a perfect mechanism. The journey that is risk, discovery, change, is contrasted – with a deep look at the future – with the journey that is calculated exploitation of the theater of world experiences.”
The story begins in 1872 in London, where Phileas Fogg, a rich and obsessive English gentleman leads a monotonous life. One day (October 2) at the Reform Club he hears his members discussing an article in the Daily Telegraph in which they comment on the construction of a new railway in India and say that it is now possible to travel around the world in eighty days. Fogg then bets his partners twenty thousand pounds, claiming that he will be able to accomplish this feat by leaving the same evening and returning on December 21. The gentleman then leaves with his butler Passepartout from London station, arrives in Brindisi by train and by ship reaches Suez, ready to leave for Bombay. In Suez, however, Fogg is mistaken for one of the authors of the robbery of the Bank of England by Fix, a detective of Scotland Yard. In India, the two discover that the news in the Daily Telegraph was false because the railway was not yet finished. Fogg and Passepartout do not lose heart and decide to hire an elephant. On the way, they come across a funeral procession during which, along with the deceased, his wife, who has been drugged, is about to be burned. The protagonists intend to save her and the Indian woman, Auda, stays with them. From Calcutta, the three embark for Hong Kong, where Auda has a relative with whom she could stay. Once there, they discover that Auda’s relative has moved away, and in the meantime Fix, who has been following the protagonists, has Fogg arrested (he is released from prison by paying a bail) and has Passepartout smoke opium, revealing that he is a detective. The butler is unable to reach Fogg and Auda, who leave for Yokohama to go to Shanghai, where they should embark for the United States: with them there is also Fix. The two meet Passepartout in Yokohama and then embark for San Francisco. Fix promises Passepartout to help his master get back to England in time for the bet, even though the detective actually intends to arrest the man as soon as they arrive at their destination. The group leaves by train for New York but the train is attacked by Indians who kidnap Passepartout, who is later rescued by Fogg.
The journey continues to Omaha by sleigh and then to New York via Chicago. However, the ship to Liverpool has left, so the time available begins to shrink considerably. Fogg and the others then leave on a ship bound for Bordeaux and arrive in Ireland, where they embark for Liverpool. Arrived at destination Fix arrests Fogg, but it is discovered then that the true thief has been arrested. This causes Fogg to miss the last train to London, but the protagonist manages to rent a special train that, however, allows him to arrive five minutes after the expiration of the bet. Fogg has spent half of his wealth on the journey and will have to give the other half to his partners: he will have to live in poverty and support Auga, who is involved in the adventure without her wanting him to. Auga confesses to Fogg that she has fallen in love with him, and the two of them make plans for the night. Passepartout goes to the Reverend for the marriage license: here he discovers that by traveling east they have gained a day and that in London it is still December 21, and not the 22 as they thought. Fogg then withdraws his bet, marries Auda and splits the winnings with Passepartout and Fix.
