Book Anatomy · Around the World in Eighty Days
Around the World in Eighty Days: Pace
16 lenses on pace for Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne. Count lenses are exact for our text. AI lenses are our reading and cite only quotes that passed a word for word check.
Jump to: D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 D6 D7 D8 D9 D10 D11 D12 D13 D14 D15 D16
D1. Chapter length in words, as a chart. Count
37 chapters, median 1,771 words. See the full lens on the book page.
D2. Mean sentence length per chapter. Count
Mean 16.0 words. See the full lens on the book page.
D3. Paragraph length per chapter. Count
Paragraphs average 38 words.
Mean paragraph words, chapter by chapter
D4. Scene against summary: how much is shown live? AI
Most of the book is shown live in scenes. Chapters 1 to 2 and 5 use summary to establish character and context, but from chapter 3 onward, nearly all major events unfold in dialogue and action. The voyage sections use summary for travel time but dramatise arrivals and key encounters.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 5, Ch 9, Ch 14
D5. Action against reflection, per chapter. AI
Action dominates. Chapters 3 to 37 drive forward with obstacles, chases, and narrow escapes. Quiet reflection occurs mainly in chapters 1 to 2 (Fogg's routine), 16 to 17 (Fix's uncertainty), and 34 to 35 (Fogg's ruin and Aouda's proposal). Most chapters balance action with brief internal moments.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 16, Ch 17, Ch 34, Ch 35
He was passing methodically in his orbit around the world, regardless of the lesser stars which gravitated around him. (Ch 17, para 33)
D6. Tension score per chapter (1 to 5) as a curve. AI
Peak 5 of 5, mean 3.4. See the full lens on the book page.
D7. Emotional arc of the whole book, matched to the six shapes. Count
Riches to rags (fall). See the full lens on the book page.
D8. Chapter endings: cliffhanger, question, reveal or quiet close. AI
26 of 37 chapters end on a hook. See the full lens on the book page.
D9. Chapter openings: in scene, in summary, or after a time jump. AI
Most chapters open in scene or mid-action. Chapters 5, 9, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 31, 32, 33, 36 open with summary or exposition of events. Chapter 1 opens with character introduction; chapters 3, 6, 7, 8, 10 to 21, 28 to 30, 34 to 37 open in scene or dialogue.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 3, Ch 5, Ch 6, Ch 9, Ch 22
D10. Do chapters and sentences get shorter near the climax? Count
In the last fifth, chapters run at 0.81 times the length of earlier ones, and sentences at 0.78 times. So things speed up near the end.
D11. Dialogue density against pace. Count
Link between dialogue share and chapter length: -0.2 (1 is a perfect match, 0 none). Between dialogue share and tension: 0.17.
Dialogue % per chapter, chapter by chapter
D12. Time jumps and how they are signalled. Both
34 time jump phrases in the narration, such as 'next morning' or 'years later'.
| Where | Phrase |
|---|---|
| c5p7 | five days after |
| c5p9 | a week after |
| c9p26 | next day |
| c11p10 | next day |
| c11p14 | next day |
| c14p5 | next day |
| c16p14 | the following day |
| c17p7 | next day |
Time jump phrases, chapter by chapter
Ch 5, para 7: Everybody knows that England is the world of betting men, who are of a higher class than mere gamblers; to bet is in the English temperament. Not only …
Ch 5, para 9: The Fogg party dwindled more and more, everybody was going against him, and the bets stood a hundred and fifty and two hundred to one; and a week …
Ch 9, para 26: Meanwhile the “Mongolia” was pushing forward rapidly; on the 13th, Mocha, surrounded by its ruined walls whereon date-trees were growing, was sighted, and on the mountains beyond were …
Ch 11, para 10: The conversation fell again. During the night the train left the mountains behind, and passed Nassik, and the next day proceeded over the flat, well-cultivated country of the …
Ch 11, para 14: The train entered the defiles of the Sutpour Mountains, which separate the Khandeish from Bundelcund, towards evening. The next day Sir Francis Cromarty asked Passepartout what time it …
Ch 14, para 5: The station at Allahabad was reached about ten o’clock, and, the interrupted line of railway being resumed, would enable them to reach Calcutta in less than twenty-four hours. …
Time jumps are signalled by chapter breaks and brief summaries of travel. Chapters 9, 14, 18, 24, 26 use summary to compress voyage time. The book tracks Fogg's itinerary explicitly; chapter 37 reveals the crucial day gained by eastward travel. No explicit clock markers within chapters.
Chapters: Ch 9, Ch 14, Ch 18, Ch 24, Ch 26, Ch 37
This was a gain to Phileas Fogg of two days since his departure from London, and he calmly entered the fact in the itinerary, in the column of gains. (Ch 9, para 31)
He was therefore neither behind-hand nor ahead of time. The two days gained between London and Bombay had been lost, as has been seen, in the journey across India. (Ch 14, para 28)
Mr. Fogg had neither gained nor lost a single day. (Ch 24, para 37)
D13. Info dump spots: long runs with no action or speech. Both
1 stretches of 900 words or more with no speech at all. These are where description, summary or backstory pile up.
| Starts at | Words | Paragraphs |
|---|---|---|
| c26p3 | 1352 | 20 |
Few long info dumps. Chapter 5 summarises press reaction and betting odds. Chapter 27 includes Elder Hitch's lecture on Mormonism. Most exposition is woven into dialogue or brief narrative asides. The book prioritises action over reflection.
Chapters: Ch 5, Ch 27
D14. Reading time per chapter. Count
About 4.2 hours to read at 250 words a minute. The longest chapter takes 10.4 minutes.
Minutes per chapter, chapter by chapter
D15. Micro tension in quiet scenes. AI
Quiet scenes gain tension through time pressure and emotional stakes. Chapter 2 builds comfort through Passepartout's delight in order. Chapter 35 creates tension through Aouda's declaration and Fogg's emotional awakening. Chapter 34 uses the ticking clock as Fogg approaches the Reform Club.
Chapters: Ch 2, Ch 34, Ch 35
This is just what I wanted! Ah, we shall get on together, Mr. Fogg and I! What a domestic and regular gentleman! A real machine; well, I don’t mind serving a machine. (Ch 2, para 12)
Phileas Fogg gazed at the tempestuous sea, which seemed to be struggling especially to delay him, with his habitual tranquillity. (Ch 18, para 3)
D16. Section breaks per chapter. Count
1 section breaks marked in the text, in 1 of 37 chapters.
Section breaks, chapter by chapter
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