Book Anatomy · Around the World in Eighty Days
Around the World in Eighty Days: Setting and world
13 lenses on setting and world 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: I1 I2 I3 I4 I5 I6 I7 I8 I9 I10 I11 I12 I13
I1. Places named and how often each appears. Count
London is the place named most, 70 times.
| Place | Mentions | Chapters |
|---|---|---|
| London | 70 | 25 |
| Hong Kong | 62 | 14 |
| Bombay | 61 | 16 |
| Yokohama | 41 | 9 |
| Calcutta | 33 | 11 |
| San Francisco | 30 | 12 |
| England | 30 | 19 |
| Suez | 28 | 9 |
| New York | 28 | 12 |
| Liverpool | 28 | 9 |
| Reform Club | 25 | 13 |
| America | 15 | 12 |
I2. Setting by chapter, as a map. Both
The place named most in each chapter. A rough setting map. (rough estimate from word lists)
| Chapter | Place named most |
|---|---|
| 1 | London |
| 2 | London |
| 3 | London |
| 4 | London |
| 5 | Reform Club |
| 6 | Suez |
| 7 | London |
| 8 | London |
| 9 | Bombay |
| 10 | Bombay |
| 11 | Bombay |
| 12 | Bombay |
| 13 | Bombay |
| 14 | Calcutta |
Journey spans London (1 to 4), Egypt-India (5 to 15), Hong Kong-Japan (16 to 24), America (25 to 31), Atlantic crossing (32 to 33), England (34 to 37). Each leg introduces new obstacles and allies. Settings shift rapidly to maintain pace.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 15, Ch 24, Ch 31, Ch 33, Ch 37
I3. Setting shown in blocks or woven into action? AI
Settings are woven into action rather than presented in blocks. Verne describes locations briefly as characters move through them, using place names and brief details to anchor scenes. No lengthy descriptive passages interrupt the narrative flow.
Chapters: Ch 6, Ch 11, Ch 20
The Parsee perched himself on the elephant’s neck, and at nine o’clock they set out from the village, the animal marching off through the dense forest of palms by the shortest cut. (Ch 11, para 50)
John Bunsby, master, at length gave the order to start, and the “Tankadere,” taking the wind under her brigantine, foresail, and standing-jib, bounded briskly forward over the waves. (Ch 20, para 73)
From ocean to ocean”—so say the Americans; and these four words compose the general designation of the “great trunk line” which crosses the entire width of the United States. (Ch 26, para 2)
I4. Weather and light used for mood. Both
Weather and light words: 2.36 per 1,000 words.
Weather and light words, chapter by chapter
Weather serves plot function: storms delay or aid travel, typhoons test Fogg's resolve, snow enables the sledge escape. Light and weather are mentioned functionally rather than for atmospheric mood. Storms heighten tension but are not dwelt upon.
Chapters: Ch 17, Ch 21, Ch 31
Phileas Fogg gazed at the tempestuous sea, which seemed to be struggling especially to delay him, with his habitual tranquillity. (Ch 18, para 3)
Glad it’s a typhoon from the south, for it will carry us forward. (Ch 21, para 32)
I5. The social world: class, money, rules. AI
Class and money are central. Fogg is wealthy and uses money to solve problems (buying the elephant, chartering ships, bribing crews). The wager itself is a gentleman's bet. Passepartout is working class but loyal. Fix represents official authority. Social hierarchy is assumed, not questioned.
Chapters: Ch 3, Ch 11, Ch 32
A true Englishman doesn’t joke when he is talking about so serious a thing as a wager,” replied Phileas Fogg, solemnly. (Ch 3, para 60)
At two thousand pounds the Indian yielded. (Ch 11, para 48)
We will be on board at nine o’clock,” replied, no less simply, Mr. Fogg. (Ch 32, para 48)
I6. Rules of the world (magic, science) and when each is shown. AI
The book operates on scientific and mechanical rules: steamship schedules, railway timetables, the International Date Line. No magic or supernatural elements. The world is governed by precision, engineering, and geography, all knowable and navigable.
Chapters: Ch 3, Ch 24, Ch 37
As today is Wednesday, the 2nd of October, I shall be due in London in this very room of the Reform Club, on Saturday, the 21st of December, at a quarter before nine p.m. (Ch 3, para 64)
Mr. Fogg had neither gained nor lost a single day. (Ch 24, para 37)
You have made a mistake of one day! We arrived twenty-four hours ahead of time; but there are only ten minutes left! (Ch 37, para 16)
I7. Lore: dripped in or dumped? AI
Lore is dripped in naturally. Mormon practices are introduced through Passepartout's attendance at a lecture (chapter 27). Indian suttee customs are explained as the rescue unfolds (chapter 12). Japanese acrobatics emerge through Passepartout's employment (chapter 23). Cultural details serve plot.
Chapters: Ch 12, Ch 27, Ch 23
The goddess Kali; the goddess of love and death. (Ch 12, para 19)
Elder William Hitch, Mormon missionary, taking advantage of his presence on train No. 48, would deliver a lecture on Mormonism in car No. 117, from eleven to twelve o’clock (Ch 27, para 5)
Good! another Japanese embassy departing for Europe! (Ch 22, para 32)
I8. Real history used, and how. AI
Real history grounds the narrative: the 1872 Bank of England robbery, actual steamship routes, the Pacific Railroad, the International Date Line. Verne uses real geography and contemporary technology to make the wager credible. No invented history.
Chapters: Ch 3, Ch 5, Ch 26
I’ve found the bank robber, Phileas Fogg. Send without delay warrant of arrest to Bombay. (Ch 5, para 12)
From ocean to ocean”—so say the Americans; and these four words compose the general designation of the “great trunk line” which crosses the entire width of the United States. (Ch 26, para 2)
I9. Journeys: distance and time taken. Both
The journey covers approximately 24,000 miles in eighty days. Verne tracks progress through chapters: London to Suez (5), Suez to Bombay (9), Bombay to Calcutta (14), Calcutta to Hong Kong (18), Hong Kong to Yokohama (24), Yokohama to San Francisco (25), San Francisco to New York (31), New York to Liverpool (33), Liverpool to London (37).
Chapters: Ch 3, Ch 9, Ch 14, Ch 18, Ch 24, Ch 25
As today is Wednesday, the 2nd of October, I shall be due in London in this very room of the Reform Club, on Saturday, the 21st of December, at a quarter before nine p.m. (Ch 3, para 64)
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)
You have made a mistake of one day! We arrived twenty-four hours ahead of time; but there are only ten minutes left! (Ch 37, para 16)
I10. Objects that matter, where they appear. Both
train is the object named most.
| Object | Mentions | Chapters |
|---|---|---|
| train | 119 | 18 |
| steamer | 91 | 25 |
| elephant | 29 | 6 |
| watch | 27 | 13 |
| wager | 25 | 14 |
| Henrietta | 24 | 2 |
| Tankadere | 21 | 4 |
| carpet-bag | 11 | 6 |
The elephant Kiouni matters in chapters 11 to 14, enabling the Indian crossing. The Tankadere (pilot boat) is crucial in chapters 20 to 21. The Henrietta (ship) appears in chapters 32 to 33. Money (the wager stake and bribes) is constant. Fogg's watch tracks time throughout.
Chapters: Ch 11, Ch 20, Ch 32
At two thousand pounds the Indian yielded. (Ch 11, para 48)
John Bunsby, master, at length gave the order to start, and the “Tankadere,” taking the wind under her brigantine, foresail, and standing-jib, bounded briskly forward over the waves. (Ch 20, para 73)
This was why Phileas Fogg was in command instead of Captain Speedy; why the captain was a prisoner in his cabin; and why, in short, the “Henrietta” was directing her course towards Liverpool. (Ch 33, para 4)
I11. Density of period detail. AI
Period detail is moderate. Verne includes steamship names, railway lines, and contemporary technology but avoids heavy historical or cultural immersion. Details serve plot clarity rather than atmospheric richness. The book reads as a blueprint of the world rather than a lived experience.
Chapters: Ch 9, Ch 26, Ch 32
From ocean to ocean”—so say the Americans; and these four words compose the general designation of the “great trunk line” which crosses the entire width of the United States. (Ch 26, para 2)
Mr. Fogg learned all this in consulting his “Bradshaw,” which gave him the daily movements of the transatlantic steamers. (Ch 32, para 3)
I12. Setting as an enemy. AI
Setting becomes an enemy through obstacles: the incomplete Indian railway, the Red Sea storm, the typhoon in Chinese seas, the buffalo herd, the broken bridge, the Sioux attack. Geography and weather actively resist Fogg's progress, forcing him to adapt.
Chapters: Ch 11, Ch 17, Ch 26, Ch 28, Ch 29
Phileas Fogg gazed at the tempestuous sea, which seemed to be struggling especially to delay him, with his habitual tranquillity. (Ch 18, para 3)
Glad it’s a typhoon from the south, for it will carry us forward. (Ch 21, para 32)
Phileas Fogg, who had the most reason of all to be in a hurry, remained in his seat, and waited philosophically until it should please the buffaloes to get out of the way. (Ch 26, para 21)
I13. Indoors against outdoors. Both
Outdoor words outnumber indoor words 181 to 138. (rough estimate from word lists)
Indoor share %, chapter by chapter
The book alternates between indoors (Reform Club, ships' cabins, trains) and outdoors (deserts, forests, plains, seas). Outdoor scenes dominate the middle chapters as Fogg travels. Indoors provides contrast and moments of rest or planning.
Chapters: Ch 3, Ch 11, Ch 26
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