Book Anatomy · Around the World in Eighty Days
Around the World in Eighty Days: Viewpoint and narration
14 lenses on viewpoint and narration 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: E1 E2 E3 E4 E5 E6 E7 E8 E9 E10 E11 E12 E13 E14
E1. Person and tense: first or third, past or present. Count
Third person, past tense. In the narration, past forms come 2,185 times and present forms 187 times.
E2. Whose viewpoint is each chapter? Both
third person. See the full lens on the book page.
E3. Share of the book told by each viewpoint character. Both
Fogg dominates as the primary viewpoint, especially in chapters 3 to 4, 6 to 7, 11 to 14, 20 to 21, 24 to 37. Passepartout's perspective is strong in chapters 1 to 2, 8 to 9, 13, 19, 22 to 23, 29 to 30. Fix's viewpoint appears in chapters 5 to 8, 16 to 17, 19 to 20, 24. Aouda has minimal direct viewpoint.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 5, Ch 8, Ch 19
E4. Narrative distance: close inside a head, or far off? AI
Narrative distance is moderate. The narrator enters characters' thoughts and feelings but maintains some distance. Fogg's inner life is sparse, reflecting his emotional reserve. Passepartout's thoughts are more accessible. Fix's calculations are shown directly. The narrator rarely intrudes with commentary.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 8, Ch 16, Ch 19, Ch 34
Calm and phlegmatic, with a clear eye, Mr. Fogg seemed a perfect type of that English composure which Angelica Kauffmann has so skilfully represented on canvas. (Ch 2, para 4)
His master’s idea charmed him; he perceived a heart, a soul, under that icy exterior. He began to love Phileas Fogg. (Ch 13, para 3)
He was passing methodically in his orbit around the world, regardless of the lesser stars which gravitated around him. (Ch 17, para 33)
E5. Strict viewpoint or head hopping? AI
The narrator respects viewpoint boundaries mostly. Chapters shift between Fogg, Passepartout, and Fix based on who is present or whose perspective serves the scene. Some head hopping occurs in ensemble scenes, but the primary focus is clear. Chapter 5 shifts from public reaction to Fix's thoughts.
Chapters: Ch 5, Ch 8, Ch 16, Ch 19, Ch 24
E6. Is the narrator reliable? Where are the cracks? AI
The narrator is reliable. Events are reported accurately, though the narrator withholds information the reader discovers alongside characters. Fix's mistaken belief that Fogg is the robber is presented as his conviction, not fact. The narrator does not deceive; it simply reveals truth gradually.
Chapters: Ch 5, Ch 6, Ch 7, Ch 33, Ch 36
I’ve found the bank robber, Phileas Fogg. Send without delay warrant of arrest to Bombay. (Ch 5, para 12)
An involuntary motion of surprise nearly escaped him, for the description in the passport was identical with that of the bank robber which he had received from Scotland Yard. (Ch 6, para 27)
E7. Frames and tales within tales. AI
No frames or tales within tales. The narrative is straightforward third person following Fogg's journey. Chapter 27 includes Elder Hitch's lecture on Mormon history, but it is not a nested story; it is a scene Passepartout attends.
Chapters: Ch 27
I tell you that Joe Smith is a martyr, that his brother Hiram is a martyr, and that the persecutions of the United States Government against the prophets will also make a martyr of Brigham Young. (Ch 27, para 8)
E8. Narrator asides and addresses to the reader. Both
1 paragraphs where the narrator seems to speak to the reader or about the telling. (rough estimate from word lists)
Ch 37, para 3: The reader will remember that at five minutes past eight in the evening—about five and twenty hours after the arrival of the travellers in London—Passepartout had been sent …
The narrator makes minimal asides. Chapter 10 includes a brief editorial comment on British policy toward native religions. The narrator occasionally addresses the reader indirectly through summary, but direct address is rare. The style is objective and restrained.
Chapters: Ch 10
It may be said here that the wise policy of the British Government severely punishes a disregard of the practices of the native religions. (Ch 10, para 19)
E9. Documents used: letters, diaries, reports, by type and sender. Both
How often each kind of document is named in the narration. (rough estimate from word lists)
| Document | Mentions |
|---|---|
| will | 8 |
| journal | 4 |
| note | 3 |
| newspaper | 2 |
| report | 2 |
| memorandum | 1 |
| manuscript | 1 |
| letter | 1 |
Documents appear sparingly. Chapter 5 mentions a telegram from Fix to Scotland Yard. Chapter 8 references the telegram requesting a warrant. Chapter 32 mentions Fogg consulting Bradshaw's railway guide. No letters, diaries, or reports are quoted directly.
Chapters: Ch 5, Ch 8, Ch 32
I’ve found the bank robber, Phileas Fogg. Send without delay warrant of arrest to Bombay. (Ch 5, para 12)
Having uttered these words with a cool, careless air, the detective took leave of the consul, and repaired to the telegraph office, whence he sent the dispatch which we have seen to the London police office. (Ch 8, para 60)
Mr. Fogg learned all this in consulting his “Bradshaw,” which gave him the daily movements of the transatlantic steamers. (Ch 32, para 3)
E10. What the narrator hides, and where the reader knows more than the lead. AI
The reader knows more than Fogg in several places. Fix's mistaken identity is revealed to the reader before Fogg learns it. Passepartout's drugging in chapter 19 is shown to the reader; Fogg discovers it later. The real robber's capture in chapter 36 is announced to the reader before Fogg hears it.
Chapters: Ch 5, Ch 19, Ch 33, Ch 36
I’ve found the bank robber, Phileas Fogg. Send without delay warrant of arrest to Bombay. (Ch 5, para 12)
At last!” said Fix, seeing Passepartout unconscious. “Mr. Fogg will not be informed of the ‘Carnatic’s’ departure; and, if he is, he will have to go without this cursed Frenchman! (Ch 19, para 71)
He now saw the detective’s trick; and at this moment Mr. Fogg was certainly ruined, his bet was lost, and he himself perhaps arrested and imprisoned! (Ch 22, para 19)
E11. Free indirect style: where the narrator slips into a character's voice. AI
Free indirect style is used sparingly. Chapter 2 slips into Passepartout's voice when describing the house's orderliness. Chapter 16 uses it to show Fix's internal conflict. Chapter 34 uses it to convey Fogg's despair. The technique is subtle and brief.
Chapters: Ch 2, Ch 16, Ch 34
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)
The presence of Aouda on the “Rangoon,” in company with Phileas Fogg, gave him new material for reflection. (Ch 16, para 10)
if Phileas Fogg was honest he was ruined; if he was a knave, he was caught. (Ch 34, para 9)
E12. How thought is shown: tagged, italic or blended. Count
Thought is mostly shown with tags like thought, said to himself, reflected.
| Tag | Times |
|---|---|
| thought | 55 |
| said to himself | 4 |
| reflected | 3 |
| asked himself | 1 |
| wondered | 0 |
| said to herself | 0 |
| asked herself | 0 |
| told himself | 0 |
E13. What triggers each change of viewpoint? AI
Viewpoint shifts when the narrative focus moves to a character present in a scene or whose perspective serves the plot. Chapter 5 shifts to Fix because he is pursuing Fogg. Chapter 19 focuses on Passepartout because he is drugged and separated from Fogg. Chapter 22 follows Passepartout because Fogg is absent.
Chapters: Ch 5, Ch 8, Ch 19, Ch 22, Ch 24
E14. Hindsight: where an older narrator comments on events. AI
No hindsight narrator. The story is told in immediate present tense, following events as they unfold. The narrator does not comment from a later vantage point. Chapter 37's revelation about the day gained is discovered by Passepartout in real time, not recalled.
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