Book Anatomy · Journey to the Centre of the Earth
Journey to the Centre of the Earth: Pace
16 lenses on pace for Journey to the Centre of the Earth 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
44 chapters, median 1,993 words. See the full lens on the book page.
D2. Mean sentence length per chapter. Count
Mean 16.1 words. See the full lens on the book page.
D3. Paragraph length per chapter. Count
Paragraphs average 35 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 44 alternate between dramatic moments (descents, discoveries, storms) and brief summaries of travel. Chapter 22 and 35 are pure summary; chapters 39 to 42 are intense action sequences.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 22, Ch 35, Ch 39, Ch 40, Ch 41
I wish to be able on our return to the upper regions to make a map of our journey, a kind of vertical section of the globe (Ch 22, para 4)
I make out that we have journeyed two hundred and fifty miles from the point of our departure (Ch 22, para 9)
D5. Action against reflection, per chapter. AI
Early chapters balance action and reflection equally. Middle chapters (15 to 21) lean heavily toward action as the water crisis unfolds. Late chapters (39 to 43) are almost pure action during the volcanic escape. Chapter 24 is pure internal reflection.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 15, Ch 20, Ch 24, Ch 39, Ch 42
Suddenly I felt a deadly faintness come over me. My eyes could no longer see; my knees shook. I gave one despairing cry--and fell! (Ch 19, para 14)
I was literally buried alive; with no other expectation before me but to die in all the slow horrible torture of hunger and thirst (Ch 24, para 2)
What happened after that? As to the terrific roar of the explosion, I do not think I heard it. But the form of the rocks completely changed in my eyes--they seemed to be drawn aside like a curtain. (Ch 39, para 24)
D6. Tension score per chapter (1 to 5) as a curve. AI
Peak 5 of 5, mean 3.3. 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
27 of 44 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 with dialogue or immediate action. Chapters 6, 9, 10 open after time jumps signalled by travel descriptions. Chapter 22 opens with a summary statement. Chapter 35 opens mid-lecture.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 6, Ch 9, Ch 22, Ch 35, Ch 39
Half an hour later we reached Gardar. (Ch 9, para 49)
After four hours of steady traveling, the horses stopped of themselves before the door of the presbytery of Stapi. (Ch 10, para 36)
I wish to be able on our return to the upper regions to make a map of our journey, a kind of vertical section of the globe (Ch 22, para 4)
D10. Do chapters and sentences get shorter near the climax? Count
In the last fifth, chapters run at 1.05 times the length of earlier ones, and sentences at 0.94 times. So things speed up near the end.
D11. Dialogue density against pace. Count
Link between dialogue share and chapter length: -0.27 (1 is a perfect match, 0 none). Between dialogue share and tension: -0.24.
Dialogue % per chapter, chapter by chapter
D12. Time jumps and how they are signalled. Both
30 time jump phrases in the narration, such as 'next morning' or 'years later'.
| Where | Phrase |
|---|---|
| c4p55 | next day |
| c4p56 | Next day |
| c6p14 | Two days later |
| c7p62 | next day |
| c8p8 | next year |
| c8p40 | next day |
| c10p15 | next day |
| c10p21 | Next day |
Time jump phrases, chapter by chapter
Ch 4, para 55: I passed a terrible night. I was called early the next day to learn that the resolution of my uncle was unchanged and irrevocable. I also found my …
Ch 4, para 56: Next day, at five o'clock in the morning, the post chaise was at the door. Gretchen and the old cook received the keys of the house; and, scarcely …
Ch 6, para 14: Towards evening the schooner doubled Cape Skagen, the northernmost part of Denmark, crossed the Skagerrak during the night--skirted the extreme point of Norway through the gut of Cape …
Ch 7, para 62: The conversation ended by compliments on both sides. During the dinner my uncle had learned much as to the history of Arne Saknussemm, the reasons for his mysterious …
Ch 8, para 8: When she can find no more the male bird sets to work to see what he can do. As, however, his down is not so soft, and has …
Ch 8, para 40: The next day our labor came to an end. Our worthy host delighted my uncle, Professor Hardwigg, by giving him a good map of Iceland, a most important …
Time jumps are signalled by travel descriptions (chapters 6, 9, 10), by summary statements (chapter 22), or by chapter breaks. The book uses 'after X days' or location changes to mark passage. No explicit clock notation except the June deadline.
Chapters: Ch 6, Ch 9, Ch 10, Ch 22, Ch 28, Ch 29
Half an hour later we reached Gardar. (Ch 9, para 49)
After four hours of steady traveling, the horses stopped of themselves before the door of the presbytery of Stapi. (Ch 10, para 36)
I make out that we have journeyed two hundred and fifty miles from the point of our departure (Ch 22, para 9)
D13. Info dump spots: long runs with no action or speech. Both
13 stretches of 900 words or more with no speech at all. These are where description, summary or backstory pile up.
| Starts at | Words | Paragraphs |
|---|---|---|
| c39p24 | 1886 | 45 |
| c24p16 | 1439 | 26 |
| c11p46 | 1224 | 27 |
| c12p23 | 1094 | 25 |
| c40p63 | 1084 | 25 |
| c35p5 | 1068 | 13 |
| c35p33 | 1042 | 26 |
| c17p18 | 1038 | 22 |
Chapter 22 is a pure info dump where the Professor calculates their position and depth. Chapter 35 is a long lecture on paleontology with no action. Chapter 41 contains extended reflection on hunger. Most other chapters mix action with brief reflection.
Chapters: Ch 22, Ch 35, Ch 41
I wish to be able on our return to the upper regions to make a map of our journey, a kind of vertical section of the globe (Ch 22, para 4)
I make out that we have journeyed two hundred and fifty miles from the point of our departure (Ch 22, para 9)
Hunger, prolonged, is temporary madness! The brain is at work without its required food (Ch 41, para 2)
D14. Reading time per chapter. Count
About 5.7 hours to read at 250 words a minute. The longest chapter takes 12.3 minutes.
Minutes per chapter, chapter by chapter
D15. Micro tension in quiet scenes. AI
Not enough in the text to answer this one yet.
D16. Section breaks per chapter. Count
3 section breaks marked in the text, in 1 of 44 chapters.
Section breaks, chapter by chapter
Ask Journey to the Centre of the Earth a question about its craft (free beta)
Answers cite chapter and paragraph, and every quote is checked against the text. (3 free questions a day).
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