20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Page 1 of 21

Book Club Discussion Guide

Background Information
Jules Verne is an iensel! i"ortant and "roli#c $rench %riter& 'long %ith (&G&
)ells *author of )ar of the )orlds and +he ,n-isible .an/, he is res"onsible for
the founding of science0#ction %riting& Jules Verne %as born on $eb 1 2121 in
3antes, $rance& $ro childhood, he ne-er %anted to be an!thing but a %riter,
resisting his father4s atte"ts to set hi on the "ractical "ath of la%!ering&
(is father %as a successful la%!er, fro a fail! of an! la%!ers and his
other %as fro a ilitar! fail!& Jules %as the oldest5 he had one brother and
three sisters& ,n school he did -er! %ell in geogra"h! and %rote #ction and
"oetr! fre6uentl!& (e o-ed to Paris to stud! la%, and becae engaged to his
cousin, Caroline +ho"son7although, the! ne-er arried& During this tie
he befriended "la!%right 'le8ander Duas *the author of +he +hree .usketeers
and +he Count of .onte Cristo/ and began %riting "la!s&
+his stor! o"ens in the !ear 2199& :-er!one in :uro"e and 'erica is talking
about a !sterious creature that has been sinking shi"s& $inall!, the United
States go-ernent decides to coission the Abraham Lincoln to ca"ture and
identif! the creature& ;n board the shi" are Pierre 'ronna8, a reno%ned $rench
scientist along %ith his ser-ant, Conseil, and 3ed Land the king of har"ooners&
+he Abraham Lincoln is attacked b! the creature& 'ronna8, Conseil and Land go
o-erboard& +he three en #nd thesel-es on to" of the !sterious creature,
%hich is actuall! a subarine -essel& +he! are taken on board and the real
ad-enture begins&
Ca"tain 3eo treats the en, es"eciall! 'ronna8, -er! %ell& +he! are clothed
and fed and a! %ander around the -essel at their leisure& 'ronna8 is thrilled
b! 3eo4s -ast librar!& +he en s"end their tie obser-ing sea life through
obser-ation %indo%s& 'ronna8 studies and %rites about e-er!thing he sees&
During their tie on the Nautilus, the en e8"erience an! e8citing
ad-entures& +he! hunt in under%ater forests, -isit an island %ith angr! nati-es,
-isit the lost cit! of 'tlantis, and #sh for giant "earls& (o%e-er, there are also
an! distressing e-ents cou"led %ith the erratic beha-ior of Ca"tain 3eo&
Discussion Questions
)hat is <natural histor!= or <natural "hiloso"h!=> )hat %ould %e call this
toda!>
.an! describe Ca"tain 3eo as one of the greatest -illains in literature& Do
!ou see hi as onl! a -illain> Use incidents fro the book to back u" !our
o"inion&
;ne ain character al%a!s acts as a an of intellect, %hile another is a an
of action& )hich t%o characters do !ou belie-e #t these descri"tions>
*'ronna8 beha-es as a an of intellect and 3ed Land beha-es as a an of
action&/
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Page 2 of 21
Book Club Discussion Guide
Soe %riters ha-e seen Ca"tain 3eo as a an %ho de#es God& )hat do
!ou think> :8"lain !our ans%er&
)hat is the eaning of Ca"tain 3eo?s #nal %ords, @'light! God, enoughA
:noughA@>
:-er! stor! has a <ood&= )hat %ould !ou sa! the ood of this stor! is>
)h! do !ou think that is> B'ns%erC +his stor! is "riaril! !sterious and
dark& +he !ster! results fro the author4s "reoccu"ation %ith Ca"tain
3eo4s identit!&
Peo"le toda! are -er! concerned about the en-ironent& Do !ou see an!
en-ironental concerns e8"ressed in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea?
(a-e !ou read an! other science #ction that had -alid "redictions for an?s
future> )hat in-entions #rst a""eared in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and
other science #ction that later becae realities> 're all the fantastic
in-entions in this book "redicted b! Verne, or did soe of the alread!
e8ist>
)hat %as the ost interesting e"isode in the book for !ou>
(o% long is a fatho> (o% did it get its nae>
)hat does the ter @hea-ing the log@ ean> B'ns%erC it eans trailing a
de-ice attached to a line that easures the shi"?s s"eed&D
)hat is 6uicksil-er> (o% is it used> )hat aEects, either good andFor bad,
has it had on the en-ironent>
,n the beginning of cha"ter 1 of "art one, electric lights are s"oken of5
ho%e-er, the lightbulb had not been in-ented !et at the tie that 20,000
Leagues %as %ritten& )hat obGect could ha-e been a "rediction of the light
bulb> B'ns%erC +he @half globe, un"olished@ that %as on the ceiling&D
)hat is es"eranto> B'ns%erC a @%orld language@ though not %idel! used as of !etD
)hat is the otto on the dinner ser-ice> )hat does it ean> )h! do !ou
think it is a""ro"riate> B'ns%erC obilis in obili5 @o-ing in a o-ing thing@5
since the subarine o-es in a o-ing thing 00 the ocean 00 the otto is -er! a"t&D
(o% is o8!gen re"lenished in odern da! subarines> (o% %as it su""osed
to be re"lenished on 3eo?s subarine> (o% %as it rene%ed in the #rst
subarines, such as the Monitor and the Merrimac>
)hat is a conch!liologist> B'ns%erC also kno%n as a conchologist, it is a "erson
%ho studies shell#sh and their shells&D
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Page 3 of 21
Book Club Discussion Guide
Jules Verne?s %ork foretold of futuristic ad-ances and the @arch of
"rogress&@ But Jules %as concerned about this future& Do !ou think that
huankind has used "rogress and technolog! for good or e-il>
(o% has Jules Verne?s book been of soe of the e-ents and scienti#c
in-entions and ad-ances of our centur!>
's a !oung bo! Verne adored Daniel Defoe?s Hobinson Caruso& ,f !ou ha-e
read this book, can !ou see siilarities in this stor! and 20,000 Leagues>
Verne?s uni6ue cobination of art and science ade his %ork e8treel!
"o"ular, e-en o-er a centur! later& Can !ou think of e8a"les of art and
science together in this stor!>
're there an! authors of the t%entieth centur! %ith %ho !ou could
co"are Jules Verne>
.an! of Jules Verne?s %ork %ere illustrated %hen the! #rst a""eared& Do !ou
ha-e an! illustrations of !our fa-orite scenes to share>
,n this book, and in an! older books, !ou %ill see references to "eo"le that
%ould be fro%ned u"on in our current ties, and that are often oEensi-e to
us& Soe "eo"le refuse to read books that stereot!"e grou"s of "eo"le,
es"eciall! in condescending %a!s, such as the "rofessor?s descri"tions of
nati-e "eo"les as @sa-ages@& But it is i"ortant to understand, that e-en
though it is %rong to classif! "eo"le like that, ost "eo"le of the ties didn?t
kno that it %as %rong&
,f Jules Verne %as %riting toda!, , belie-e he %ould ha-e done diEerentl!& Do !ou
notice that Conseil and 3ed are called b! their #rst naes as if children, but ne-er is
the Professor called Pierre> 'nd Conseil, a gro%n an, is called %hat> *ans%er, <Bo!@
because he is a ser-ant& (unting for s"ort is oEensi-e to an! "eo"le&/ +he collecting
of s"eciens as one %ould collect coins or sta"s is -er! fro%ned u"on no% that an!
of these s"ecies and habitats are endangered&
)h! should %e read or not read books like this> *'3S):HC ,f %e decide not to
read books like this one, or like @(uckleberr! $inn@ or other books %ritten in diEerent
ties, %e %ill ne-er understand the ties thesel-es& +his is the onl! %a! !ou can
learn %hat "eo"le actuall! thought and felt and belie-ed in those ties& /
,f !ou had gro%n u" in those da!s too, !ou %ould likel! belie-e the sae things, no
atter %hat !ou think no%& ,f !ou refuse to read books because the language and
thoughts of the tie are oEensi-e to !ou, !ou ust realiIe that J;U are choosing to be
close0inded and "reGudiced& Jou can read books and understand the %ithout
agreeing %ith the& ,t is unfair to Gudge an author %riting in 21K0 b! the sae
standards, because he hasn?t been taught the sae things& 'nd it %ould be incorrect,
as %ell, because as !ou read !ou %ill see that Verne has his o%n essage that ight
not e-er be heard if !ou can?t forgi-e hi for being born %hen he %as&
Fun facts and Ideas that Relate to the Story:
Did !ou kno% & & & +he oLcial in-entor of the "erisco"e %as not granted a "atent on his
de-ice& )h!> 'n accurate descri"tion of the de-ice alread! e8isted in Jules Verne?s
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea 0 a book %ritten in 219M&
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Page 4 of 21
Book Club Discussion Guide
Did !ou kno% & & & that Jules Verne got seasick the #rst tie he tried to tra-el, and so he
ne-er %ent an!%here but $rance> (e %rote fro a boat he had oored oE the coast,
but ne-er %ent out to sea or reall! %ent an!%here, other than in his fantastic
iaginations &
@+%ent! +housand@ in the title of the book does not refer to de"th but to the distance
the 3autilus tra-els %hile under the sea o-er the course of its ad-entures in this book&
Survival in the water
Jou see this all the tie in books, es"eciall! old books, and !ou %ill hear it
throughout !our life& Jou %ill hear that if !ou fall in the %ater and !ou %ill ha-e
to s%i a long %a! to safet!, !ou should take oE !our clothing because it is so
hea-! %ith all the %ater soaked u" in it&
)e all kno% ho% hea-! our clothes get %hen the! are soaked, so it akes
sense to us& But it?s %rongA
+hings sink because the! are ore dense than %ater& But %ater is not ore
dense than %aterA So the %ater that soaks into !our clothes is not going to "ull
!ou do%n an! ore than if !ou are naked&
The Kraken
Probabl! no legendar! sea onster %as as horrif!ing as
the Nraken& 'ccording to stories this huge, an! ared,
creature could reach as high as the to" of a sailing shi"?s
ain ast& Nrakens %ould attack a shi", %ra" their ars
around the hull and ca"siIe it& +he cre% %ould dro%n or
be eaten b! the onster& )hat?s aaIing about the
Nraken stories is that, of all the sea onster tales %e
ha-e, %e ha-e the best e-idence that these are real&
:arl! stories about Nraken, fro 3or%a! in the t%elfth
centur!, refer to a creature the siIe of an island& :-en in
2KO2, %hen the Bisho" of Bergen, %rote his !he Natural
"istor# of Nora# he described the Nraken as a @Poating
island@ one and a half iles across& @,t sees these are
the creatures?s ars, and, it is said, if the! %ere to la!
hold of the largest an0of0%ar, the! %ould "ull it do%n to
the botto&@ Later Nraken stories bring the creature do%n
to a saller, but still onstrous, siIe&
+he Nraken of legend is "robabl! %hat %e kno% toda! as the giant s6uid& )hile
a colossal octo"us ight also #t the descri"tion, the s6uid is thought to be
uch ore aggressi-e and ore likel! to coe to the surface %here it ight be
seen b! an& +hough giant s6uids are considerabl! less then a ile and a half
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Page 5 of 21
Book Club Discussion Guide
across, the! are large enough to %restle %ith a s"er %hale& ;n at least three
occasions in the 2MQ0?s the! attacked a shi"& )hile the s6uids got the %orst of
these encounters %hen the! slid into the shi"?s "ro"ellers, the fact that the!
attacked at all sho%s that it is "ossible for these creatures to istake a -essel
for a %hale&
)hat if a large s6uid, sa! 200 ft long and %eighing t%o or three tons, attacked a
sall sailing shi"> *.an! earl! -essels, e-en those that crossed the 'tlantic,
easured uch less than 2004 long/ ,t ight %ell ha-e been able to turn it o-er&
Ships' Bells htt"CFF%eb"ages&charter&netFstoneturtleQF20NF20N"t2ch20Q&htl
Shi"s used to use bells to signal tie& +he! rang bells so sailors could tell %hen
their %atch %as o-er& Bells %ere rang e-er! half hour of a R0hour %atch, like
thisC
:! 2 bell
": 2 bells
":! 2 bells, "ause, 2 bell
#: 2 bells, "ause, 2 bells
#:! 2 bells, "ause, 2 bells, "ause, 2 bell
!: 2 bells, "ause, 2 bells, "ause, 2 bells
!:! 2 bells, "ause, 2 bells, "ause, 2 bells, "ause, 2 bell
$: 2 bells, "ause, 2 bells, "ause, 2 bells, "ause, 2 bells
+r! to #gure out %hat tie it is %hen the Professor talks about bells&
Stea% Fri&ates
' frigate is a kind of shi", like a schooner or a brigantine& ' frigate has Q asts
and is 6uite a large shi"& Click here to see good inforation about sailing
frigates& +he Abraham Lincoln %as a stea frigate, she used a stea engine to
turn a "addle %heel or a "ro"eller *scre%/& But she had three asts too&
+he earl! steashi"s had asts because the stea engines broke do%n often,
or the! ight run out of fuel, so the! could raise sails an! tie the! needed to
and kee" going& ,t is -er! dangerous for a shi" to be unable to o-e out in the
ocean& +he cre% can run out of fresh %ater and food 6uickl!, and also the shi"
needs to be aneu-erable to a-oid obstacles, stors, or eneies& (ere is a
"icture of a stea frigate&
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Page 6 of 21
Book Club Discussion Guide
2& Stern 2& Bo%Q& Paddle )heel R& $oreast O& .ainast 9& .iIIenast
K& Soke stack 1& Bo%s"rit M& Dol"hin striker or .artingale Boo
)hen 3ed Land is @in the .artingales@ tr!ing to har"oon the
onster, this is %here he %as& +hat certainl! looks e8citingA
Se'tants
' se8tant is a handheld na-igational de-ice that allo%ed seaen to deterine
latitude and longitude& ,t %as a bit ore co"licated than the co"ass and
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Page 7 of 21
Book Club Discussion Guide
re6uired the use of tables and charts, so one had to be able to read to use it&
+he %hole idea is that !ou can #nd the angle bet%een a star and the horiIon&
Look at this diagra& B and the dark "art of ' are irrors, and the ar *reall!
called a le$el/ L can be o-ed, %hich o-es irror B& Jou look through the
telesco"e and line u" carefull! on the horiIon straight in front of !ou& +hen !ou
o-e the le-el until the iage of the desired star, rePected fro B to ' to the
telesco"e, looks like it lines u" right on the horiIon too& +hen !ou can read the
angular distance bet%een the star and the horiIon on the scale that the le-el
"oints to& +his %ill tell !ou ho% high the star is in degrees&
+he sun at noon is a great indicator of
latitude, on the e6uator it is high in the sk!, but in the far north it ne-er gets
-er! high& ,t %as eas! to #gure out %a!s to calculate latitude fro the "osition
of the sun or the north star&
D()'T *+*) T,I)K (F -((KI). /T T,* S0) T,R(0., / T*-*S1(2*
(R T,R(0., /)3T,I). *-S* 0)-*SS 3(0 ,/+* /) *3*B/-- 3(0
D()'T )**D /)34(R*5
There is a very &ood description of TID*S and how they work
here: htt"CFF%eb"ages&charter&netFstoneturtleQF20NF20N"t2ch2M020&htl
The Bends:
)hen the "rofessor discusses the return route, he sa!s @But this return to the
u""er strata %as not so sudden as to cause relief fro the "ressure too ra"idl!,
%hich ight ha-e "roduced serious disorder in our organiIation, and brought on
internal lesions, so fatal to di-ers& @
)hat he is talking about is decom%ression sickness, ore coonl! kno%n as
the 6ends& +his is a condition that can aEect di-ers %ho go fro higher
"ressure de"ths *greater than 20 eters/ u" to the surface too 6uickl!& Jou see,
the air in the scuba tanks is Gust thatC 'ir& ,t is Gust co"ressed air fro the
atos"here, so it is ostl! nitrogen& ,n high0"ressure atos"heres, the bod!
deals %ith nitrogen diEerentl! than it does at regular "ressure& ,n high0"ressure,
the nitrogen %ill be li6ui#ed and it %ill be absorbed into the bod!?s fatt! tissues
instead of being e8haled %ith other %aste gasses&
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Page 8 of 21
Book Club Discussion Guide
)hen the di-er returns to noral "ressures, the nitrogen %ill becoe a gas
again& ,f the di-er surfaces slo%l!, the bod! can deal %ith the change& +he
nitrogen re-erts to gaseous state slo%l! and ooIes out of the bod! safel!& But if
the di-er surfaces too ra"idl!, the nitrogen can turn to gas too fast, and for
bubbles too large to diEuse back through the tissues again&
+hink about %hen !ou o"en a bottle of soda, all the little gas bubbles that %ere
li6uid under "ressure return to their gaseous state& +hese little nitrogen bubbles
can cause all kinds of trouble in a bod!& S!"tos can include blotch! rashes,
"ainful and iobile Goints, diIIiness, "ersonalit! changes, unconsciousness,
and e-en death& :arl! di-ers naed the condition @the bends@ because the!
couldn?t bend their Goints %hen aEected&
)h! don?t di-ing anials like %hales get the bends> Unlike huan di-ers,
di-ing anials don?t ha-e a su""l! of air do%n there to breathe, so the! are
holding their breath all that tie instead of inhaling air& 'lso, an! di-ing
anials actuall! e8hale before di-ing& +heir bodies are -er! suited for di-ing&
+heir blood can carr! ore o8!gen than that of a huan, and their tissues can
store ore o8!gen&
The Sue7 1anal
+he SueI canal o"ened in 219M, Gust after our subarine ad-enture takes "lace&
,t cut through the ,sthus of SueI, running north and south, and is about 221
iles long&
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Page 9 of 21
Book Club Discussion Guide
2earls
Pearls are -er! highl! "riIed ges& Unlike other gestones, %hich are found
%ithin the :arth, "earls are ade b! certain ollusks& Soe kind of foreign
aterial, such as sand, gets into the ollusk?s shell and irritates its soft bod!&
+he ollusk can?t get rid of the aterial, so it surrounds it %ith the sae stuE it
uses to line the inside of its shell&
Pearls are not considered to be true ges because the! are -er! soft co"ared
to the true gestones& +he! are onl! about one third of the hardness of
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Page 10 of 21
Book Club Discussion Guide
diaond& )e think of the as being al%a!s %hite, but the! can also be black,
bro%n, gra!, rose, red, blue, green, "ur"le, or !ello%& Like sno%Pakes, no t%o
"earls are e8actl! alike& +he s"herical "earls %e see ost in Ge%elr! are the
rarest and ost -aluable "earls&
Red Tides
Can !ou iagine the ocean turning red> .a!be !ou ha-e heard of red tides
before, or a!be !ou ha-e e-en seen one& +he! can occur in lakes and ri-ers
too& ' red tide ha""ens %hen gaIillions of icrosco"ic organiss get together
in the %ater& +hese icroorganiss are there naturall! at all ties, but
soeties the en-ironent is Gust right for the to ulti"l! drasticall!& +he!
turn the %ater bro%nish or redish& +his discoloration can e8ist for Gust a fe%
s6uare !ards or e8ceed 2000 s6uare ilesA
.an! red tides are harless& ,t de"ends on the kind of organis that has
ulti"lied& But soe red tides can kill #sh and other sea anials& ;ther red
tides ight not kill the sea life, but the! ight ake shell#sh "oisonous to eat&
(arful red tides are caused b! organiss called dinoPagellates& +here are
diEerent kinds of dinoPagellates& Soe of the "roduce a to8in that "aral!Ies
and kills #sh& ;thers ight kill #sh b! using u" alost all the o8!gen in the
%ater& +o read a ne%s re"ort and to -ie% a -ideo about a harful red tide in
+e8as, click here&
0nderwater +olcanoes
Volcanoes can ha""en under%ater Gust as the! ha""en on land& ,n fact, an!
islands are created b! the cone of a -olcano e-entuall! rising abo-e sea le-el&
+here is an under%ater laborator! stud!ing undersea -olcanoes in the Paci#c
ocean& ,t is called )e4( *haha that is so C;;LA/& +hat?s short for )ew
4illenniu% (6servatory& Click their logo to go -isit their %ebsite& S"end a lot
of tie in the Dee"sea Galler!& +he! ha-e -ideos, sound cli"s, and "ictures&
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Page 11 of 21
Book Club Discussion Guide
/tlantis
'tlantis is one of those !steries that "eo"le ha-e debated for centuries, and
%hich the! Gust can?t agree on& Soe "eo"le belie-e it %as Gust a #ctional stor!
that a faous "hiloso"her, Plato, ade u" to illustrate a "oint& ;thers belie-e
that there is soe truth in the stor!, that it describes a catastro"he %hich
destro!ed the .inoan ci-iliIation and the island of +hera& Still others belie-e
that 'tlantis reall! e8isted, Gust as Plato described it, and lies lost beneath the
%a-es soe%here Gust %aiting for us to #nd itA
The Deep8 Deep (cean
+he Nautilus do-e to the botto of the sea at ROS QK? south latitude, and QKS
OQ? %est longitude& Check that "oint out on a "h!sical a" that sho%s the
ountains and -alle!s under the sea& +he! found that the de"th there %as
R1,000 feet& Verne?s book %as %ritten at a tie before the ocean Poor had
been a""ed, and he ade u" that #gure&
,t?s not a bad guess though& ,n fact, the dee"est "oint in an! ocean can be
found in the Challenger Dee", %hich is near the .ariannas ,slands in the Paci#c&
,t?s also called the .ariannas +rench& Can !ou #nd it> ,n 2M90, the US 3a-! sent
a tin! subersible -ehicle naed the !rieste do%n there %ith 2 en in it& +he!
touched botto at QO,12Q?& +he %ater "ressure there %as about 29,000 "ounds
"er s6uare inch, %ith alost K iles of %ater o-er their headsA Ja"an has
bounced sound %a-es oE the botto of the Challenger Dee", and the dee"est
"oint the! ha-e found so far is QO,1Q1?& ,f !ou cut .ount :-erest oE at sea le-el
and "ut it do%n in the .ariannas +rench, it %ould still ha-e ore than a ile of
%ater o-er itA
9hirlpools ' %hirl"ool is %ater o-ing in a s"iral otion, like %ater going
do%n !our bathtub drain& +he! can also occur in ri-ers and e-en oceans& (ere is
a "icture of one in the ocean oE of the coast $rance& ,? not sure ho% big it is
but it looks "rett! large&
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Page 12 of 21
Book Club Discussion Guide
Usuall! %hirl"ools onl! e8ist under certain conditions and do not "ersist& +here
is a faous and "ersistant %hirl"ool belo% 3iagara $alls, %here the ri-er circles
around before heading do%nstrea& Jou can take a cable car across itA
+he .aelstro is a -er! faous current that has been a enace to sailors for
hundreds of !ears& ,t s%ee"s back and forth bet%een t%o islands of the Lofoten
grou" oE the north%estern coast of 3or%a!& )hene-er the %ind blo%s against it
bet%een high and lo% tide, it fors iense %hirl"ools that can destro! sall
shi"s& Visit this site to read ore about it&
Like a lot of things, the "o%er of the .aelstro has been e8aggerated through
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Page 13 of 21
Book Club Discussion Guide
the !ears, including in the book !ou Gust #nished& ,t has becoe so faous that
the %ord @aelstro@ is no% s!non!ous %ith @%hirl"ool@, and it is also used to
describe an! turoil of %ides"read inPuence&
Science Fiction Inventions by Jules Verne
Invention Source Work (Publication Date)
Atmospheric Advertisin - write it on the clouds In the Year 2889 (1889)
!olumbiad - 900 foot cannon From the Earth to the Moon (1867)
!ommunicate "ith #$traterrestrials - first use of
concept
From the Earth to the Moon (1867)
Divin Apparatus - scuba diving in the 19th century 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1875)
#lectri%y the &ull - repel boarders 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1875)
Free 'eturn (ra)ectory - first !ention From the Earth to the Moon (1867)
*aunchin Facility - in "lorida From the Earth to the Moon (1867)
*eyden +all - grandfather of the taser 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1875)
*iht Pressure Propulsion - first use of this idea From the Earth to the Moon (1867)
*ive ,e"s - prediction of newscasts In the Year 2889 (1889)
,autilus - #aptain $e!o%s ride 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1875)
Phonotelephote - earliest reference to videophone In the Year 2889 (1889)
Pro)ectile-Vehicle - &erne%s spacecraft From the Earth to the Moon (1867)
'ecorded ,e"s - 'ivo for radio in 1889 In the Year 2889 (1889)
'etro-'ockets - &erne invented the! From the Earth to the Moon (1867)
Spashdo"n - the original idea From the Earth to the Moon (1867)
Weihtlessness - true science fiction discovery From the Earth to the Moon (1867)
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Page 14 of 21
Book Club Discussion Guide
Balderdash type voca6ulary word su&&estions:
/pparition ' ghostl! iage5 "hanto5 s"ecter& ' startling or rearkable sight&
1aricature ' de"iction, in a dra%ing or -erbal descri"tion, that deliberatel!
e8aggerates or distorts soe features of the "erson or thing re"resented to "roduce a
coic or grotes6ue a""earance
1etacean ;f or belonging to the grou" of a6uatic aals that includes %hales,
"or"oises, and dol"hins
,yper6orean ,ndicating the far north or arctic region& Ver! cold5 frigid&
Ichthyolo&ist ' scientist that studies #shes and other %ater0d%elling anials&
-ea&ue ' unit of length e6ual to about three iles or R&1 kiloeters&
-loyd's Llo!d?s of London, an insurance co"an! that insures shi"s and cargoes,
aong other things& Before about 211K, the! onl! insured aritie -entures, so the!
%ould be -er! interested if a onster %as destro!ing shi"sA
-ucu6rations Laborious stud! or %ork, es"eciall! late at night
2erforation ' hole or series of sall holes, es"eciall! such as is ade to cause "a"er,
sta"s, or the like to tear ore easil!
2rodi&ious :8treel! large or great in siIe, aount, strength, e8tent, or the like5
enorous&
Scrupulous 'dhering strictl! to standards of ethics or oralit!&
/rchiotheriu% , bet this is 'rchaeotheriu, an e8tinct %ild boar that li-ed in 3orth
'erica about QO illion !ears ago& +o learn ore, click on the "icture&
Ba6iroussa ' %ild "ig of the east indies, the ale of %hich has tusks that gro% u"
through the snout and cur-e back%ard to%ard the e!es&
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Page 15 of 21
Book Club Discussion Guide
1heropota%us , dunno, i can?t #nd it an!%here&&& Do !ou think -erne %as "ulling our
leg> (e?s -er! careful about his scienti#c ters in other areas& .a!be this is an old0
fashioned ter, or a!be it is s"elled diEerentl! no%& .a!be !ou can #nd it
soe%hereA
1on:ecture +he aking of a guess or inference, es"eciall! %ith little e-idence&
,yracotheriu% Better kno%n as @eohi""us@ *%hich eans @the da%n horse@/, this
anial li-ed in the eocene "eriod& ,t %as about the siIe of a sall dog, and is the oldest
kno%n horse& Je", the "icture is clickableA
(reodon ' "rehistoric aal, but no% %e call it er!coidodon& Closel! related to
shee"&
2hle&%atic 3ot gi-en to sho%s of eotion or interest5 slo% to e8cite
2lausi6le Seeing to be truthful or reasonable5 credible
2oop +he su"erstructure on the stern of a shi" *the stern is the back end/& +he deck on
the to" of this structure5 "oo" deck& ,t coes fro the Latin %u%%is, %hich eans the
stern&
2ort%anteau ' stiE, usuall! leather suitcase that o"ens into t%o hinged "arts&
Revictualed Hestocked %ith food&
Shoal 'n ele-ated ridge or area in the botto of a bod! of %ater, es"eciall! one that is
unco-ered at lo% tide5 sandbar&
Soundin&s +he act of easuring the de"th of %ater&
/r&us ' giant %ith 200 e!es %ho %as ade guardian of ,o and %as later slain b!
(eres&
/udacity Courage or boldness, es"eciall! %hen soe%hat o-ercon#dent, reckless, or
arrogant5 daring&
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Page 16 of 21
Book Club Discussion Guide
Blunder6uss 'n earl! shoulder0gun ha-ing a short barrel, Pared at the uIIle to
scattershot at close range&
Breech +he back "art of a gun barrel, es"eciall! the location of the loading echanis
and chaber&
1achalot ' s"er %hale&
Forecastle +he section of the u""er deck of a shi" at the bo% or in front of the
foreast5 an! seaan?s 6uarters, located in the for%ard "art of a shi"&
-eviathan ' biblical sea onster5
)arwhal 'n arctic a6uatic aal related to the dol"hin, that has a s"otted "elt and,
on the ale, a long s"irall! t%isted i-or! tusk "roGecting fro the u""er Ga%&
2alpitate +o beat %ith e8cessi-e ra"idit!5 throb&
Taciturn (abituall! silent and uncounicati-e&
/&&lo%eration ' confused or Gubled ass&
1audal ;f, at, or near the tail or hind "art of the bod!&
Fatho% ' unit of length e6ual to si8 feet, used to easure the de"th of %ater or
ines&
.radations ' "rocess of change taking "lace through gradual degrees or stages&
.y%notus ' genus of South 'erican fresh0%ater #shes %hich includes the electric
eel& ,t has a greenish, eel0like bod!, and is "ossessed of electric "o%er&
Indefati&a6ly 3ot subGect to fatigue5 untiring&
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Page 17 of 21
Book Club Discussion Guide
Irradiation :ission of electroagnetic radiation
4ano%eter 'n instruent for easuring the "ressure of li6uids and gases&
2holades 'n! one of nuerous s"ecies of arine bi-al-e *%ith 2 hinged shell hal-es,
like a cla/ ollusks of the genus Pholas, or fail! Pholadidae& +he! bore holes for
thesel-es in cla!, "eat, and soft rocks, b! t%isting their shells in the rock like a drill&
Soe are bioluinescent& +he holes in the rock in the "icture %ere bored b! Pholas,
and !ou can see one there still& B! the %a!, the stone in this "icture is chalk&
2ort +he left0hand side of a shi" or aircraft %hen facing for%ard
Qui vive *$rench/ %ho goes there>
Salpae ' creature that Goins %ith others of its kind to for colonies that beha-e like
one creature& +his "icture is of a colon! of sal" *not including the #sh of courseA/& Just
so !ou kno%, that #sh is about 9@ long&
Sonorous (a-ing, "roducing, or being a loud, dee", or full sound5 resonant&
Stupefaction Co"lete, "aral!Iing aaIeent or utter confusion&
Tri;in& +reating as if of little i"ortance, eaning, or -alue5 slight5 tri-ialC
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Page 18 of 21
Book Club Discussion Guide
*ni&%atical ;f or resebling an eniga5 "uIIling&
Facsi%ile 'n e8act co"! or du"licate, as of soething "rinted or "ictorial5
re"roduction& $J,, the coon %ord @fa8@ is short for facsiile& Did !ou kno% that>
Faraday .ichael $arada! *2KM20219K/ 'n :nglish "h!sicist and cheist %ho
contributed greatl! to our understanding of electroagnetis& (e e-en has an
electrical unit naed after hi, a easure of electrical charge& But an!%a!, the
@language of $arada!@ is :nglish&
,el% :6ui"ent used for steering a shi", es"& ' %heel or tiller&
,er%etically Sealed Sealed to "re-ent the inPu8 or esca"e of air5 airtight&
I%pertur6a6le 3ot easil! e8cited or disturbed5 cal&
)onplussed ,n a condition of e8tree "er"le8it! or confusion&
2hilolo&y +he stud! of the historical de-elo"ent of the sounds, %ords, and other
graatical structures of a language or language grou"&
2hor%iu% ' "lant, nati-e to 3e% Tealand, and used like he" to ake ro"e, fabric,
and baskets&
Quicksilver +he cheical eleent ercur!&
Beyond the pale ;utside the bounds of oralit!, good beha-ior or Gudgent5
unacce"table
1uirass ' "iece of close0#tting aror that "rotects the chest and back&
*chinoder% 'n! of -arious arine anials that ha-e "arts radiating s!etricall!
fro the center and hard, often s"in! outer bod! %alls, such as the star#shes and sea
urchins&
*<aced +o %ithdra% *oneself/ fro others? notice
Fucus 'n! of -arious bro%n algae of the genus $ucus, %hich includes an! of the
rock%eeds&
Inesti%a6le Unable to be counted or estiated5 incalculable&
Recri%inate +o counter one accusation %ith another&
Reverie ' state of da!dreaing, reiniscing, or using&
Saline ;f, "ertaining to, or containing salt&
=oophytes 'n! of -arious in-ertebrate anials that reseble a "lant, such as a coral
or s"onge&
Bunsen pile ' kind of batter!&
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Page 19 of 21
Book Club Discussion Guide
*>)>*> :ast 3ortheast
*poch ' unit of geologic tie that is a di-ision of a "eriod&
*'crescence 'n abnoral, dis#guring outgro%th such as that caused b! a tuor&
Dyna%ics ' branch of "h!sics that studies ho% otion and the action of forces
aEecting otion interrelate
-enticular Sha"ed like a lens that is con-e8 on both surfaces&
-eyden 6ottles ' ca"acitor& ,t builds u" and stores electricit!& )ant to ake one>
.'N: SUH: J;U D; +(,S ),+( '3 'DUL+, '3D D;3?+ US: $L'..'BL: 'D(:S,V:S
L,N: HUBB:H C:.:3+&
4anifest Clear and unistakable to the e!e or ind5 "lain5 ob-ious&
2lanisphere ' a"like "roGection of all or "art of a s"here on a "lane surface&
Quintillion 2,000,000,000,000,000,000
Saloon ' large social lounge on a "assenger shi"&
Sur%ullet 'n! of -arious brightl! colored #shes of the fail! .ullidae of %ar seas,
ha-ing t%o sensor! barbels on the chin& 'lso called goat#sh&
Terra ?r%a Land that is #r or dr!5 solid earth&
,ydrophtyes ' "lant ada"ted to gro% in %ater&
I%palpa6le 3ot subGect to "erce"tion b! touch5 intangible&
I%potent Lacking strength, eEecti-eness, or ca"abilit!&
-a%inaries ' "ol!er of glucose that is the "rinci"al storage "roduct of bro%n algae&
4edusae +he tentacled, usuall! bell0sha"ed, free0s%iing stage in the life c!cle of a
coelenterate, such as a Gell!#sh&
Repu&nance Strong dislike or a-ersion&
/ni%alculae ' icrosco"ic or inute organis, such as an aoeba or a "araeciu,
usuall! considered to be an anial
1orvettes ' sailing %arshi", saller than a frigate, usuall! ared %ith one tier of
guns&
Despot ' ruler %ith absolute "o%er& ' "erson %ho %ields "o%er o""ressi-el!5 a t!rant&
,undredwei&ht ' unit of %eight in the British ,"erial s!ste e6ual to 222 "ounds&
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Page 20 of 21
Book Club Discussion Guide
-i%pid CharacteriIed b! trans"arent clearness&
/nnelides 'n! of -arious %ors or %orlike anials of the "h!lu 'nnelida,
characteriIed b! an elongated, c!lindrical, segented bod! and including the
earth%or and leech&
Byssus ' ass of strong, silk! #laents b! %hich certain bi-al-e ollusks, such as
ussels, attach thesel-es to rocks and other #8ed surfaces&
1arapace ' hard bon! or chitinous outer co-ering, such as the fused dorsal "lates of a
turtle or the "ortion of the e8oskeleton co-ering the head and thora8 of a crustacean&
1uirass ' "iece of aror for "rotecting the breast and back& Soeties refers to onl!
the breast"late&
*picure ' "erson %ith re#ned taste es"eciall! in food and %ine&
*'pletive 'n e8claation or oath, es"eciall! one that is "rofane, -ulgar, or obscene&
Idiosyncrasy ' "h!siological or te"eraental "eculiarit!&
Bustards 'n! of -arious large, long0legged ;ld )orld gae birds of the fail!
;tididae that fre6uent dr!, o"en, grass! "lains&
1o%%odious S"acious5 roo!&
*<ul&ence ' brilliant radiance&
+iscous (a-ing relati-el! high resistance to Po%, like a thick gooe! li6uid&
I%punity :8e"tion fro "unishent, "enalt!, or har&
1haracters
Dr> 2ierre /ronna' 0 the narrator, aged fort!& (e is a forer edical doctor
turned scientist and lecturer at the .useu of Paris& (e is unarried and
childless&
1onseil 0 'ronna84s doestic ser-ant& (e is thirt! !ears old& (e follo%s 'ronna8
)ed -and 0 a Canadian tra-eling on the Abraham Lincoln& (e is re-ered as the
king of har"ooners& (e is fort! !ears old, large, 6uiet, and angr! %hen
contradicted&
1aptain )e%o 0 +he coander of the Nautilus& (e is a !sterious an&
1aptain /nderson 0 the ca"tain of the Scotia, the shi" that sank and "ro-oked
the United States to send the Abraham Lincoln in search of the Nautilus& +he
root %ord <ande= eans an5 therefore, 'nderson can be read as son of an&
1aptain Farra&ut 0 the ca"tain of the Abraham Lincoln& (is nae is taken fro
a Union Ci-il )ar adiral, Da-id G& $arragut& Da-id $arragut is faous for his
stateentC <Dan the tor"edoes7full s"eed aheadAAA=
The%es
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Page 21 of 21
Book Club Discussion Guide
4an versus )ature @ +his aGor thee of the stor! is enca"sulated both in
the conPict bet%een 'ronna8 and 3eo as %ell as 3eo and hiself& 'ronna8,
the <naturalist= ust decide bet%een his o%n lo-e of science and his fello%
an& 3eo, %ho has gained incredible "o%er b! def!ing nature, ust reconcile
his "o%er and his huanit!&
Reven&e @ Ca"tain 3eo re"eatedl! entions that he is seeking re-enge for
inGustices he incurred %hile on land& ,nterestingl!, the reader ust consider that
%hile 3eo4s -iolence sees senseless and e-il, he is not necessaril! diEerent
fro a nation state& $or e8a"le, 3eo has declared hiself so-ereign5 he has
his o%n
la%s5 he clais he has a %ealth that ri-als $rance5 and he has his o%n ilitar!&
-i6erty @ Libert! is another thee that "er-ades this no-el& +he %orld is
seeking to liberate itself of the <creature,= the Nautilus& 3eo seeks libert!
fro societ! and fro the land itself& 'ronna8, Conseil and Land seek libert!
fro 3eo& Jet no one is trul! free&