"Around the World in Eighty Days" by Jules Verne is a celebrated adventure novel from the late 1800s. The story follows the precise and mysterious Englishman Phileas Fogg, who accepts a daring bet that he can travel around the globe in just eighty days. Accompanying him is his newly hired valet, Passepartout, a Frenchman seeking a quiet and dependable position after a colorful past.
The novel explores ideas such as timekeeping, the tension between order and chaos, and the excitement of venturing into the unknown. At the outset, readers are introduced to Fogg, a man of unwavering habits and exactitude, whose life in London is defined by strict routine and secrecy.
When a debate arises at the Reform Club about advancements in travel, Fogg stakes his fortune on the claim that one can circumnavigate the world within eighty days.
This initial chapter lays the groundwork for a journey packed with surprises, obstacles, and high stakes, as Fogg’s rigid lifestyle is tested by the unpredictability of global travel. The wager marks the beginning of an extraordinary quest that challenges not only the limits of technology, but also the personal resolve of the man who dares to take it on.
