As an adventure novel, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea shifts between various tones, most often landing on excitement and suspense. Aronnax, as narrator, often writes of his experiences on the Nautilus with a tone of amazement—he is consistently blown away by the technological splendor of the submarine as well as by all of the wildlife he gets to experience during his explorations under the sea.
For example, in this moment in Part 2, Chapter 4, the joy he feels for the opportunity to be aboard the Nautilus is palpable:
What charming hours I passed thus at the window of the saloon! What new specimens of submarine flora and fauna did I admire under the brightness of our electric lantern!
Here Aronnax nods to the ways that technology and exploration go hand-in-hand—he is only able to witness all of this marine life because of developments like electricity. His excited tone comes across through Verne’s use of exclamation points as well as the language of “charming hours” and admiration.
Though there are moments like this of pure excitement, there are plenty of scenes in the novel when the characters face life-threatening dangers—such as the giant squid (or poulp) in Part 2, Chapter 18—and the tone shifts into a dramatic, fearful one:
Ah! how my heart beat with emotion and horror! The formidable beak of a cuttle-fish was open over Ned Land. The unhappy man would be cut in two. I rushed to his succour. But Captain Nemo was before me; his axe disappeared between the two enormous jaws, and, miraculously saved, the Canadian, rising, plunged his harpoon deep into the triple heart of the poulp.
Here Verne again uses exclamation points, but this time it is to tonally communicate the danger and intensity of the situation. Likewise, the language adds to the dramatic tone—“my heart beat with emotion and horror,” “the two enormous jaws,” “plunged his harpoon deep into the triple heart,” etc. Overall, the tone of the novel is urgent and excited, and, in the most adventurous scenes, tips over into anxious and fearful.
As an adventure novel, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea shifts between various tones, most often landing on excitement and suspense. Aronnax, as narrator, often writes of his experiences on the Nautilus with a tone of amazement—he is consistently blown away by the technological splendor of the submarine as well as by all of the wildlife he gets to experience during his explorations under the sea.
For example, in this moment in Part 2, Chapter 4, the joy he feels for the opportunity to be aboard the Nautilus is palpable:
What charming hours I passed thus at the window of the saloon! What new specimens of submarine flora and fauna did I admire under the brightness of our electric lantern!
Here Aronnax nods to the ways that technology and exploration go hand-in-hand—he is only able to witness all of this marine life because of developments like electricity. His excited tone comes across through Verne’s use of exclamation points as well as the language of “charming hours” and admiration.
Though there are moments like this of pure excitement, there are plenty of scenes in the novel when the characters face life-threatening dangers—such as the giant squid (or poulp) in Part 2, Chapter 18—and the tone shifts into a dramatic, fearful one:
Ah! how my heart beat with emotion and horror! The formidable beak of a cuttle-fish was open over Ned Land. The unhappy man would be cut in two. I rushed to his succour. But Captain Nemo was before me; his axe disappeared between the two enormous jaws, and, miraculously saved, the Canadian, rising, plunged his harpoon deep into the triple heart of the poulp.
Here Verne again uses exclamation points, but this time it is to tonally communicate the danger and intensity of the situation. Likewise, the language adds to the dramatic tone—“my heart beat with emotion and horror,” “the two enormous jaws,” “plunged his harpoon deep into the triple heart,” etc. Overall, the tone of the novel is urgent and excited, and, in the most adventurous scenes, tips over into anxious and fearful.
