Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. When did Jules Verne live, and what kind of works did he write? What causes his works to have such enduring popularity?

Teaching Suggestion: The student-facing resources listed below include both a brief general overview and a full-length documentary; depending on the emphasis of your particular course, they may help to fill gaps in students’ understanding of Verne’s life and literary contributions. The teacher-facing resource on translations of Verne is intended to provide background information about discrepancies between various interpretations of Verne’s legacy as an author that may be helpful in discussion with students. It may be beneficial to follow this short answer question with an extended discussion topic and brief historical research opportunity: What advancements in science and technology that occurred in Verne’s lifetime likely influenced his stories?

• This article offers a succinct introduction to Verne’s life and work.
• This 44-minute video from Biography is a full-length documentary on Verne and his work.
• This article from noted Verne scholar Arthur B. Evans of DePauw University considers the impact of earlier, inaccurate translations of Verne’s works on Verne’s literary reputation and readership. (Teacher-appropriate; not student facing due to plot spoilers, length, and complexity)

2. What makes a text an example of science fiction? How do Jules Verne’s works relate to this genre? What is steampunk? How do Verne’s works relate to this subgenre?

Teaching Suggestion: Students might benefit from small group discussion or partner brainstorming before sharing and comparing their responses. Although Verne himself did not consider his works to be science fiction, most modern critics agree that his work is part of the genre’s foundations. His works are also an important source of inspiration for the steampunk subgenre. The resources below will help students define both the genre and subgenre and understand Verne’s relationship to both.

• This essay from New York University Press explains the complicated process of defining science fiction.
• This article from The New Atlantis explores Verne’s relationship to science fiction.
• This article from the BBC discusses Verne’s relationship to steampunk.

Short Activity

If you were a passenger on a submarine exploring the ocean, what creatures would you most hope to encounter lurking in the darkest, deepest parts of the sea? Imagine that you have just completed such a voyage and have been asked to deliver a brief presentation about it. Choose the 3 deep-ocean creatures that intrigue you most. Create a brief slideshow with images of the creatures and 5-6 fascinating facts about each. Include a slide at the end of your presentation citing the real sources you used for facts and images.

Teaching Suggestion: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea is well known for its use of vivid imagery to describe the varied and remarkable life forms the Nautilus encounters. This activity promotes interest in the novel’s unique setting by asking students to consider which deep-sea creatures most intrigue them. The opportunity to describe such creatures themselves will later highlight the beauty of Verne’s descriptive language and prompt students to take note of elements in the novel that support its thematic interest in Innovation, Exploration, and Discovery. If time permits, students may enjoy sharing their presentations in small groups. After seeing each other’s preferences, students might discuss what Verne’s choices in the novel potentially reveal about his priorities and his imagined audience.

Students will require internet access in order to complete this assignment; if this is not an option in your classroom, you might choose a selection of deep-ocean creatures to share with students and challenge them to write a brief description of the one they find most interesting.

• This article from The Monterey Bay Aquarium features profiles of nine unusual deep-ocean creatures.
• This article from BBC Science Focus describes twelve strange deep-sea creatures and provides links to explore further.

Differentiation Suggestion: Students with visual impairments may not be able to complete this activity as written. A reasonable alternative might include omitting photographs and instead writing a paragraph about each creature, developing their description of its habits more fully.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the text.

It is natural to focus on how interesting exploring the deep sea would be—but of course, life aboard a submarine is also confined and isolating. Given your own personality, do you think you would find it easy or difficult to deal with these conditions? With whom would you most want to share this experience?

Teaching Suggestion: Dynamics among the Nautilus passengers convey important aspects of the novel’s thematic concerns with Friendship and Liberty Versus Imprisonment. This prompt encourages students to personally connect with the conditions of confinement and isolation that these passengers experience and offers the chance to question how individuals’ reactions to such conditions might contribute to characterization and conflict.