Journey to the Center of the Earth (French: Voyage au centre de la Terre), also known as A Journey to the Centre of the Earth and A Journey into the Interior of the Earth, is a science fiction book by Jules Verne. It was first published in French in 1864, then reissued in 1867 in an expanded version. The book is about Professor Otto Lidenbrock, an eccentric German scientist who believes there are volcanic tubes that reach to the very center of the earth. He, his nephew Axel, and their Icelandic guide Hans rappel into an inactive volcano in Iceland. They then deal with many dangers, including cave-ins, tornadoes, an underground ocean, and living prehistoric creatures from the Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras. The three explorers are eventually sent back to the surface by an active volcano located in southern Italy.
Subterranean fiction existed before Verne. However his book was different because of its well-researched Victorian science and its innovation to the science fiction subgenre of time travel. Verne's innovation was the concept of a prehistoric area still existing in the present-day world. The book was made into a movie in 1959. It inspired many other books, including J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit.[1]
References
- ↑ Hooker, Mark (2014). The Tolkienaeum: Essays on J.R.R. Tolkien and his Legendarium. Llyfrawr. pp. 1–12. ISBN 978-1-49975-910-5.
