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The Man of the Seas

Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea by Jules Verne · Episode 3 of 12

Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea was first published in 1870 by French novelist Jules Verne, a pioneer of science fiction who imagined submarines, electric power, and deep-sea exploration decades before they became reality. This text reflects its era in maritime terminology and attitudes toward exploration; a few period terms have been modernised. In this episode, Captain Nemo reveals his hatred of civilisation and his reasons for living beneath the sea. He shows Aronnax the wonders of the Nautilus—a submarine powered entirely by electricity extracted from seawater, filled with treasures from every ocean, and capable of speeds and depths no surface vessel could match. Nemo's genius is matched only by his bitterness. This reader is worth your time because it explores the tension between wonder and captivity, between the marvels of human achievement and the moral isolation that sometimes accompanies it. Verne asks: can a man who renounces all of humanity still be called free?

Band

Blue · Independent readers, confidentTypical starting range: ages 12–14

Length

long · about 914 words in 5 sections · 1 picture

Source

Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea, Jules Verne

First published

see the About page in the reader

Regions

Canada · United States

Included formats

• · Web reader and PDF
• · EPUB for e-readers
• · Home-print sheet
• · Folded booklet
• · Binder edition (8.5 × 11)
• · Worksheet
• · Quick Check (10 questions) with answer key
• · Read-aloud script
• · Teacher’s Edition (members)

Readers are engineered from the original public-domain text with AI under HummingRead’s published canon and Content Philosophy, checked by automated audit and sampled by a person. Pictures are made with AI to HummingRead’s brief for each story. How a reader is made.

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