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Wonders and Graves

Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea by Jules Verne · Episode 3 of 8

Jules Verne published Vingt mille lieues sous les mers serially in 1869–1870, at the height of the Victorian fascination with scientific progress and undersea exploration. The novel follows Professor Pierre Aronnax, taken prisoner aboard Captain Nemo's advanced submarine, the Nautilus, on a ten-month voyage through the world's oceans. This text reflects its era; a few period terms have been modernised. Verne crafted one of literature's great enigmatic figures in Nemo—a man of learning and compassion who has nonetheless rejected all of humanity and hints at dark purposes the reader does not yet understand. The novel's power lies in its dual nature: a celebration of scientific wonder and natural beauty, and a moral investigation of exile, vengeance, and the cost of turning one's back on the human world. This episode, covering the Pacific seabed walk, the Torres Strait grounding, and the underwater funeral, marks the moment Aronnax begins to perceive the darkness beneath Nemo's marvels and to question what terrible secret the Captain hides.

Band

Red · Complex language and analysisTypical starting range: ages 15–17

Length

long · about 1744 words in 5 sections · 2 pictures

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)

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