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The Indian Ocean

Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea by Jules Verne · Episode 4 of 8

This reader is the fourth of eight episodes from Jules Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea, first published in 1869–70 as a serial novel. Verne, a French writer often called the father of science fiction, imagined the submarine decades before such vessels became practical military technology. This episode shows Captain Nemo's paradoxical character: he has fled humanity yet risks his life to save an oppressed Indian diver, and he navigates a secret subterranean tunnel beneath Suez while praising the engineer Lesseps for cutting a canal above it. The text reflects its era in maritime and colonial references; a few period terms have been modernised. This episode is worth reading because it develops the central moral tension of the novel—Nemo's simultaneous charity and tyranny—and demonstrates Verne's gift for combining scientific speculation with human drama.

Band

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

Length

long · about 1496 words in 4 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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