The story in one page
Phileas Fogg, an English gentleman of rigid routine, bets twenty thousand pounds at his London club that he can complete a journey around the world in exactly eighty days. Accompanied by his new, frantic servant Passepartout, Fogg traverses continents using every available method of transit. Detective Fix shadows them, convinced Fogg is a bank thief fleeing justice. Along the way, they rescue Aouda, a widow from an Indian funeral pyre, who joins their party. Despite constant delays, technical mishaps, and the detective's interference, Fogg pushes onward with absolute composure, eventually returning to London to discover he has unknowingly gained a full day.
Who's who
- Phileas Fogg
A precise man who treats global travel like a math problem.
- Passepartout
The excitable French servant who prefers a quiet, predictable life.
- Fix
A police detective obsessively convinced of Fogg's criminal guilt.
- Aouda
A widow rescued from India who marries her traveler.
What it's really about
- Exactitude
- Precision is a personality trait here.
- Time
- A flexible measurement depending on travel direction.
Why it's memorable
- Crossing India atop a rented elephant.
- Calculating the world's rotation by seconds.
The ending, explained
Spoilers — show the ending
Fogg realizes that by traveling eastward, he gained twenty-four hours, winning his bet with minutes to spare. He marries Aouda and remains perfectly content.
For your book club
- Can one travel the world without actually seeing it?
- Is an eighty-day deadline a wager or a psychological trap?