Around the World in Eighty Days Setting

Where It All Goes Down

Phileas Fogg makes his home in the Richie Rich part of London. All bets are off for the setting when he accepts the wager, though, as the whole world becomes Jules Verne's literary playground.

Most of Fogg's stopping points are related in great detail, showing Verne's massive knowledge of foreign places, as well as ships and railways. He describes, mostly through Passepartout's eyes, places such as Paris¸ Suez, Bombay, Calcutta, Singapore, Hong-Kong, Yokohama, San Francisco, New York, Liverpool, and London. Whoa.

The narrative takes place in 1872 during the months of September to December. It's definitely a novel of its time because of the extreme emphasis on new, industrialized modes of travel and Phileas Fogg and Passepartout's relationship as man and servant. The two spend lots of time on trains and ships, but also take on strange new means of travel such as riding an elephant and hopping in a vehicle called a sail-sled.