20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is another classic that I enjoyed much more than I expected to. The style was relatively dry and slow, but the story is compelling enough to keep it going. Captain Nemo in particular is a much more interesting character than I perceived from general pop culture knowledge. He is the last prince of an island nation that was destroyed by “a colonial power” (COUGH BRITAIN COUGH). A mechanical genius, he created The Nautilus, an electric submarine, and proceeds to wage war on machines of war, working to put forth pacifism by… destroying as many warmakers as possible lol.
One thing I’ve learned since reading more 19th century literature that I never expected is how much all the characters look for an alpha to keep them safe and strong. Every 19th century protagonist in an adventure story is either a gigachad who can do no wrong, or immediately finds said gigachad and proceeds to idolize them at all turns. In some ways, as silly as this is, I think maybe this is what insecure losers talk about when they criticize changes to our culture’s perception of masculinity? That is to say, they want to go back to where all dudes are gigachads and think women won’t let that happen? It’s all silly and stupid, maybe that’s not as profound as I think it is. All I do as I read these characters fawning over each other in these stories is laugh.
20,000 Leagues is free on Audible. Go read it.