Around the World in Eighty Days is sometimes called soft science fiction or travel fiction because of the emphasis the author places on describing the geographic features and locales that Phileas Fogg passes on his journey. However, the wager that Phileas makes at the Reform Club is the central conflict driving the plot. What role does the wager play in Verne’s narrative style? How does this premise work to complement or balance the detailed descriptions?

Jean Passepartout is a character foil of Phileas; that is, his characterization highlights Phileas’s contrasting characteristics. Compare and contrast Phileas and Passepartout. How does each character contribute to the different themes in the novel?

Punctuality, Time, and Time Management, especially during travel, is an important theme within the novel. What role does this theme play throughout the journey? Considering that traveling and journeys are often metaphors for life more broadly, what might this theme suggest about how to approach life?