Literary Devices in From the Earth to the Moon
Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
Setting
From the Earth to the Moon is an all-American road trip. Although we start off in a gaudy meeting hall in Baltimore, Maryland, the novel's plot takes us to the middle of nowhere in Florida. Time to...
Narrator Point of View
Jules Verne had his work cut out for him on this one—he needed to convey a ton of information in order to make a moon mission seem plausible, which would've been especially difficult in the 1860s...
Genre
Jules Verne wrote the book on science fiction. (Yes, we're talking about this one.) Along with authors like H.G. Wells, Verne is credited with bringing sci-fi into the public consciousness and sett...
Tone
From the Earth to the Moon is a surprisingly funny book, so although Verne is invested in his characters, he seems to take great delight in making fun of them. Chief among these targets is Maston,...
Writing Style
Jules Verne does not spare us from any details, no matter how long it might take to get them all out. At several points in the novel, Verne spends entire chapters detailing the real science behind...
What's Up With the Title?
Oh, come on now. You can't figure this one out?From the Earth to the Moon is sci-fi novel about a mission to the moon—not to be confused with the HBO miniseries of the same name. This is pure fic...
What's Up With the Ending?
Wow—talk about a cliffhanger.Our three intrepid astronauts have just been shot into outer space. Although the launch goes fine, the force of the shot ends up having almost biblical effects on the...
Tough-o-Meter
Although it features a straightforward plot, From the Earth to the Moon can get a little tricky at times. Verne occasionally spends a chapter or two detailing the long history of various scientific...
Plot Analysis
Gun Before ButterDuring the Civil War, the Gun Club became legendary for producing the most brutal weapons of all time. There's just one problem: Now that the conflict has ended, no one has reason...
Booker's Seven Basic Plots Analysis
The CallThe Gun Club is in a bind: Nobody is fighting a war right now, and given that these guys make weapons for a living, this is a huge bummer. Fortunately, President Barbicane has a ground-brea...
Three-Act Plot Analysis
The Gun Club—famed purveyors of massive cannons since the Civil War—is bummed out because their country is (sadly) mired in peace. Yuck. Luckily, club president Impey Barbicane has a plan: They...
Trivia
Jules Verne is such a good writer that his stories become real. After reading Verne's novel Around the World in 80 Days, a writer named Elizabeth Bisland decided to take Mr. Verne up on his offer....
Steaminess Rating
From the Earth to the Moon is as squeaky clean as a Disney flick. Aside from some very vague mentions of violence, there's nothing in here that should be cause for concern.
Allusions
Domingo Gonzalez, The Man in the Moone (2.27)Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle, The Plurality of Worlds (2.27)Edgar Allan Poe, The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall (2.29)William Shakespeare,...