Quote:
Originally Posted by Bookworm_Girl
Interesting point. I thought it was pretty heavily hinted early - like around 20% or so with the watch discussion - but I hadn’t thought about it from a modern versus back then concept of time.
I read the Bantam Classics version from my library. Sounds like the book was better as an audioboook.
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I have not yet tried an audiobook, at all, so can't really say. I read the edition from here on MobileRead (prepared by HarryT) because it was already on my reader. I'm assuming/guessing that makes it the George Makepeace Towle translation, but have not confirmed that. I was tempted to try the new William Butcher (Oxford World Classics) translation but ended up taking the easy/fast/cheap way out.
I think it's not just that our concept of time has changed, but also the class system itself that has an impact on how the events might have played out back then. Passepartout does so much for Fogg that Fogg himself might never have had to confront an up to date calendar. Yes, Fogg was getting his passport visaed regularly, but how much attention would he have been paying to the ink smears? Especially by the time he reached America. He was probably chatting to whoever was in charge while some lackey took care of the details.
He had obviously reviewed schedules before he left, but everything had to be left open. On arrival in San Francisco we are told that he determines the next train leaves at 6pm, there is no need to verify a date for today, Fogg thinks he already knows. (
Or am I the only one that has been known to switch off when hearing stuff I think I already know ... oh dear, what a terrible admission. 
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