Chapter I: In Which Phileas Fogg And Passepartout Accept Each Other, The One As Master, The Other As Man
Mr. Phileas Fogg lived, in 1872, at No. 7, Saville Row, Burlington Gardens, the house in which Sheridan died in 1814. He was one of the most noticeable members of the Reform Club, though he seemed always to avoid attracting attention; an enigmatical personage, about whom little was known, except that he was a polished man of the world. People said that he resembled Byron—at least that his head was Byronic; but he was a bearded, tranquil Byron, who might live on a thousand years without growing old.
Certainly an Englishman, it was more doubtful whether Phileas Fogg was a Londoner. He was never seen on 'Change, nor at the Bank, nor in the counting-rooms of the "City"; no ships ever came into London docks of which he was the owner; he had no public employment; he had never been entered at any of the Inns of Court, either at the Temple, or Lincoln's Inn, or Gray's Inn; nor had his voice ever resounded in the Court of Chancery, or in the Exchequer, or the Queen's Bench, or the Ecclesiastical Courts. He certainly was not a manufacturer; nor was he a merchant or a gentleman farmer. His name was strange to the scientific and learned societies, and he never was known to take part in the sage deliberations of the Royal Institution or the London Institution, the Artisan's Association, or the Institution of Arts and Sciences. He belonged, in fact, to none of the numerous societies which swarm in the English capital, from the Harmonic to that of the Entomologists, founded mainly for the purpose of abolishing pernicious insects.
Phileas Fogg was a member of the Reform, and that was all.
The way in which he got admission to this exclusive club was simple enough.
He was recommended by the Barings, with whom he had an open credit. His cheques were regularly paid at sight from his account current, which was always flush.
Was Phileas Fogg rich? Undoubtedly. But those who knew him best could not imagine how he had made his fortune, and Mr. Fogg was the last person to whom to apply for the information. He was not lavish, nor, on the contrary, avaricious; for, whenever he knew that money was needed for a noble, useful, or benevolent purpose, he supplied it quietly and sometimes anonymously. He was, in short, the least communicative of men. He talked very little, and seemed all the more mysterious for his taciturn manner. His daily habits were quite open to observation; but whatever he did was so exactly the same thing that he had always done before, that the wits of the curious were fairly puzzled.
Had he travelled? It was likely, for no one seemed to know the world more familiarly; there was no spot so secluded that he did not appear to have an intimate acquaintance with it. He often corrected, with a few clear words, the thousand conjectures advanced by members of the club as to lost and unheard-of travellers, pointing out the true probabilities, and seeming as if gifted with a sort of second sight, so often did events justify his predictions. He must have travelled everywhere, at least in the spirit.
It was at least certain that Phileas Fogg had not absented himself from London for many years. Those who were honoured by a better acquaintance with him than the rest, declared that nobody could pretend to have ever seen him anywhere else. His sole pastimes were reading the papers and playing whist. He often won at this game, which, as a silent one, harmonised with his nature; but his winnings never went into his purse, being reserved as a fund for his charities. Mr. Fogg played, not to win, but for the sake of playing. The game was in his eyes a contest, a struggle with a difficulty, yet a motionless, unwearying struggle, congenial to his tastes.
Phileas Fogg was not known to have either wife or children, which may happen to the most honest people; either relatives or near friends, which is certainly more unusual. He lived alone in his house in Saville Row, whither none penetrated. A single domestic sufficed to serve him. He breakfasted and dined at the club, at hours mathematically fixed, in the same room, at the same table, never taking his meals with other members, much less bringing a guest with him; and went home at exactly midnight, only to retire at once to bed. He never used the cosy chambers which the Reform provides for its favoured members. He passed ten hours out of the twenty-four in Saville Row, either in sleeping or making his toilet. When he chose to take a walk it was with a regular step in the entrance hall with its mosaic flooring, or in the circular gallery with its dome supported by twenty red porphyry Ionic columns, and illumined by blue painted windows. When he breakfasted or dined all the resources of the club—its kitchens and pantries, its buttery and dairy—aided to crowd his table with their most succulent stores; he was served by the gravest waiters, in dress coats, and shoes with swan-skin soles, who proffered the viands in special porcelain, and on the finest linen; club decanters, of a lost mould, contained his sherry, his port, and his cinnamon-spiced claret; while his beverages were refreshingly cooled with ice, brought at great cost from the American lakes.
If to live in this style is to be eccentric, it must be confessed that there is something good in eccentricity.
The mansion in Saville Row, though not sumptuous, was exceedingly comfortable. The habits of its occupant were such as to demand but little from the sole domestic, but Phileas Fogg required him to be almost superhumanly prompt and regular. On this very 2nd of October he had dismissed James Forster, because that luckless youth had brought him shaving-water at eighty-four degrees Fahrenheit instead of eighty-six; and he was awaiting his successor, who was due at the house between eleven and half-past.
Phileas Fogg was seated squarely in his armchair, his feet close together like those of a grenadier on parade, his hands resting on his knees, his body straight, his head erect; he was steadily watching a complicated clock which indicated the hours, the minutes, the seconds, the days, the months, and the years. At exactly half-past eleven Mr. Fogg would, according to his daily habit, quit Saville Row, and repair to the Reform.
A rap at this moment sounded on the door of the cosy apartment where Phileas Fogg was seated, and James Forster, the dismissed servant, appeared.
"The new servant," said he.
A young man of thirty advanced and bowed.
"You are a Frenchman, I believe," asked Phileas Fogg, "and your name is John?"
"Jean, if monsieur pleases," replied the newcomer, "Jean Passepartout, a surname which has clung to me because I have a natural aptness for going out of one business into another. I believe I'm honest, monsieur, but, to be outspoken, I've had several trades. I've been an itinerant singer, a circus-rider, when I used to vault like Leotard, and dance on a rope like Blondin. Then I got to be a professor of gymnastics, so as to make better use of my talents; and then I was a sergeant fireman at Paris, and assisted at many a big fire. But I quitted France five years ago, and, wishing to taste the sweets of domestic life, took service as a valet here in England. Finding myself out of place, and hearing that Monsieur Phileas Fogg was the most exact and settled gentleman in the United Kingdom, I have come to monsieur in the hope of living with him a tranquil life, and forgetting even the name of Passepartout."
"Passepartout suits me," responded Mr. Fogg. "You are well recommended to me; I hear a good report of you. You know my conditions?"
"Yes, monsieur."
"Good! What time is it?"
"Twenty-two minutes after eleven," returned Passepartout, drawing an enormous silver watch from the depths of his pocket.
"You are too slow," said Mr. Fogg.
"Pardon me, monsieur, it is impossible—"
"You are four minutes too slow. No matter; it's enough to mention the error. Now from this moment, twenty-nine minutes after eleven, a.m., this Wednesday, 2nd October, you are in my service."
Phileas Fogg got up, took his hat in his left hand, put it on his head with an automatic motion, and went off without a word.
Passepartout heard the street door shut once; it was his new master going out. He heard it shut again; it was his predecessor, James Forster, departing in his turn. Passepartout remained alone in the house in Saville Row.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
swarm, verb: to congregate or collect groups or multitudes; to be exceedingly numerous
figure of speech: draws the image of London filled with myriad societies dedicated to specialized areas of endeavors.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
societies: plural of society, noun: organizations comprised of people in a specific pursuit or endeavor
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
In central London, noted for men's custom tailored suits and as the one time address of the Royal Geographical Society.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Leaving the mansion at No. 7 Saville Row after having opened the door for Fogg and leaving for the last time.
in turn, idiom: one after the other in proper order
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
noun: the person who had a job or position before someone else
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
A motion indicating that he has put his hat on so many times and in precisely the same way every time that he acts without thinking about it.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Having mentioned the incorrect time, Fogg is confident that Passepartout will correct the error on his watch by setting it four minutes forward (or perhaps mentally compensate for the four minute difference).
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Passepartout's watch is four minutes behind the actual time.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Paraphrase: Your watch is too slow; it doesn't keep accurate time and is behind the actual time.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
This suggests that Passepartout's pockets are larger than the typical pocket with an enormousness in proportion to the enormity of the silver pocket-watch. In other words, both pocket and watch are very large.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
figure of speech: meaning without a job
Domestic servants have "places"; when a servant is "out of place," they are out of a job.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
verb (archaic, past tense of "quit"): having left, i.e., he left
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Rider of performing circus animals, especially a circus horse.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
verb (past participle form): to stick onto; to adhere to; to stick with
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
The servant whom Fogg had fired for his mistake with Fogg's shaving water.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
noun (formal): of a house or a "flat," a room or a chamber within the house or "flat"
flat, noun: a suite of several or many rooms for living in; comprising one unit for living in as a home
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
adjective: of a room that is warm, small, comfortable and pleasant
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
noun: a sudden sharp sound of something striking something else as in a knock at the door
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Go from Saville Row to the Reform Club.
repair to, phrasal verb: go from one place to another place
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
The person applying for the position of "sole domestic" was to arrive to be interviewed by Fogg.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
He, James Forster, the "luckless youth," fired for having Fogg's shaving cream at the wrong temperature.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Fogg was so "eccentric" in his habits that there was not much for his one servant to do, except to be very punctual and precise.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
One solitary servant. Most mansions have several servants with the minimum thought to be 3 to 5.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
More than is humanly possible; beyond what humans can do or perform.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Fogg's mansion was a nice place to be in with physical ease and contentment.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Fogg spent 10 hours everyday at home. Therefore, it is suggested, he spent the other 14 hours of every day at the Reform Club.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
In his home located at No. 7, Saville Row, in the Burlington Gardens District.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Figure of speech: ironic characterization of Fogg.
Fogg is habitually precise and exact in his actions and habits; implied metaphor with a mathematical equation.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Coin purse. Figurative expression. We might say "wallet."
This means that Fogg did not add his winnings at whist to his personal cash or bank account; he did not the cash won into his wallet to spend or hoard.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Whist is a silent game. Fogg is a silent man. The two, game and man, harmonized well because of commonality of silence.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Those who were curious about Fogg's mysteriously habitual, generous, silent life were remained confused, baffled, mystified about the life of Phileas Fogg.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
pernicious, noun: stealthily treacherous and harmful bugs.
Satirical allusion suggesting an overabundance of societies in London*.*
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Introduces the puzzle about Fogg's life and background. Fogg is an Englishman. Little else is known about him. Questions his credibility.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Hired in the employ of someone.
Passepartout has been hired as Fogg's sole domestic.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
French, adjective
passe-partout
French colloquial expression meaning "catch-all"Jean Passepartout: Jean's name suits him because, as he is about to say, he has been a catch-all for one career after another.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Having a secure and stable style of life; the opposite of a "catch-all" style of life. [See "Passepartout"]
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Figure of speech, meaning tightrope walking.
- Implied metaphor* comparing dancing to walking on a high tightrope.
metaphor,* literary device*
comparing two things without using "like" or "as"; e.g., love is a rose.implied metaphor, literary device
the metaphor is not directly stated but implied by the imagery:- direct metaphor:* tightrope walking is a dance
implied metaphor: dance on a rope
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Charles Blondin (1824–1897), French circus star tightrope walker most famous for walking a tightrope across Niagara Falls (1859).
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Idiom, figure of speech: meaning to enjoy the quiet pleasures of a settled and uneventful life at home.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
To use a pole and jump or leap while propelling onself with the force of the pole.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
A singer who travels from place to place rather than performing in a fixed setting.
itinerant, adjective
the act of travelling form place to place to place -
— Karen P.L. Hardison
One's family name, also called "last name," that is held in common with all the members of one's family.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
A man's personal attendant who takes responsibility for the man's clothing, grooming tools and appearance.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Uncompromisingly in the center of his chair.
Fogg is characterized as brooking no nonsense.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
A soldier who is in the "first regiment of the royal household infantry" (Oxford Dictionary); a royal infantry foot soldier.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
successor, noun: the one to replace someone who is dismissed
The man hired by Fogg to be his next "sole domestic" servant.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Fogg's first domestic servant at the time of the beginning of the narrative.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
dismissed, verb: discharge from employment
Fogg had fired his servant from his job.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Date of the beginning of the narrative in 1872: 2nd of October in 1872.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
On time, punctual, and unvarying in routine, dependable in minute detail.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Elegant in appearance, splendid and expensive looking.
Fogg's Queensberry House was not sumptuous. It was large but plain looking.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Ironic confirmation of the pleasures of the eccentric kind of life Fogg lived in his pampered existence at the Reform Club.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
A red wine, strong, sweet and fortified with grape brandy, that is drunk as a dessert wine (opposite of the aperitif sherry).
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
A strong "fortified" wine (fortified with added brandy) drunk as an aperitif, as an appetite stimulant, before a meal.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
The Great Lakes were valuable sources of ice for domestic use and for export.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Specially shaped decanter mold ("mould") that was lost, thus irreplaceable and highly valued.
mould, (mold), *noun: *hollow container for shaping molten materials like glass
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Large glass container with stopper into which wine or liquor is poured or "decanted."
decanted, verb
slowly, gradually poured from one container to another. -
— Karen P.L. Hardison
Finely woven linen fabric serving as an elegant table cover or a tablecloth.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Delicate, white translucent ceramic the process for which was originated in China.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Items of food that are considered delicacies, like a chocolate truffle.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
To offer something by holding it out to be accepted or to be declined.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Leather make from swan skins that is softer than kid leather thus quiet when walking. This signifies that the waiters did not disturb Fogg's preference for silence.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Waiters who are solemn, dignified and serious in their demeanor, in how they conduct themselves.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
A pantry (kitchen storage room) especially for storing and distributing milk and milk products.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
A pantry (kitchen storage room) especially for storing wine and liquor.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
A small kitchen storage room or rooms for holding dishes, dry goods, utensils.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Windows set in the walls of the circular gallery that are of a deep cobalt blue hue and are painted with portraits and pastoral scenes.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
verb: lit up; brightened up; illuminated by a light source
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Architectural supporting columns the capitals of which (the top caps) are decorated with large paired scrolls and which stand on tall bases.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Red, very hard igneous rock with embedded quartz crystals, previously often used for columns in Rome and for building panels as in the Parthenon.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Opaque glass dome, with glass sections in rhomboidal shapes, overarching the entrance hall and with a central chandelier surrounded by corner frescoes as the crowning rectangular piece.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Interior open-sided second floor balcony, encircling the entrance hall, where members sit in leather chairs--or walk like Fogg did--illumined by cobalt hued light from the painted exterior windows.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Decorative flooring composed of small pieces of tile or glass arranged to be fitted together, often producing a pattern or a picture as the end result.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Idiom meaning a walking gait that is not hurried nor slow and faltering; a gait that is steady.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
A euphemistic figure of speech meaning the process of cleaning oneself up to be presentable in public; to "get ready" to go somewhere.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Members who are held in the highest esteem or who have earned seniority or privilege and so are favorites.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
verb: to remove from or withdraw from one place to go to another; to leave to do something else somewhere else
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
verb: to meet the needs of, e.g., One domestic met the needs of Fogg.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
noun, chiefly British: a person hired to do menial labor, like gardening, cleaning, cooking, e.g., Fogg had a single domestic servant for his needs.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
verb: to force a way into (e.g., none penetrated, none forced their way into)
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Archaic, adverb: to which (e.g., in his house whither none went, to which none went)
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
*Ironic; *indicates *cynicism, a *negative attitude of disbelief, about Fogg's claims to have traveled: no one has seen him go, yet he says he went.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Ironic indication of suspicion associated with Fogg's lack of family: somehow he is dishonest and therefore has no family or acknowledges no family.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
idiom, "one's tastes" n. tastes: that which is agreeable or pleasing to one; that which accords with (suits) one's aesthetic sense of pleasure
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
adjective: a struggle that does not weary one--or--a struggle for which one does not weary; e.g., For Fogg, whist was an unwearying struggle because he enjoyed the challenge*.*
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
adjective: a thing that is pleasant because it accords (matches) one's taste and preferences; e.g., Whist was congenial to Fogg's tastes because it could be played in silence, and he was silently taciturn.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Fogg set aside all his winnings from playing whist to be given to the charities he supported: he didn't keep any of his whist winnings for himself.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
A card game popular in the 1800s for four players, having two sets of partners, using one 52-card deck; based upon tricks, trumps, and discards; bets placed were winner take all.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Phrase meaning to be gone from: Fogg had not been gone from London a lot of times nor for many years.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
figure of speech: not in the physical world but in the psychological, spiritual or imaginary worlds (e.g., with you in spirit)
Suggesting Fogg traveled in the spirit or in his imagination; undermining his credibility.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Fogg's "few clear words" so often turned out to be correct that these predictions--these foresights--in "a few clear words" were proven to be justifiable, proven to be held true.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
verb: provided with, endowed with a special quality; someone endowed with something
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
noun: the seeming ability to see occurrences or to foresee events; clairvoyance
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
archaic compound word phrase, meaning "not heard from" travelers: travelers who had not been heard from, thus presumed lost or dead
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
verb: put forward for thought or consideration, e.g., The idea was advanced, considered, then adopted.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
noun: opinions derived from supposition based on scant information, little information
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
figure of speech: great knowledge from first-hand personal experience, i.e., from having been there and done that.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
noun: keen observant intelligence; cleverly perceptive mental powers
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
adjective: reluctant to converse; reserved inclination to silence; stern, silent
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
adverb: with name and credit withheld; e.g., an anonymous donor.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
adjective: expressing goodwill; helpful to others; charitable
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
verb: giving in abundance, without limit: e.g., to lavish gifts.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Fogg won't answer personal questions because he is enigmatically noticeable while not drawing attention to himself (his earlier ironic characterization).
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
A standing line of credit at a banking institution upon which banks draughts or notes of obligation can be successfully drawn at any time.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
adjective (informal): when something is in abundance it is "flush"; plenty.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Barings Bank (1762 to 1995). London's oldest bank for merchants, an investment bank, not a commercial or depository bank; collapsed in 1995 from reckless financial investments.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Membership strictly limited by standards of acceptability, specifically membership in Parliament and support for the Great Reform Act of 1832.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
There is doubt that Fogg is a Londoner. Mention of all respectable professionals in London confirms doubts of Fogg's credibility.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Scientific society for specialists in insects. Implies Fogg doesn't go in for bugs.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Musical societies, like today's St. Luke's Musical Society. This suggests Fogg is also not a musician.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
A joint institution for the mutual advancement of arts and sciences, perhaps now subsumed by King's College London. This implies that Fogg is neither scientist nor artist.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
A London Guild for master craftsmen/artisan. Implies Fogg is not a craftsman/artisan.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
This implies that Fogg is not a contributing member of the Royal Institute or the London Institute where learned points are debated then accepted or rejected.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Scientific educational institution opened in 1806 for individuals with non-orthodox religious beliefs who were barred from studying at Oxford and Cambridge. Implies Fogg is not a scientist.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
World's oldest scientific research body; deliberated and authenticated Galileo's, Newton's and Darwin's discoveries.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Implies that Fogg is not a published or otherwise renowned academic or scholar.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Landed country gentleman, second tier of England's upper class, choosing to farm for profit, like Mr. Boldwood in Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
One who makes goods by manual labor by hand or with machinery.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
A religious court, oversees ecclesiastical, religious law pertaining to clergy. Implies Fogg is not a clergyman with ecclesiastical judicial authority.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Queen's (or King's) bench; ancient, superior court for criminal and civil law. Implies Fogg is not a high royal judge.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Royal Treasury. Implies Fogg did not work for the Royal Treasury, responsible for raising revenue, taxation, national debt and monetary policy.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Restating that Fogg was "enigmatical" since the meaning of "enigmatical" is that someone or something is little known.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
This implies that Fogg was not a judge in the "equity" branch of the Common Law Court.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Implies Fogg was not a barrister of the judicial courts, Inns of Court.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Implies Fogg is not in shipping; he is not like Antonio in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice awaiting his ships at sea.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Three dominant Inns of Court for barristers in the court system, each Inn with its own student quarters, dinning halls, lodging and professional chambers, chapels, gardens and libraries.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Implies Fogg was not a civil servant employed by the government, nor was he employed by the Crown as a diplomat.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
archaic: reference to rooms in businesses where accountants record exchanges of money in transactions. Implies Fogg is neither a financier nor a business owner.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
The Bank of England founded in 1694 to fund the English war against France; it eventually took the role of issuing bank notes, previously issued by goldsmiths who were the original bankers.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Abbreviation for "Exchange," a shortened form for the London Stock Exchange where sellers and buyers of company stock shares meet to sell or buy through the services of a Stock Broker.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Implying Fogg was youthful, powerful and energetic ... though enigmatic.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Lord Byron was noted for being volatile and adventurous. He was the opposite of "tranquil." Fogg was tranquil.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
adjective: like Byron, pertaining to Byron's facial features; Fogg resembled Byron in head and face.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
George Gordon, Lord Byron (London 1788 - Greece 1824): Romantic period English poet; dark, handsome, with Romanesque features.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
idiom (i.e., figurative phrase with agreed upon cultural meaning): a man with wide experience of the world and life's complexities, e.g., well traveled; not sheltered
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
noun: person of distinction or importance; one who attracts attention
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
adjective: perplexing; mysterious; like an enigma. Reinforces ironic contradiction between "noticeable member" and "avoid attracting attention."
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Ironic antithetical contradiction to "noticeable member" (antithetical: opposite). Add instant humor to Phileas Fogg's characterization.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Club founded in 1836 for Members of Parliament who supported the Great Reform Act of 1832, extending vote enfranchisement to the middle class.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
The date of Sheridan's death is currently accepted as 1816. Arrested for debt in 1813, he died in great poverty.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751–1816). Owner of London's Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Poet and playwright.
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— Karen P.L. Hardison
No. 7 on Saville Row in Burlington Gardens, a 1725 four-storied house called Queensberry House having two equal jutting wings.