Who the f*&k is Philleas Fogg?
Good ole Philleas was the main character in a novel written by Jules Verne. It was originally published in January, 1872, and was received with a Moderately Healthy Response, by the reading public in France. But the books' debut was during the Franco-Prussian War--a short, but brutal conflict. It's understandable, I suppose, that it took a while to "catch on". But, it was not until the work was translated into a bunch of different languages, that it reached the status of an iconic story of the period.
Who the f*%k was Jules Verne?
Oh, come on!!
Nah, I don't want to make you feel bad, Dear Reader. I was only funnin' ya.
Jules Verne was a famous 19th century author, who gave mid-20th century film makers great fodder for movie scripts. Captain Nemo! My man. 20,000 leagues under the sea! Around the World in 80 Days! Five Weeks in a Balloon! Mysterious Island! From the Earth to the Moon! (No, damn it, not the TV series with Tom Hanks) Journey to the Center of the Earth!
So where does Jules Verne intersect with our intrepid reporter?
It all started with around the world in 80 days, and the books main character Philleas Fogg. After publication, everyone who was anyone wanted to be Philleas.
We last left Nellie, when she departed NYC, with her checkered coat, and little leather satchel....
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Jules Verne's book, was originally published in January, 1872. It was received with what could be called a moderately healthy response in France. But the books' debut was during the Franco-Prussian War--a short, but brutal conflict. It's understandable, I suppose, that it took a while to "catch on" with the public. But, it was not until the work was translated into a bunch of different languages, that it reached the status of an iconic story of the period.
Nellie got the idea to become Philleas Fogg. She took the idea to Joseph Pulitzer, who was skeptical that a woman could accomplish such a feat. But, she wore him down, and eventually agreed to publish her adventures. After all, it would be a grand stunt for his readers. And, thus it was in November 1889, that Nellie set off for England--the first leg of her journey. She travelled on the "Augusta Victoria" to England, and believe me, she travelled in style--at least for this leg of her journey.
Not too B A D, right?
Try this one:
Not exactly the Holiday Inn, is it?
Well, at least our Nellie began her trip in style!
Because speed was her goal, Nellie had to travel light. The only suitcase she allowed herself was one small leather satchel, into which she put:
two traveling caps, three veils, a pair of slippers, a complete outfit of toilet articles, ink-stand, pens, pencils, and copy-paper, pins, needles and thread, a dressing gown, a tennis blazer, a small flask and a drinking cup, several complete changes of underwear, a liberal supply of handkerchiefs and fresh ruchings and most bulky and uncompromising of all, a jar of cold cream.
-- Around the World in 72 Days
A tennis blazer? Cold cream? Handkerchiefs? Some of these items seem a little strange to us, but I'm sure Nellie felt them to be essential to her well being. Hmmm.
Although Nellie was off and running on her assignment, it was not long before a fledgling Cosmopolitan Magazine hired Elizabeth Bisland, to try and beat Nellie in the race to circumvent the globe in under 80 days. Honestly, Fogg would have been proud.
Pretty, isn't she? But, she wasn't Nellie!
It was most unfortunate for Nellie, that she was almost immediately sea sick:
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"Do you get sea-sick ?" I was asked in an interested, friendly way. That was enough; I flew to the railing. I looked blindly down, caring little what the wild waves were saying, and gave vent to my feelings.
Bly, Around the World in 72 Days.
Nellie and her fellow passengers made it to London in record time: just under seven days. She immediately went on the boat-train to Paris. Once in France, Nellie took an incredible side trip to Amiens, to meet Jules Verne. When he found out about the challenge of her journey, he told her that he would applaud with both hands if she accomplished it. Praise from Nemo himself, eh?
Bly quickly worked her way through continental Europe, sending cables back to the paper, every few days. The editors of The World worked furiously to get mileage out of every single word of her posts, running betting pools, even creating a kind of board game of her journey. Needless to say, it was an incredible success, making Bly's latest 'stunt' one of her most popular with the reading public.
It was not until Christmas Day in Hong Kong, that Nellie finally discovered that she had competition in her race around the globe. She was told (erroneously) that Bisland was actually ahead of her. Well, Nellie didn't freak--she kept right on, and landed on the US West coast, after a long voyage across the Pacific. The World chartered a private train, and Nellie traveled the rest of the way in style (pretty much as she had begun). She later described the last leg of her trip as a medley of sights, sounds, and sung praises. I'll bet she must have been pretty tired!
Ye Gods, I would have been.
Upon her return, Bly entered onto a multi-city lecture tour. Clearly, she reveled in her fame. Ironically, after Bisland returned, she found that she rather hated being famous, and ultimately fled back to Britain for a year, to regain some privacy. Opposite thinking, that, eh?
Regardless of who won, here's to two intrepid women writers!
