Journey to the Center of the Earth · Chapter
The Professor and His Family explained
The chapter introduces Professor Otto Liedenbrock, his nephew Axel, and their household in Hamburg on May 24, 1863.
What happens
The chapter introduces Professor Otto Liedenbrock, his nephew Axel, and their household in Hamburg on May 24, 1863. The Professor, a brilliant but impatient mineralogist and geologist, rushes home early, causing alarm. Axel describes his uncle's character, his scientific reputation, and his eccentricities, including his rapid walking, restless eyes, and tendency to lose his temper during lectures. The household includes Gräuben, the Professor's goddaughter, and Martha, the cook. Axel, an orphan and the Professor's assistant, shares his uncle's passion for geology.
Themes in this chapter
Scientific Curiosity and Ambition
Professor Liedenbrock's deep knowledge and passion for mineralogy and geology, as well as his impatience with nature's pace, highlight his relentless scientific drive.
Intergenerational Conflict and Growth
The dynamic between the impatient Professor and his more cautious nephew Axel sets up a classic intergenerational tension, with Axel caught between obedience and his own inclinations.
Characters to notice
- Axel Liedenbrock
The narrator and nephew of Professor Liedenbrock, who serves as his laboratory assistant and shares his love for geology.
- Professor Otto Liedenbrock
The impatient and brilliant professor of mineralogy at the Johannæum, known for his deep learning and irascible temperament.
- Gräuben
The Professor's goddaughter, a young Virlandaise of seventeen, living in the household.
- Martha
The cook who is alarmed by the Professor's early return and hides to avoid his temper.
Key passages
“Nevertheless my good uncle was a man of deep learning—a fact I am most anxious to assert and reassert.”
Axel insists that despite his uncle's flaws, Professor Liedenbrock is genuinely learned.
Axel defends his uncle's reputation as a scholar.
“He was a learned egotist. He was a well of science, and the pulleys worked uneasily when you wanted to draw anything out of it.”
The Professor's knowledge was vast but difficult to access, as he was selfish with his learning.
Axel describes his uncle's self-centered approach to teaching and knowledge.
“In April, after he had planted in the terracotta pots outside his window seedling plants of mignonette and convolvulus, he would go and give them a little pull by their leaves to make them grow faster.”
The Professor's impatience extended even to gardening, where he would tug at seedlings to speed their growth.
This anecdote illustrates the Professor's restless and impatient nature.