A Journey to the Center of the Earth was a science fiction novel written by Jules Verne in 1864. Jules Verne was considered by many to be a father of science fiction writing and incorporated the latest discoveries of the day into his work. As such, we are not surprised to find allusions to dinosaurs, natural gas, and ancient Scandinavian texts in this book. Equally, we also find the thorough respect that Verne has for the intellectual mind, both as a reckless force and as a tempering power.