Something to consider for "20,000 Leagues":
Jules Vernes predicted the extinction of the whales as expressed in one of Captain Nemo's tirades.
And who was Captain Nemo - he seems to be the vengeful and wise alter ego of the affable and wise Professor Aronnax.
Captain Nemo, his crew and the Nautilus are the reincarnation of a whale. Nemo's slain family is likely a whale pod. The Nautilus, impervious to harpoons, is a giant harpoon itself and strikes at the iron ships of the whaling nations.