Tension is one of the main criteria for assessing narrative texts. Everyone can intuitively grasp what tension is. However, it becomes challenging when one attempts to define tension intersubjectively. Literary studies have struggled with the research on tension thus far. In contrast, psychology and communication studies have empirically explored the phenomenon since the 1980s. This study applies their findings to the travel novels of Jules Verne as an example and seeks to provide a new perspective on the analysis of literary tension. Tension proves to be a complex narrative strategy that depends on certain character types, temporal structures, and content-related conditions. The extensive work of Verne is interpreted, categorized, and assessed in terms of tension through selected texts. Additionally, an effort is made to develop an appropriate terminology for the various narrative strategies that emerge.