Phileas Fogg (SAJV)
Encyclopedia
The fictional character of Phileas Fogg was re-written for the science fiction
television series The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne
and is a substantially different character than the Phileas Fogg
in Jules Verne
's book Around the World in Eighty Days.
The television series character has a recently deceased father, Sir Boniface Fogg, who was a towering figure at the centre of British Intelligence during the latter part of the Napoleonic Wars
and became a close confidant of both Horatio Nelson and the Duke of Wellington
.
After Napoleon's defeat and the Congress of Vienna
(1815), Boniface sought to ensure there would never be another World War by creating a network of agents to act as the secret guardians of the British Empire
... and thus of the Pax Britannica
that protected the known world.
Boniface wanted his two sons, Phileas and his younger brother Erasmus, to follow in his footsteps. Boniface might have had his wish if he had not sent them both on a mission which resulted in the death of Erasmus and the destruction of Phileas' ideals. Thereafter, Phileas reacted violently against his father's view of the world and turned to a life of pleasure. His faith in "the system" had been fatally undermined. He saw no point in devoting his life to an Empire
that was prepared to sacrifice its own citizens in so cavalier a manner.
As a result of his early experiences, Phileas has seen the evil in men's souls and emerged into a state of detachment which gives him a special perspective on life, and a wisdom of his own. He takes satisfaction in his skill as a swordsman, his accuracy with a pistol, his ability to finesse an opponent at bridge.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television series The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne
The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne
The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne is a 22-episode science fiction television series in the steampunk genre that first aired in June 2000 on CBC Television in Canada and in syndication in the United States....
and is a substantially different character than the Phileas Fogg
Phileas Fogg
Phileas Fogg is the main fictional character in the 1873 Jules Verne novel Around the World in Eighty Days.Fogg attempts to circumnavigate the late Victorian world in eighty days, or less, for a wager of £20,000 with members of London's Reform Club. He takes the wager and leaves with Passepartout,...
in Jules Verne
Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea , A Journey to the Center of the Earth , and Around the World in Eighty Days...
's book Around the World in Eighty Days.
The television series character has a recently deceased father, Sir Boniface Fogg, who was a towering figure at the centre of British Intelligence during the latter part of the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
and became a close confidant of both Horatio Nelson and the Duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
.
After Napoleon's defeat and the Congress of Vienna
Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna was a conference of ambassadors of European states chaired by Klemens Wenzel von Metternich, and held in Vienna from September, 1814 to June, 1815. The objective of the Congress was to settle the many issues arising from the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars,...
(1815), Boniface sought to ensure there would never be another World War by creating a network of agents to act as the secret guardians of the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
... and thus of the Pax Britannica
Pax Britannica
Pax Britannica was the period of relative peace in Europe when the British Empire controlled most of the key maritime trade routes and enjoyed unchallenged sea power...
that protected the known world.
Boniface wanted his two sons, Phileas and his younger brother Erasmus, to follow in his footsteps. Boniface might have had his wish if he had not sent them both on a mission which resulted in the death of Erasmus and the destruction of Phileas' ideals. Thereafter, Phileas reacted violently against his father's view of the world and turned to a life of pleasure. His faith in "the system" had been fatally undermined. He saw no point in devoting his life to an Empire
Empire
The term empire derives from the Latin imperium . Politically, an empire is a geographically extensive group of states and peoples united and ruled either by a monarch or an oligarchy....
that was prepared to sacrifice its own citizens in so cavalier a manner.
As a result of his early experiences, Phileas has seen the evil in men's souls and emerged into a state of detachment which gives him a special perspective on life, and a wisdom of his own. He takes satisfaction in his skill as a swordsman, his accuracy with a pistol, his ability to finesse an opponent at bridge.