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The Library
of Alexandria

A character in Around the World in Eighty Days

Who is Phileas Fogg?

By the Library of Alexandria · 2 minute read · Updated 23 Ott 2026

In short

  • Phileas Fogg is the precise English gentleman at the center of Jules Verne's Around the World in Eighty Days.
  • He bets that he can circle the globe in eighty days, trusting careful planning to overcome delays.
  • His calm manner hides a kindness that becomes clear when other people need his help.

Who Phileas Fogg is

Phileas Fogg is a wealthy Londoner whose daily habits follow an exact timetable. He spends his time at the Reform Club, reading newspapers and playing whist. Little is known about him, and his quiet manner gives others few clues to his feelings.

What Phileas Fogg wants

Fogg wants to prove that a traveler can go around the world in eighty days. He stakes twenty thousand pounds on the journey and leaves with his French servant, Passepartout. When transport fails or connections break, he looks for another route rather than complaining.

Phileas Fogg and the others in the story

Passepartout's lively, excitable nature contrasts with Fogg's composure, but their bond grows warmer through the journey. In India, Fogg risks precious time to help rescue Aouda, a young widow facing a funeral pyre. He offers her protection, showing that his strict schedule does not matter more than another person's safety.

Questions

Who is Phileas Fogg?

Phileas Fogg is the wealthy English traveler whose wager begins the journey in Around the World in Eighty Days.

Why does Phileas Fogg travel around the world?

He travels to win a bet that the journey is possible within eighty days. A newspaper report about a new railway connection helps spark the argument.

Is Phileas Fogg cold or kind?

Fogg is kind despite his reserved manner and exacting habits. His willingness to interrupt his journey for Aouda reveals care beneath his composure.

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