Fenwick Travers
Encyclopedia
Fenwick "Fenny" Travers is a fictional character and antihero created by Raymond M. Saunders. The character was inspired by the character of Harry Paget Flashman
in a series of historical novels written by George Macdonald Fraser
, but the character of Travers did not become as successful as his British counterpart.
, having been inspired by the novels written by Fraser during the 1970s onwards. Several Travers books were written during the 1990s, and despite some positive reviews from journalists, they failed to receive the fame of the Flashman novels.
Harry Paget Flashman
Sir Harry Paget Flashman VC KCB KCIE is a fictional character created by George MacDonald Fraser , but based on the character "Flashman" in Tom Brown's Schooldays , a semi-autobiographical work by Thomas Hughes ....
in a series of historical novels written by George Macdonald Fraser
George MacDonald Fraser
George MacDonald Fraser, OBE was an English-born author of Scottish descent, who wrote both historical novels and non-fiction books, as well as several screenplays.-Early life and military career:...
, but the character of Travers did not become as successful as his British counterpart.
Overview
The character Fenwick Travers was envisaged by Saunders as the American equivalent of Harry Paget FlashmanHarry Paget Flashman
Sir Harry Paget Flashman VC KCB KCIE is a fictional character created by George MacDonald Fraser , but based on the character "Flashman" in Tom Brown's Schooldays , a semi-autobiographical work by Thomas Hughes ....
, having been inspired by the novels written by Fraser during the 1970s onwards. Several Travers books were written during the 1990s, and despite some positive reviews from journalists, they failed to receive the fame of the Flashman novels.
The Travers novels
Each book, like the Flashman novels, is set during a particular event in American history, and follows the actions of the antihero Travers during these events that lead to his becoming an iconic American hero. Below is the name of each book and the events that the book focuses on.- Fenwick Travers and the Years of Empire: An Entertainment - The Boxer RebellionBoxer RebellionThe Boxer Rebellion, also called the Boxer Uprising by some historians or the Righteous Harmony Society Movement in northern China, was a proto-nationalist movement by the "Righteous Harmony Society" , or "Righteous Fists of Harmony" or "Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists" , in China between...
in ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
(1995)
- Fenwick Travers and the Forbidden Kingdom: An Entertainment - Moro RebellionMoro RebellionThe Moro Rebellion was an armed military conflict between Moro revolutionary groups in the Mindanao, Sulu, and Palawan and the United States military which took place in the Philippines as early as between 1899 to 1913, following the Spanish-American War in 1898...
in the PhilippinesPhilippinesThe Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
(1995)
- Fenwick Travers and the Panama Canal: An Entertainment - Creation of the Panama CanalPanama CanalThe Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
in 1903 (1996)
Differences between Flashman and Travers
Although being inspired by the Flashman character, Travers differs from Flashman in several important aspects:- The Flashman novels take place between the 1840s and late 1860s, whereas the Travers novels are set between the 1880s and the early 1900s
- Flashman is written to appear as though he was a real person, but Saunders acknowledges that Travers is a fictional character
- The Flashman novels were written in the style of a discovered set of memoirs, whereas the Travers stories are written as adventure novels.
- Harry Flashman was based on a character of the same name in an earlier book, Tom Brown's SchooldaysTom Brown's SchooldaysTom Brown's Schooldays is a novel by Thomas Hughes. The story is set at Rugby School, a public school for boys, in the 1830s; Hughes attended Rugby School from 1834 to 1842...
, by Thomas Hughes. Travers is an original character, and is not based on any other character.